Bears WR Wilson to miss Sunday's 49ers game

The Bears will be short-handed again at wide receiver Sunday with Marquess Wilson out with a foot injury suffered on the final play of Wednesday's practice.

Wilson started the previous four games when Eddie Royal was out with a knee injury, and he is second on the team with 464 receiving yards and third with 28 receptions. Royal (knee) is listed as "questionable," despite having missed every practice and every game for four straight weeks.

Earlier in the season, Alshon Jeffery missed five games with two separate practice-related injuries, so the wideouts are familiar with the concept of "next man up."

"It's a mindset," coach John Fox said. "Our whole team is kind of used to it."

Although rookie wide receiver Kevin White is eligible to be activated from the physically unable to perform list, that appears to be an extreme long shot since the first-round pick has only just returned to limited practices.

Fox was noncommittal when asked what would determine White's return.

"We're evaluating guys every day, whether they're coming off injury or full strength," Fox said. "He's practiced all week. He practiced again (Friday). We'll look at him again (Saturday), and we'll do our best to get our best 46 up."

Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase admits he's intrigued by the possibilities that having the 6-foot-3, 217-pound White in the lineup presents, and so is Fox.

"Any time you take a guy with the seventh pick overall in the draft, you usually have high expectations," Fox said. "Unfortunately he's one of those rookies that hasn't gotten the opportunity yet. He had a setback, (but) sometimes setbacks are setups for better things to come."

The health beat:

Quarterback Jay Cutler (illness) and linebacker Pernell McPhee (knee) are probable after limited practices. Running back Ka'Deem Carey (concussion), tight end Martellus Bennett (ribs) and offensive tackle Kyle Long (neck) are all probable after full practices.

Safety Antrel Rolle (knee) is questionable despite not having practiced or played in three weeks. Tight end Zach Miller (ribs) is questionable after a limited practice while defensive lineman Bruce Gaston (illness) is questionable despite missing practice all week.

Getting better:

After getting 5 sacks in the first seven games, outside linebacker Pernell McPhee has been shut out in the last four, including Week 10 against the Rams when he was inactive with a knee injury that has limited his playing time in a couple other games.

By limiting his snaps in recent weeks, the Bears hope McPhee is ready for a bigger role down the stretch.

"He's gotten better in the last week or two," defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. "His knee seems to have calmed down a little bit and allowed him to play more. "He's still not able to play the amount of snaps he was playing earlier in the season, but I think he's getting better. I don't know if his knee is getting better or he's learning to play with it better."

Keeping it simple:

Everyone else may be talking playoffs, but coach John Fox is concentrating on the task at hand.

"I've always been a big believer in keep the focus small," he said. "When you start thinking about the fifth game and the fourth game and the playoffs and what you're doing for Christmas dinner, you're not focused on the job at hand - and that is the 49ers."

• Follow Bob's Bears reports on Twitter @BobLeGere.