San Francisco 49ers punter Andy Lee will forego his punting duties Saturday and instead hold the ball during kicks, according to Matt Maiocco. Lee is dealing with a hip injury and hence will not see be called on to kick tonight.
The 49ers who are expected to miss the game tonight are cornerback Shawntae Spencer, safety Reggie Smith and wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Though these injuries do hurt the 49ers, none of them face season-threatening injuries and should be back in due time.
Saturday's Week 3 preseason game features the 49ers at home against the Houston Texans. San Francisco looked solid last week in a 17-3 win over the Oakland Raiders, and the team will look to build on that moving forward. That win, however, came with most of the first-team playing limited minutes.
The starters should see plenty of minutes during the game. Once kick-off takes place at 5, the Texans (2-0 so far in preseason) should pose some interesting challenge.