San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree could return by Week 12?

The San Francisco 49ers were already relatively thin at wide receiver before Michael Crabtree went down with what many feared as a season ending Achilles’ heal injury.

Now, according to a report from the Sacramento Bee, it’s possible that Crabtree will not only return this season, but he could do so as early as Week 12.

Per Matt Barrows:

"Harbaugh said the team also was encouraged by Michael Crabtree’s rehabilitation from a May 21 Achilles’ heal injury. The 49ers expect Crabtree to return at some point this season. The earliest an athlete who suffered a full tear like Crabtree can be expected back on the field is about six months. That means he could be back as early as November, although the team is likely to ease the receiver back into action as cautiously as possible.“He’s hit every single goal as far as his timeline,” Harbaugh said of Crabtree. “That’s been real exciting and encouraging.”"

As pointed out in the piece above, a Week 12 return would be an extreme best case scenario, so that appears unlikely. Still, Week 12 or not, it’s looking more and more likely that Michael Crabetree will be playing for the San Francisco 49ers at some point during the second half of the season.