The San Francisco 49ers will release their full Thursday practice report in a bit, but we already have some early news. Mike Iupati, Jimmie Ward and Patrick Willis are all sitting out the early portion of the team's practice session. If it holds up for the entirety of practice, this would mark the second consecutive absence for each player this week. We'll have the final injury report later in the afternoon.
Mike Iupati's absence for the second straight day would be a bit of a concern. Iupati suffered a concussion on Monday Night Football, which meant he has to go through the concussion protocol to get back on the field. The 49ers have had several concussions the last couple years, including those suffered by Eric Reid and Vernon Davis. In both cases, the players were usually back at practice in at least a limited capacity by mid-week. The 49ers are going on a slightly shorter week due to Monday Night Football, but I would have hoped that would mean Iupati would get back by at least Thursday.
This does not mean Iupati will sit out Sunday's game. However, as long as he is sidelined from practice, the odds decrease that he will play this week. If Iupati is inactive, Joe Looney would get the start in his place. Beyond that, it is hard to tell what exactly will happen to line depth on Sunday. Anthony Davis is back at practice, although it was limited on Wednesday. If he is able to play, Jonathan Martin moves back to a reserve role. However, I am still not expecting Davis to play this weekend.
Where it also gets interesting is with the interior reserves. Rookie Dillon Farrell would normally become the primary backup along the interior of the line, but the 49ers might have another man back this weekend. Marcus Martin did not appear on Wednesday practice participation report, which would indicate he is healthy and ready to go. If Iupati and Davis are both out, it would seem like Marcus Martin could be active for the first time this season.