Will the Niners let Talanoa Hufanga return to the secondary against the Vikings?
The San Francisco 49ers face Minnesota Vikings this weekend in a battle between 1-0 teams. The status of several key players remains up in the air, one such player is safety Talanoa Hufanga. Hufanga missed Week 1 as the Niners opted to delay his return from ACL surgery. However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team will reevaluate his status for Week 2 after practice this week. Hufanga was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday.
Given how cautious the 49ers tend to be around artificial turf, it’s worth wondering if the 49ers will sit Hufanga for another week regardless of his status. If he does take the field, though, he immediately adds an incredible playmaking energy to an already loaded defense.
Since Hufanga first found his way into the 49ers secondary, he has consistently found his way to the ball. Hufanga has made just 27 starts over the last two seasons. In those games, he has 149 tackles, 12 passes defended, 7 interceptions, 6 tackles for loss, 5 quarterback hits, and 2 sacks.
If the Vikings are going to pull an upset, winning the turnover battle sure seems like the clearest pathway to victory. The Niners getting a playmaker like Hufanga on the field against Sam Darnold, would sure seem to make it even harder for Minnesota.
The 49ers are currently heavy favorites (-225) over the Vikings (+188) to win the game at the FanDuel Sportsbook. Given how impactful Hufanga has been throughout his career, Minnesota’s chances feel even bleaker with the USC product on the field wreaking havoc from the secondary.
After a comfortable Week 1 victory over the Jets on Monday Night Football, the line has remained confident in the Niners, favoring them by 5.5 points. Even with uncertainty surrounding key players like Christian McCaffrey and Hufanga, the 49ers immense amount of impact talent has made that somewhat moot to bettors.