Predicting 49ers' Week 1 starters heading into preseason finale versus Chargers

Coming off a dramatic 22-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders this past weekend, the San Francisco 49ers will wrap up the preseason this Saturday evening at Levi's Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Given the ridiculous amount of injuries the Niners have suffered since the start of training camp, one could easily assume head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. would prefer to just go ahead and skip this last game, but that's obviously not an option.

Besides, he and the rest of the coaching staff have plenty of decisions to make following the contest with the Bolts, as final cuts must be made before 4 p.m. ET next Tuesday, Aug. 26.

Now, we're not here to make predictions on what the 53-man roster will look like come this time next week.

Instead, because we're just so excited to get to football that counts, we're actually going to jump ahead and make our projections on what the 49ers' starting lineup will look like when they head north to take on the rival Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.

Offense

Thankfully for the Niners, many of the key contributors on the offensive side of the football currently have no injury designation, as quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, tight end George Kittle, left tackle Trent Williams, and right tackle Colton McKivitz are all considered healthy at the moment.

Wideout Jauan Jennings has been dealing with a calf injury but is expected to be ready to roll in Week 1—assuming he's not traded due to this contract mess, that is.

The most notable name missing from this lineup, of course, is Brandon Aiyuk, who's expected to start the season on the PUP list. As such, we've got Jacob Cowing in the starting lineup, as he's seemingly all healed up from the hamstring injury that hindered him recently. It's somewhat of a default move, but that's where the 49ers are right now.

Both offensive guard positions seem to be up in the air at the moment. We're keeping Ben Bartch in on the left side next to Trent Williams, as we're thinking the elbow injury that kept him out of action against the Raiders will be healed enough to have him suit up against Seattle.

We're not giving that same designation to right guard Dominick Puni, who Shanahan says will miss "a few weeks" after suffering a PCL injury in the victory over Vegas. The 49ers avoided disaster here, as this injury could have been far worse, so we're thinking that Puni will get some extra time to heal up out of precaution, thus moving Drew Moss into the starting lineup for the first week or two of the regular season.

Defense

While three of the four players expected to start on the defensive line—Nick Bosa (neck), Jordan Elliott (back), and first-round rookie Mykel Williams (knee)—currently have the "questionable" designation attached to their names, the likelihood of all three starting against the Seahawks seems fairly high.

The same can't be said for Kevin Givens, whose pectoral injury will likely land him on injured reserve to start the regular season. And with C.J. West hyperextending his knee last week, we're calling for Kalia Davis to get the start. West could very well be ready to go by the time September 7 rolls around, but we still like Davis here.

The healthiest group on the entire team at this time is the linebacker unit, as Fred Warner, Dee Winters, and Luke Gifford are ready to roll. So, Niners fans are obviously hoping things stay that way.

Strong safety Ji'Ayir Brown is one of the few defensive backs currently at full strength, so he'll undoubtedly be in the lineup. But the regular starter at free safety, Malik Mustapha, will likely start the season on the PUP list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL. Backup Jason Pinnock has been dealing with a heel issue, but he should be good to go for Week 1, and we see him getting the start.

Left cornerback Renardo Green has been on the shelf with a hamstring injury since late July, but he's expected back at practice any day now. So, barring another setback, he should get the start against the Seahawks.

Right corner Deommodore Lenoir dealt with a hip injury earlier this month but was on the field against Las Vegas, taking 14 total snaps. So, that's good news.

Rookie Upton Stout is seemingly in line to be the 49ers' top nickel back but has yet to play in the preseason due to a calf injury. But he's also expected back soon, and he could very well be sitting out of precaution. We're calling for him to be healthy enough to play in Week 1.

Special Teams

No surprises here. Jake Moody is the kicker (for now). Thomas Morstead is the holder and punter. And Jon Weeks is the long-snapper.

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