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Kyle Shanahan will play starters vs. Raiders (but not for the reason you think)

Head coach Kyle Shanahan plans to play a lot more of his starters in preseason Week 2 when the San Francisco 49ers visit the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday, Aug. 16.

It's not just because Shanahan wants to give a lot of the first-teamers some in-game reps with the regular season inching closer.

After sitting almost every would-be starter during the Niners' exhibition opener last weekend against the Denver Broncos, Shanahan's decision to play more of his first-team unit against Vegas is one that's almost essentially made up for him.

And it's not exactly for good reason.