The Packers appeared to be thin at wide receiver at practice on Wednesday, but head coach Mike McCarthy did not seem overly concerned in comments made at his press conference. “I feel pretty confident the receiver position will be healthy for the game,” McCarthy is quoted as saying by Bill Huber of Packer Report. “Randall (Cobb) was sent home today due to illness. We’ve got a number of guys that are fighting through it; it’s just that time of year here. But our doctors feel confident everybody will be ready for the game.” Jordy Nelson has not practiced on either Tuesday or Wednesday because of a lingering ankle injury. Rookie Jarrett Boykin reportedly practiced on Tuesday but sat out yesterday.

More on the wide receiver injury situation comes from the Associated Press, JSOnline, twice, the Green Bay Press-Gazette and ESPNMilwaukee.com.

The Packers receivers will be dealing with a physical 49ers secondary, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The challenge of getting the ball to the wide receivers is examined in an article by Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin.

The return of running back James Starks could be a possibility against the 49ers. He's missed the past five games with a knee injury. "Starks began his journey back into the mix last week when he took a lot of snaps on the scout team helping the defense prepare for Adrian Peterson," writes Tom Silverstein of the Journal Sentinel. "His knee passed that test and he has gradually been added into some real action this week." Starks remains a question mark for Saturday because he's only recently recovered from injury, but given the reluctance to play Alex Green the past few weeks, Starks would seem to be a better alternative if healthy.

More on James Starks comes from the Press-Gazette.

Dealing with the pass-rushing twist of Justin and Aldon Smith of the 49ers defense is something the Packers offensive line must deal with this week. "On the call, Justin Smith lines up between the guard and tackle and tries to occupy both by crashing into the tackle and pulling the guard with him, while Aldon Smith loops behind and bursts through the gap at guard," writes Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette. "Both Smiths were voted to this year’s Pro Bowl, and Aldon Smith finished second in the NFL in sacks with 191/2." The Packers fared well against Justin and Aldon Smith back in Week 1. They could use a repeat performance on Saturday.

Guard T.J. Lang talks about facing Justin Smith at JSOnline.

It's looking more and more like Justin Smith will play on Saturday, as reported by the Associated Press and ProFootballTalk.com.

More on the challenge facing the Packers offensive line comes from the Associated Press and ESPNMilwaukee.com.

Weighing in on the difficulties of playing on the road are ESPNMilwaukee.com and the Wisconsin State Journal.

Contributions from the 2012 rookie class are studied in an article by Bob McGinn of the Journal Sentinel and through comments by general manager Ted Thompson.

The Packers offense hasn't been very good on third-and-1 this season, as noted by Tom Silverstein.

The 49ers will be wary of the checkdown passes to Packers running backs, writes Gary D'Amato of the Journal Sentinel.

Going with the "hot hand" at running back is a decision examined over at Packer Report.

JSOnline has blog posts on turnovers in the postseason, thoughts from a scout on Aaron Rodgers and scouting two 49ers kickers.

At AllGreenBayPackers.com, there's items on how the Packers may spread out the 49ers defense, a film study breakdown and a history lesson on the 49ers and Packers.

Mason Crosby's recent renaissance is covered at the Press-Gazette.

Being an underdog is a role studied by Mike Vandermause in a column at the Press-Gazette.

The Packers defense gets attention in an article at the Packers official website.

Columnist Gregg Doyel of CBSSports.com says the Packers proved nothing in their win over the Vikings.

49ers tackle Joe Staley is looking to make up for a poor showing against Clay Matthews in Week 1.

Packers security is assessing changes to its alcohol sales policy change this past week.

Packer Report takes a look at the Packers pass game against the 49ers defense.

Video: The crew at the Press-Gazette previews the 49ers game in their weekly Insiders video...

Brian Carriveau is the author of "It's Just a Game: Big League Drama in Small Town America," a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and an editor at Cheesehead TV. To contact Brian, email [email protected].