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Michael Crabtree probably won’t play this week

By Kevin Parvizi

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Corey Graham (24) breaks up a pass intended for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Michael Crabtree is able to return anytime between now and the 28th of November, and the 49ers will have to revert him to the injured reserve if he isn’t activated by then. That’s obviously not going to happen, though, but don’t expect Crabtree to make his season debut this week either. Even though Crabtree returned to practice yesterday and seemed to have a legit shot at playing in this week’s incredibly important game against the New Orleans Saints, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is downplaying Crabtree’s chances of suiting up tomorrow.

He said, from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, “It doesn’t look probable, no.”

Getting Crabtree back would be huge for the 49ers offense, which has been struggling as of late. It will be interesting to see if Vernon Davis comes back this week, because he’s a total toss-up for this week’s game. Davis’s health will likely dictate how well Colin Kaepernick plays, as Kaep is struggling and has major issues without the star TE (Davis has been a monster this season, especially in the red zone and on deeper passes).

Crabtree is clearly the 49ers No. 1 receiver even with Anquan Boldin in the fold, and his return would do this team wonders. But at this point in time, it doesn’t seem like he’ll play until next week’s Monday night matchup against the Washington Redskins. While there’s still a chance that he plays this week, I wouldn’t count on it.

More from Harbaugh, “[H]e had a week of running routes, of sprinting, pushing the sled, lifting, training and catching. He wasn’t part of the team workout, but controlled would be the best way to say it.”

So yeah, wait until next week.

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