SANTA CLARA This could be lucky Week 13 for rookie A.J. Jenkins.
A shoulder injury to fellow wide receiver Mario Manningham means Jenkins, the 49ers' first-round draft pick, is likely to see his first action of the season, Jim Harbaugh said Friday.
"He's been on his assignments, he's executed well when he's been out there," Harbaugh said of Jenkins' recent practices. "He's giving great effort, and football rewards that effort."
Until this week, Jenkins has spent practices as a member of the 49ers' scout or "look" team, wearing the jersey of one of the upcoming opponent's wide receivers against the 49ers' first-team defense.
Jenkins said there was plenty to be gained from that situation.
"You're going against the No. 1 defense," Jenkins said. "And you can work on your own craft. Let's say the Lions have a route that's similar to ours. I can work on that route and do it against top-notch competition."
Jenkins said it was nice that his first game will be against a team from his home state of Florida. He said his mom and dad would be in the stands.
Manningham, meanwhile, missed his third practice of the week and is listed as doubtful. He's started nine games, and his 41 receptions are second on the team, behind Michael Crabtree's 82 catches.
One fine day The NFL fined linebacker NaVorro Bowman $10,000 for an unnecessary roughness penalty in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Rams. Safety Dashon Goldson was fined $7,875 for hitting Rams quarterback Sam Bradford as he slid in the fourth quarter.
Goldson's 15-yard penalty eventually led to Greg Zuerlein's game-tying 53-yard field goal at the end of regulation. Goldson has been penalized six times for a team-high 87 yards. All but one of his penalties have been personal-foul calls.
"The penalties he's gotten have been after the whistle," Harbaugh said. "So that's the main thing pulling off the hit when the quarterback's sliding, leaving it when the whistle stops. But he's done a great job. There haven't been any helmet-to-helmet penalties from Dashon. His technique and ability really have been outstanding."
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