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NFC Championship Game: Injury To 49ers WR Ted Ginn May Be Golden Opportunity For Kyle Williams

Jan 20, 2012, 6:01 PM UTC

Bill Hanstock is a writer, author and Emmy Award-winning producer. He began writing for SB Nation in 2011.

The San Francisco 49ers are preparing to host longtime postseason rivals the New York Giants on Sunday in the NFC Championship Game. Although the 49ers have home field advantage, they are seen by many analysts as the underdog in this game. To further complicate matters, the Niners may go into Sunday's game with their receiver ranks depleted.

Tight end Delanie Walker is expected to play, but San Francisco may be without Ted Ginn Jr., who is one of the team's lead receivers in addition to being their kick and punt return specialist. Dylan DeSimone of Niners Nation believes that the absence of Ginn may end up being the moment for second-year receiver Kyle Williams.

Williams is another player that I believe is on the cusp right now, and he could show the world on a national stage what he can really do in this league if given the opportunity. Given Ginn's knee, it's looking like the 1 and 2 starting wide receivers will be Michael Crabtree and Williams on Sunday.

Williams is explosive and capable of big plays and spectacular catches. The youngster can fly and is always looking upfield to get more yards after the catch. Besides the fact that he is a little shorter than we'd like, I think he can be a great compliment to Crabtree for the time being.

DeSimone makes more analysis of Williams and predictions for the young player’s performance in the Championship Game and is worth a read. Williams has been doing a great job filling in for Ginn in the past few weeks since Ginn has been battling his knee injury, but Sunday may end up being a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the wideout.

For updates and analysis on these teams leading up to their matchup, visit 49ers blog Niners Nation, Giants blog Big Blue View and SB Nation New York and SB Nation Bay Area. Don’t forget to check out SB Nation’s NFL hub for all your playoff news.