49ers vs. Chargers: Top 5 San Francisco players to watch in Week 4

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SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 30: Uchenna Nwosu #58 of the Los Angeles Chargers sacks C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers during their preseason game at Levi’s Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Quarterback C.J. Beathard

Like it or not, C.J. Beathard is the player we’re stuck with at quarterback for the rest of the season.

I was personally not a fan of Beathard’s play last year. He is slow, sluggish, generally unaware of what’s going on in the pocket and does not have great arm strength — at all.

However, Beathard is accurate. He’s smart. And most of all, he’s tough — probably tougher than any quarterback in the league. The former Iowa Hawkeye was hit countless times in 2017 playing behind a porous offensive line, and the guy got back up without a problem every single time.

While he may not be the loudest person in the locker room, his incredible toughness will speak volumes to his teammates. Beathard is the leader of this team for the rest of the year. And I’m perfectly content with that — he’s the ultimate underdog.

It will be interesting to see how he leads his team back from the depressing loss of Jimmy Garoppolo. He probably won’t throw for a lot against this vaunted Chargers’ defense, but who knows?

Next. 49ers vs. Chargers: 3 glaring questions for San Francisco in Week 3. dark

Beathard could just be Nick Foles 2.0.

The 49ers and Chargers square off at 4:25 p.m. on Sept. 30 from the StubHub Center in Carson, California.