5 players who must see more field time after 49ers' latest wave of injuries

It's not been a particularly easy start to the year for the San Francisco 49ers.

Even without the team's up-and-down play, leading to a fully justified 2-2 record, the spectre of injuries has loomed large over the season, with a number of the team's best-known players missing key time throughout.

This continued even in Sunday's win over the New England Patriots, where the brief cheer given from a get-right win over their AFC East foes was tempered by the loss of defenders Jordan Elliott (knee) and Fred Warner (ankle), among others, during the game.

While the severity of these injuries is still to be confirmed, there's no doubt some players will have to step into increased roles as the season continues to roll on, if the Niners are to achieve their stated goals for the year.

Let's take a look at some possible candidates.

Linebacker Dee Winters

It's easiest to start with someone who should perhaps be playing anyway.

Second-year linebacker Dee Winters has actually had a pretty testing start to the season. He had some up-and-down play during the preseason, but then, with a spot technically within his grasp due to the absence of Dre Greenlaw, he found himself battling a troublesome ankle injury which ruled him out entirely of San Francisco's opening two games against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets.

Now, Winiters is both available and active but still seems to be struggling to see the field, logging very few defensive snaps and so far only recording one tackle. Whether this is an injury issue or coaching trust issue is unknown, although head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers' reluctance to play young players generally may be contributing to his lack of action.

However, given the poor play of the veterans ahead of him, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and De'Vondre Campbell (particularly in the Niners' two losses), and the fact that Warner is battling through his own ankle injury, the time might be right for Winters to see more snaps on defense.

It's not that long ago that Warner himself was praising Winters, and it's long seemed like the team would like to work him into the lineup, particularly with Greenlaw out and Campbell and Flannigan-Fowles both only being signed through this season.

Winters is a good athlete who can make some explosive plays, and while he is raw and prone to mistakes, it's hard to imagine that he wouldn't give the 49ers linebacking corps something of a pop heading into the business end of the season.