49ers player notes

Quick-hit player notes and updates while running down the 49ers roster entering Sunday's game against the neighborhood rival Oakland Raiders.

QB Alex Smith: He has already thrown for more yards (906) than during his rookie season in 32 fewer pass attempts. Last season, Smith had 875 yards passing on 165 attempts. He was sacked 29 times last season, this year he has been sacked nine times with 133 passing attempts. He saw his streak of consecutive passes without an interception come to an end at 139 during last week’s loss at Kansas City. RB Frank Gore: He has already fumbled four times, losing all four, in four games this season. Last season, Gore fumbled twice on 142 touches. He did not lose any fumbles his final season at the University of Miami in 207 touches. Gore ranks second in the NFL in yards from scrimmage with 460 - 331 rushing and 129 receiving - and continues to lead the 49ers in both rushing and receiving with 16 catches. He ranks sixth in the league in rushing - two yards behind quarterback Michael Vick of Atlanta. RB Michael Robinson: The rookie saw seven plays in the 49ers' 41-0 loss to the Chiefs. He has replaced Gore as the team's short-yardage back, but the 49ers had no short-yardage situations. The team did not even get into the red zone. Their deepest penetration was the Chiefs' 33. Robinson gained 13 yards on four carries against the Chiefs and has 41 yards rushing and two touchdowns through the first quarter of the season. FB Chris Hetherington: The team’s regular starting fullback was inactive Sunday against the Chiefs for the second consecutive game after starting the first two games of the season. FB Moran Norris: The sixth-year veteran was active for the second consecutive game last week because the club decided his style best fit into the team's game plan for the week. Norris is more of a pounding blocker, while Hetherington is a more versatile fullback. Norris did not carry, and he caught one pass for a 7-yard loss. Norris took part in 24 of the team's 51 offensive plays. WR Antonio Bryant: He played every offensive snap for the 49ers against the Chiefs. The fifth-year veteran caught a season-low two passes for just 29 yards, but leads the team’s wideouts with 14 receptions. Despite averaging 32.5 receiving yards over the past two weeks, Bryant still ranks 15th in the NFL with 310 yards receiving, and his 22.1 average is better than any of the 14 receivers listed ahead of him. He’s the only receiver with fewer than 15 receptions that’s listed among the league’s top 20 in receiving yards. WR Arnaz Battle: The fourth-year receiver played 43 of the team's 51 offensive plays in the loss to the Chiefs. Battle led the team with three catches for 34 yards. He made a nice catch in traffic for a 16-yard gain in the second half. He has not handled punt or kickoff return duties the past two weeks as the club has gone with rookie Brandon Williams. Battle is averaging 14.3 yards on his 11 receptions this season and 19.5 yards on five punt returns. WR Bryan Gilmore: The team's No. 3 receiver had one catch for 6 yards against the Chiefs. Gilmore was on the field for 26 of the team's 51 snaps. He is averaging 22.8 yards on his five receptions this season. TE Vernon Davis: The rookie first-round draft pick is expected to miss another three weeks with a broken right lower leg. He sustained the injury in the third quarter Sept. 24 against the Eagles. Davis has five catches for 37 yards this season, all of which came in the season opener at the Cardinals. TE Eric Johnson: The sixth-year veteran took over as the main tight end after Vernon Davis' injury. Johnson was on the field for 47 of the team's 51 offensive plays against the Chiefs. Johnson has 11 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown this season, but failed to make the grab on three catchable passes in Kansas City. LG Larry Allen: The 13th-year veteran returned to limited practice on Wednesday. He has been out with a left knee injury since getting injured on the sixth play of the season. Allen was listed Wednesday as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Raiders, but could be upgraded if he displayed progress during the week. RT Kwame Harris: The fourth-year veteran struggled in pass protection against Chiefs’ rookie DE Tamba Hali. Harris surrendered 1.5 sacks and was also called for an illegal-use-of-hands penalty. Harris will be challenged for his starting job when Allen returns to the lineup, which will free up Adam Snyder to work at RT. K Joe Nedney: The ninth-year veteran, who missed just 2 of 28 field-goal attempts last season, is just 5 of 8 this season. He missed a 51-yard attempt wide left on Sunday against the Chiefs and also has misses from 34 and 46 yards so far this season. SS Mark Roman: The seventh-year veteran continues to share the action with starter Tony Parrish, but has been productive in his playing time. Roman had a good game against the Chiefs. He broke up a pass for TE Tony Gonzalez in the end zone and one of his four tackles was coming up to dump RB Larry Johnson for a 2-yard loss. Roman has 13 tackles this season, two more than Parrish. S Chad Williams: The fifth-year veteran, who comes into the game as the 49ers' sixth defensive back, leads the team with 2.5 sacks. The 49ers have used him a lot near the line of scrimmage on passing downs. He also has produced nine tackles. TE Delanie Walker: The rookie has not played since sustaining a separated shoulder Sept. 1 in the 49ers' final exhibition game. He suited up for Sunday's game against the Chiefs but did not play. LB Parys Haralson: The rookie, who sustained a foot strain in training camp practice, played in his third consecutive game on special teams but has not made much of an impact since his return. DE Marques Douglas: The sixth-year veteran had a strong game against the run with six tackles, matching the high during his time with the 49ers. Douglas was a key as the 49ers managed to bottle up Chiefs RB Larry Johnson. Johnson had a 28-yard run in the fourth quarter but still finished with only 101 yards rushing on 30 carries. Douglas is tied for sixth on the team with 18 tackles. LB Derek Smith: The 10th-year veteran had one of his better games of the season against the Chiefs, finishing with seven tackles. He leads the 49ers with 37 tackles through four games - 10 more than any other player on the team - and is on his way to leading the team in that department for the sixth consecutive season. CB Shawntae Spencer: The third-year veteran had his poorest game of the season against the Chiefs, getting beaten for a touchdown pass and flagged for interference in the end zone that led to another Kansas City touchdown. Spencer has three passes defensed and all 23 of his tackles this season have been of the solo variety. RB Maurice Hicks: Still listed as the team’s backup halfback, Hicks has carried just once for three yards this season and has six receptions for 51yards. His biggest impact has come returning kickoffs, where his 27.2 average on 16 returns ranks second in the NFC and sixth in the NFL. Hicks has returns of 59 and 53 yards this season, but he fumbled away the latter last week against the Chiefs.