For 49ers fans hoping to see a matchup of the old guard in Vernon Davis against the new school of George Kittle, it won’t happen on Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

Davis, who has a concussion, was announced, along with four other players, as inactive. Kittle, however, will play. Shanahan said on KNBR on Friday that if Kittle, who’s been dealing with a groin injury, came through practice alright, he’d be playing, and that appears to have been the case.

Injury recap: Jordan Matthews, Jullian Taylor will be active (and maybe C.J. Beathard)

There will be no D.J. Jones (hamstring strain) or Deebo Samuel (groin strain) on Sunday. This was expected, as neither practiced this week, and Shanahan said on KNBR that the pair had just an “outside chance” of being up for Sunday’s game. He confirmed later in the afternoon that neither would play and that Jordan Matthews and Jullian Taylor would likely be named active in their stead.

With Mike McGlinchey, Joe Staley, Ahkello Witherspoon and Kyle Juszczyk taking four of the seven inactive spots, the inactivity of Jones and Samuel removed the necessity for any tact in the decision. However, there could be something of an interesting wrinkle thrown in on Sunday if Raheem Mostert (knee strain, or sprain, it was unclear which one it is from Shanahan on Wednesday), who practiced for the first time this week on Friday, can’t go.

Shanahan said that if Mostert is unable to play, C.J. Beathard would be active for the game. It’s not an earth-shattering move, but it reflects the questionable status of Mostert and the stack of injuries the team already has outside of its injured reserve.

O-line back on the Sharks grind

The 49ers’ offensive line were front and center for the San Jose Sharks’ playoff trudge last season, with an iconic pre-game hype-up and celebration following an overtime win. On Friday, all of the 49ers’ offensive linemen had Sharks jerseys in their lockers, courtesy of Staley, though he couldn’t take credit for the idea. That came from right guard Mike Person on Wednesday. Staley credited former Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray for the assist on getting the jerseys made so quickly.

Joe Staley bought custom Sharks jerseys for all the offensive linemen. Mike Person had the idea two days ago, Staley got the assist on the quick turnaround from Douglas Murray #49ers #Sharks pic.twitter.com/ebveJhOVFT

— Jake Hutchinson (@hutchdiesel) October 18, 2019