The 49ers and Saints will release their first official practice participation reports later this afternoon, but in the meantime the media has been able to provide some tidbits about the individual player participation thus far. Delanie Walker seems to be the only player who will definitely miss action this Saturday. The team will re-assess him on Monday and if they are still playing, that could very well mean a return for the NFC Championship Game.
In the meantime, Ray McDonald and Kyle Williams are the two most significant names likely to appear on the injury report. According to reports from practice, Ray McDonald was participating in position drills, but not the team drills as he rehabs his hamstring injury. Kyle Williams remains in a no-contact jersey following his Week 16 concussion.
McDonald remains a bit of a concern given how easy it is for hamstring injuries to get aggravated. McDonald is expected to play on Saturday, but the concern remains. They can't really worry about issues over the next few weeks given the need to win now. McDonald missed the team's week nine matchup with Washington and was replaced primarily by Ricky Jean Francois. The good news is that if McDonald aggravates the hamstring, RJF is a fine replacement. Hopefully it won't come to that, but the 49ers have their options.