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49ers Vs. Rams: Expect A Lot Of Joe Hastings, Kendall Hunter

The San Francisco 49ers currently have a spot open on their roster, after cutting free agent acquisition Braylon Edwards earlier in the week. With injuries to receivers Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn Jr. and Josh Morgan, that position will definitely go to another receiver. As it stands, the only healthy receivers are Michael Crabtree and Brett Swain, the latter of which has seen very limited time on offense this season.

Most expect receiver Joe Hastings to be elevated from the practice squad, and given some of the signs around practice and the like, it's a safe bet. Not only should Hastings be elevated and active, he'll likely see a lot of playing time, even if the 49ers are still battling to win the game and secure the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. It's because the 49ers want to see what they have in Hastings, and see if they need to find a receiver in free agency before the playoffs start.

Obviously, it would be much better for the 49ers if Hastings had a big game on Sunday.

You can also expect to see some other players, like Kendall Hunter, Chris Culliver and Reggie Smith. All of them are likely to have some return duties with Ginn and Williams still injured. The latter, Smith, would likely be the starting punt returner. Hunter is just a player the 49ers really want to get the ball to as often as possible, so he'll probably be the starting kick returner.

It's also likely that Frank Gore gets reduced carries on Sunday, so Hunter could see significant time on offense.