The San Francisco 49ers placed defensive end/linebacker Dekoda Watson on injured reserve Saturday afternoon due to a hamstring injury. Watson injured his hamstring at practice on Friday, and it would appear to have been a tear of some kind given the IR move.
The 49ers did not make a corresponding roster move, so they head into Week 1 one man short of the 53-man roster. It is not a big deal however because they have to deactivate a set amount of players on game day anyway. They normally have seven inactives, but with Watson moved to IR, they will simply deactivate six players.
It’s time to make your predictions for who will not dress on Sunday. There are a few obvious choices, but several spots will be less clear. For example, we know that Erik Magnuson will be inactive due to his hamstring injury, and Malcolm Smith will probably be inactive due to his own hamstring injury.
Those are the only names on the injury report with Watson now on IR. The rest of the inactives will be healthy scratches. Garry Gilliam is healthy again, so I suspect Shon Coleman will be inactive. Matt Tobin will likely be active as he can play both tackle and guard.
The 49ers have six wide receivers on the roster and I find myself wondering if either Richie James or Kendrick Bourne does not dress for this first game. There are special teams skills to be had, but with enough other options, they might deactivate one of those two.
On the defensive side of the ball, I’m guessing defensive lineman Jullian Taylor will be inactive this first game. The team is short-handed at linebacker, so I don’t see anybody there inactive in Week 1. My guess is Tarvarius Moore is inactive initially, with Jimmie Ward and Greg Mabin serving as the primary reserve cornerbacks.
With all that in mind, here is my initial prediction for Week 1 inactives.
OL Erik Magnuson
LB Malcolm Smith
OT Shon Coleman
WR Kendrick Bourne
DL Jullian Taylor
CB Tarvarius Moore