Kyle Shanahan has yet to say definitively which of his starters will play in the San Francisco 49ers' regular-season finale with the Los Angeles Rams.

However, wide receiver Deebo Samuel revealed he is set to have at least some involvement in the meaningless Week 18 game.

The 49ers have nothing to play for against the Rams after clinching the number one seed in the NFC, securing a first-round bye and homefield advantage in the playoffs, last Sunday.

Deebo in no doubt

It is has left Shanahan facing the rest versus rust debate, with the 49ers' next meaningful game not taking place until the Divisional Round of the playoffs, while he also has to account for the risk of players getting injuries if they do play.

The likes of Christian McCaffrey, Arik Armstead and Ambry Thomas will all miss out as they recover from injuries, but Samuel, who missed two games earlier in the season after getting injured on the first play of the Week 6 defeat to the Cleveland Browns, is in no doubt about his status for the game.

Asked on 'Up and Adams' if he is going to play versus Los Angeles, Samuel replied: "Yeah for sure."

"There's no negotiation … it's all-hands on deck."

Despite the @49ers locking up the no. 1 seed, @19problemz says himself and the starters will play on Sunday.@heykayadams pic.twitter.com/8AknZxcpmL

— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) January 2, 2024

He then shut down the notion of some sort of negotiation with Shanahan over playing time, adding: "It ain’t no negotiation, once coach says one thing it’s all hands on deck."

49ers still to reach their peak

The 49ers have enjoyed a superb season and, prior to their Christmas Day defeat to the Baltimore Ravens, were widely considered to be the best team in football.

San Francisco has handily won a series of huge games this season, crushing the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles and running roughshod over its division rivals.

But as he discussed the 49ers' likely plans for the week, Samuel made a bold claim about his team ahead of the playoffs.

He said:

"You definitely want to keep the flow going but you also want to give your body some rest. I feel like we’ll play this game for a good bit just to keep the groove going and not take too much time off. I feel like we’re going like that this week and practicing hard and continue to do the things we do. We’ve just got to keep building and we haven’t played our best ball yet so we’ve just got to continue to get better and better each day."

Given the emphatic nature of some of their wins this season, it's perhaps an eyebrow-raising statement to suggest the 49ers haven't yet played their best football.

But after a mistake-riddled game against the Ravens, the Niners didn't really need to get out of second gear to beat the Washington Commanders on Week 17.

They looked like a team that had several other levels to reach. Striking the balance between rest and staying in the rhythm Samuel mentioned will be key to the 49ers ascending to those heights when the focus turns to playoff football.

Kyle Shanahan has one key Week 18 task taken care of

It’s been done for him.