San Francisco 49ers: 5 things to accomplish during Week 11 bye

The San Francisco 49ers won’t have to worry about losing in Week 11, as they’ll be on their 2018 bye. But that doesn’t mean the team is without tasks to accomplish. Here are five things on the to-do list.

Well, San Francisco 49ers fans, you won’t have to worry about the Niners blowing another fourth-quarter lead in Week 11.

After suffering yet another one of these setbacks against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football in Week 10 — the fourth of 2018 so far — head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad can regroup and prepare for the final stretch of the season before its Week 12 road trip back east to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Between then and now, the 49ers can make some good use out of their bye week. Niner Noise already chronicled a number of problems the team is going through this year, particularly on the defensive side, which is an area Shanahan and Co. can look to shore up as best as they can with what’s available on the roster.

Some roster tweaks may also be necessary too, as the rest of the season becomes less about wins and losses and more about identifying both needs and cornerstones heading into the 2019 offseason.

There are many more things to settle as well.

Let’s start off this list by looking at one of the key areas in which the Niners can take advantage of the extra break, getting healthy.

No. 5: Improve on the Injury Front

Few teams have been derailed by injuries as bad as the 49ers in 2018. Of course, the highlight injury setbacks feature quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and running back Jerick McKinnon. Many, including those two, are lost for the year.

But there are plenty of others flirting regularly with the injury report. Case in point, linebacker Reuben Foster has been dealing with nagging shoulder and hamstring injuries, which have hindered his on-field play his second season. Using the bye week to determine whether or not he can come back healthy or should be shut down for the rest of 2018 is a necessity.

Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin suffered a possible concussion in Week 10, and the offense is vastly different without his speed being put to use.

Meanwhile, strong safety Jaquiski Tartt has missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury. This forced San Francisco to start backup defensive backs Antone Exum Jr. and Tyvis Powell in his stead. These are third-string options on the vast majority of NFL rosters, and Tartt’s return would greatly alleviate the need to rely upon these kinds of backup players.