When the undefeated San Francisco 49ers take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, the team could potentially regain the services of injured offensive tackle Joe Staley.

Staley, who is attempting to make his way back from a broken fibula, could return to 49ers practice as soon as Wednesday while the veteran blocker would then have an “outside chance” of playing as a result of Sunday’s matchup against the Panthers, according to San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan.

“I think he’s going to try to get out there and practice a little bit this week,” Shanahan recently said of Staley, via The San Francisco Chronicle. “We’ll see how it goes over these next two days. We’ll see how he feels on Wednesday. I do think there’s an outside chance [for Sunday’s game]. Hopefully, we can get him on the practice field and he feels good.”

Staley went through an extended pregame workout this past Sunday in our nation's capital while his on-the-field workout was followed by a 9-0 shutout victory for the 49ers over the lowly Washington Redskins. A team captain in addition to being a six-time Pro Bowler, Staley originally suffered his broken left fibula back on September 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The aforementioned Shanahan had previously hoped that his multi-time Pro Bowl selection up front could return for the team's Thursday evening clash against the Arizona Cardinals scheduled for October 31. However, Staley may ultimately be way ahead of schedule in the end while optimism remains high in San Francisco.