Jarryd Hayne's hopes of breaking back into the San Francisco 49ers' squad to play the Detroit Lions this weekend will rely on the health of two of his running back teammates.
Shaun Draughn will have an MRI scan on his injured knee on Monday while coach Jim Tomsula said he won't rush Mike Davis back if he has not fully recovered from a broken hand that has kept him out for almost two months.
The 49ers usually take three running backs into each game.
If Draughn and Davis are ruled out, Hayne - currently on the practice squad - is the only other available 49ers running back option to join Kendall Gaskins and Travaris Cadet against the Lions.
"We're not going to put him in any danger," Tomsula, speaking to reporters about Davis, said on Monday.
The 49ers have also lost running backs Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush for the rest of the season to injuries.
If Hayne is promoted and plays in Detroit this Sunday (Monday AEDT) he will be able to showcase his skills to one of the teams he considered joining at the start of the year.
The 49ers' woeful season continued on Sunday when they lost 24-14 on their home field to the Cincinnati Bengals after trailing 21-0 at halftime.
Draughn limped off the field in the first half and didn't return.
The Bengals were without star quarterback Andy Dalton and the 49ers suffered their 10th loss of the 14-game season and with just two games left have no chance of making the playoffs.
San Francisco media and fans continue to question why the 49ers don't elevate Hayne, who only put NFL pads on for the first time a few months before the season began, from the practice squad.
Special teams co-ordinator Thomas McGaughey told reporters last week the former rugby league star "needs to learn how to play football" before he returns to the 53-man roster.
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