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49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio met with the media on Thursday, and he provided some useful information as the team prepares for Sunday's game against the Houston Texans. According to Fangio, Patrick Willis has a better than 50/50 chance of playing on Sunday, but he wasn't really sure. Additionally, Fangio thinks that Tramaine Brock will get the third cornerback work on Sunday.
On Wednesday, Justin Smith said he expected Willis to play on Sunday. Jim Harbaugh did not make that kind of proclamation, saying the team would see how he looked in practice. Willis was limited on Wednesday, and is likely to appear as "limited" on Thursday's report. The 49ers need him out there to deal with the dynamic threats at running back (Arian Foster, Ben Tate) and tight end (Owen Daniels, Garrett Graham). That's probably just a little bit of an understatement.
The bigger news is Fangio indicating Brock would likely handle the third cornerback work over Nnamdi Asomugha. He didn't say it was a certainty, but he seemed to expect it. Nnamdi is dealing with a knee injury and sat out last week. He was limited on Wednesday, so we'll see what it means for Sunday's defensive plan.