The news on Monday was that San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore only had a bruised knee and wouldn't need to get an MRI done, following his exit from Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Gore suffered the injury in the first half and looked fine walking around on the sidelines, and Kendall Hunter took over in his place. Gore should be good to go to get back to practice soon and should be fine for Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
But if he's still feeling pain - even a little bit - he probably shouldn't go. Gore had a lingering ankle injury coming into the Giants game, and it showed early on. He didn't get zero yards off of six carries because of a bruised knee, he had that statline because he wasn't ready altogether. The injuries were clearly still with him and the team probably shouldn't have started him.
More than that, Hunter came in and rushed for 40 yards on six carries, including a touchdown that proved to be crucial as the 49ers got the win by a margin of seven points. The coaches have a lot of faith in Hunter, and third stringer Anthony Dixon even got a couple carries against the Giants. On top of all of that, quarterback Alex Smith stepped up and took control of the game, doing something people have been doubting him of for years.
It's also worth noting that the team is playing the Arizona Cardinals, who have struggled this year, and have a questionable quarterback situation. The 49ers are 8-1 and five games up in the NFC West, and while it's true that they'll be paying attention to playoff seeding and every win counts, it's not necessary to give Gore all of the carries he normally would, especially with a short week coming up and Thursday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens.
Gore will likely play on Sunday, but you can fully expect him to share some carries with Hunter and possibly Dixon. Alex Smith also might get another game of throwing the ball a lot to try and increase his confidence heading into the showdown with Baltimore on Thanksgiving.