San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner will play Sunday. His status was in question for Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals due to a sprained ankle.
Warner missed the entire second half of the 49ers' 30-13 victory over the Patriots last Sunday because of an ankle injury.
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The All-Pro linebacker participated in just one practice this week.
Warner's performance through the first four games of the season has garnered much attention. He's being dubbed as the best defensive player in football.
His stat line through the first four games included 27 tackles, four passes defended, three forced fumbles, two interceptions, and a sack.
The 27-year-old has an impressive 95.9 Pro Football Focus grade thus far. The achievement marks a career-high and it's also the highest grade of any player in the NFL.
Although the linebacker has always been an elite defender, he's elevated his performance this year. If Warner continues this upward trend, he is making a strong case to become the first off-ball linebacker awarded with Defensive Player of the Year since 2013.
Warner believes the birth of his son was a contributing factor to elevating his play this season.
"I think that's a big part of it," Warned told the media. "Having my son, it kind of clears all the gray area in your life of what's important, what's not important, so you could just be clear of mind, remove distractions, things that you realize aren't important, serve no purpose in your life, and you're able to go out there and just play free."
The last divisional matchup the 49ers competed in was against the Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco earned a shocking 27-24 loss to their NFC West rivals in Week 3.
Although the 49ers earned a win against New England last week, the star-studded San Francisco squad sits at 2-2 to start the season.
The 49ers hope Week 5 isn't the same scenario as their previous divisional matchup as they chase a record above .500.
San Francisco hasn't started the season unscathed. Injuries have plagued players on both sides of the ball. Christian McCaffrey hasn't played a single game this season and likely won't play until mid-November.
Deebo Samuel and George Kittle both have missed a game due to injury. The rocky start isn't ideal, but San Francisco can sharpen the edges as the new season progresses.
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