Injury updates: Danny Gray unlikely to be ready for the start of the season

The 49ers feared that wide receiver Danny Gray suffered a broken collarbone. Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed that Gray didn’t break anything, but Gray will still miss time: “It’s a bad injury. Still not great news. Better than a break.”

Shanahan said the team is still trying to figure out when Gray will return to the lineup, “but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be ready by the beginning of the year.”

Gray, who had the first crack as the kick returner yesterday, provides a home run threat that opens up all the underneath routes and forces defenses to guard the entire field.

Gray being out will open the door for rookie Ronnie Bell, Chris Conley, Willie Snead, and Tay Martin to win that final spot at wideout on the opening day roster.

Defensive lineman Kerry Hyder has a stinger. Shanahan said the team has to be smart with him, and it’s unlikely that we’ll see Hyder in the preseason finale.

Running back Jeremy McNichols has a hamstring injury that’ll keep him out for “a few weeks.”

The 49ers are expecting the following players to return from injury this week:

Kalia Davis

Dre Greenlaw

Drake Jackson

Javon Kinlaw

Elijah Mitchell

That means we’ll see the offense and defense at full-strength Friday against the Chargers.