Published: October 31, 2009 12:00 am         

Colts’ Wayne, Freeney practice, should play Sunday

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts received some good news on the injury front heading into Sunday’s home game with the San Francisco 49ers.

Wide receiver Reggie Wayne (strained groin) and defensive end Dwight Freeney (knee) both took part in Friday’s practice and are expected to see playing time. Defensive tackle Eric Foster (shoulder) also practiced and should be available to play against the 49ers.

Wayne, Freeney and Foster all missed practice time this past week, as did running back Donald Brown (shoulder contusion), wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez (knee), tight end Jacob Tamme (hamstring), cornerback Marlin Jackson (knee), linebacker Ramon Humber (illness) and placekicker Adam Vinatieri (knee).

Wayne has started 103 straight games for the Colts. Freeney, meanwhile, has registered a sack in his last eight games. Gonzalez, Jackson and Vinatieri will miss the San Francisco game.

Friday’s post-practice injury report listed Wayne, Freeney, Foster, and Tamme as questionable. Brown is doubtful. Humber took part in the workout and is expected to be available to play. Offensive tackle Tony Ugoh (knee) was held out of practice but should be able to play.

Quarterback Peyton Manning saw limited work on Friday but will start. He was given some time off to rest before the San Francisco game. Safety Bob Sanders (knee) went through the workout and will make his second straight start.

“What we try to do is keep the hats on the right people making those decisions, and that’s the medical field. They’ve hired me to coach and not necessarily make a determination whether a guy is physically able or ready. The doctors do a great job of that and letting us know what the decision is,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said.

“At some point, when they say, ‘Hey, this look like it might be a 50-50 thing.’ Then we have to make a decision on whether or not we think it’s to the best interest of the team to hold him out another week or [play him]. There aren’t too many of them that don’t want to play regardless of the circumstances. They all want to get out there.”

Freeney has been bothered by a sore knee since the beginning of the week. He was hurt against St. Louis last Sunday but didn’t really feel the effects of the injury until Monday morning.

“I’ll be out there [Sunday]. My knee was a little stiff this week, but it has to be real serious for me [to miss a game]. If I’m practicing on a Friday, definitely I’ll be out there,” he said after Friday’s workout.

“It’s something that happened [last] Sunday. I guess I got cut blocked and my knee [began to swell] up on Monday. On Tuesday it was big. And on Wednesday it was going down. I’ve got the swelling down now, so I should be all right.”

If Brown doesn’t play, second-year running back Chad Simpson will split time with starter Joseph Addai. Mike Hart could also see some playing time in the rotation.

“What we do with them is let Joe take as many of [rushing attempts] as he wants, and when he wants to come out of there, we relieve him at that time. So, we’ll go through pretty much the same format. But I would anticipate that his load may be a bit heavier [with Brown out],” Caldwell said.

“[Hart] is a possibility [in the rotation along with Simpson]. He’s been working in practice, and he’s certainly ready to go.”

• Tickets available — The 49ers have returned a limited number of tickets for Sunday’s game.

Tickets are available, while they last, at the Lucas Oil Stadium ticket office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000 or at www.ticketmaster.com.