Injury paves way for Hayne NFL return

Bad news has become good news for Jarryd Hayne.

Just a few hours after San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula confirmed Reggie Bush as the team's top punt returner, Hayne was thrown a lifeline and is set to play the St Louis Rams on Sunday (Monday AEDT).

The 49ers' starting running back Carlos Hyde was ruled out with a foot stress fracture on Friday afternoon.

The team takes three running backs into each game.

Bush will now likely go into the game as the No.1 running back, with Hayne and another rookie, Mike Davis, as back-ups.

With the 49ers relying heavily on Bush as a running back, they are expected to relieve him of his punt return duties against the Rams and reinstate Hayne.

The former rugby league star was demoted to the bench against the Seattle Seahawks last week after three punt return fumbles and running back pass protection errors in the first six regular season games.

At Friday morning's press conference Tomsula confirmed Hayne was on the outer and headed to the bench again when he anointed Bush as the team's top punt returner.

Tomsula also pointed to Hyde playing.

"Yeah," Tomsula, asked by a reporter if 10-year NFL veteran Bush was the 49ers' top punt returner, said.

"I mean, we can say that."

Hyde's stress fracture needs rest to heal, so the running back could be out for several weeks, giving Hayne a chance to prove himself as a reliable NFL player.