49ers vs. Raiders: 5 Niners who must start 2023 preseason hot

RB Tyrion Davis-Price

A lot has been made of the work that second-year running back Tyrion Davis-Price did over the offseason and the progress that he's shown so far in training camp.

Davis-Price didn't feature much during his rookie season out of LSU and many wondered if he wouldn't go the way of Trey Sermon, another third round draft pick who didn't play much as a rookie before being a camp casualty during his second training camp. But Davis-Price has proved himself so far and he should have ample opportunity to continue to do so this weekend.

With starter Christian McCaffrey certainly sitting out Sunday's game and de facto RB2 Elijah Mitchell on the shelf with an adductor injury, that means there will be lots of carries on Sunday for Davis-Price, fellow second-year man Jordan Mason, and rookie Khalan Laborn to show what they can do.

But with the roster spots being at such a premium, it seems unlikely that guys like Laborn will be able to crack the group without massively overperforming for the rest of the preseason along with depending on guys like Davis-Price to fall off a cliff.

For Davis-Price, this is more about securing his role for the upcoming season. Unless he absolutely falls apart during the preseason, he's going to make the team. So that means this is about showing he can be counted upon to spell McCaffrey or step up if Mitchell remains sidelined.