What It Means:

Daboll said Tuesday that Barkley "feels a lot better today" and has made "considerable progress" with the ankle injury he sustained in Week 2 versus the Arizona Cardinals. Barkley was reportedly expected to miss three weeks on Tuesday, so it would be a big surprise if he's able to suit up on Thursday in San Francisco. Matt Breida is expected to lead a backfield committee that includes Gary Brightwell and Eric Gray if Barkley is ruled out.

The 49ers’ pass defense and overall defense both rank in the top-five based on numberFire’s opponent-adjusted NEP model, but their run defense is third-worst, so the Giants may be able to find some surprise success on the ground if they can maintain a neutral game script. That will likely be difficult on the road as 10.0-point underdogs. Our models project Breida for 11.1, Brightwell for 7.5, and Gray for 3.2 touches on Thursday night.