Niner Noise
FanSided

5 49ers with the most to gain in preseason Week 1 vs. Cowboys

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 09: Tarvarus McFadden #33 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi's Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers one the game 24-21. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 09: Tarvarus McFadden #33 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi's Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers one the game 24-21. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 09: Rod Smith #45 of the Dallas Cowboys gets tackled by Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi’s Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 09: Rod Smith #45 of the Dallas Cowboys gets tackled by Jaquiski Tartt #29 of the San Francisco 49ers in the first quarter of their NFL preseason football game at Levi’s Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers kick off their 2019 NFL preseason campaign at home against the Dallas Cowboys, and these five players stand to gain the most during the contest.

While any NFL preseason gets old quickly for both veteran players and fans, the 2019 edition is particularly crucial for a number of San Francisco 49ers either on the fringes of the regular-season roster or vying for key spots on the depth chart this upcoming year.

For these kinds of players, preseason contests are very important. Considering many of the Niners starters won’t see much of the field, if any at all, the increased reps and looks could mean the difference between solid placement on the 53-man roster or being left off it altogether.

San Francisco opens up its 2019 NFL preseason campaign at home against the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Saturday.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan is likely to hold back playing some of his established starters, including quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, giving other players valuable field time early.

Other key players are probably going to be held back, too.

By looking at these preseason bouts as extensions of training camp, where position battles and competition are heightened, one can see how those bubble-watch players will need to perform at their best. Especially considering they’ll be matching up against different competition from the Cowboys, for a change.

Here are five such Niners players who stand to gain the most from their performances versus Dallas this weekend.