Kyle Shanahan expects Reuben Foster to play this weekend

The San Francisco 49ers should have a key cog back on defense this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said in his bi-weekly KNBR appearance that he expects rookie linebacker Reuben Foster to be active this Sunday.

Foster suffered a rib injury two weeks ago, and was inactive last week against the Philadelphia Eagles. He was expected to play, but he developed some spasms following the cross-country flight. Travel is not an issue this week (or the rest of the month), so he should be good to go barring any last minute issues

Foster has appeared in two regular season games this season, and he has left with an injury in both games. In Week 1, he suffered a high ankle sprain and was out for the next five games. He returned in Week 7, only to suffer the rib injury. He returned to finish the game, but was banged up. He has yet to play an entire NFL game through his short career. Expectations are high based on his talent, but for this week, my expectations are fairly low. I just want to see him complete a game without leaving due to injury.