SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers could have a new-look depth chart at quarterback on Sunday against Atlanta.

For the first time this season, third-string quarterback Christian Ponder has been taking repetitions with the offense in practice this week.

"I don't know what the plan is yet, we haven't really talked about it, but I did get some reps this week," Ponder said. "I'm excited about that, trying to make the best of it."

Ponder, who the team signed midway through the preseason, has been a pregame inactive for all 13 games this season as he's bided his time on the scout team while Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick have handled the snaps with the starters.

But with three games to go and nothing to lose, the 49ers apparently are at least considering the possibility of seeing what Ponder can do in a game if Kaepernick struggles or suffers an injury. The 49ers added Kaepernick to the injury report on Thursday with a neck issue, though Kaepernick was still a full participant in practice.

Ponder has spent most of this season as the scout team quarterback, emulating that week's opposing starter. This week, Ponder has been able to dive a little further into the 49ers' game plan, though he said he's made it a point to be up to speed every week anyway just in case.

"It was nice to run the offense, kind of knocking the rust off a little bit in a sense of going through the reads and everything but it was fun, I enjoyed it," Ponder said. "It is different. When you're on scout team you try to go through some of the reads, you try to tie in what this play is on the card to your offense, but it's not always the same. So getting back into the reads and running the game plan in practice is different, but it's been good."

As someone who said he was painting his house and doing other household chores at the time the 49ers called him, Ponder has had to play catch-up on the playbook, but is feeling comfortable in coach Chip Kelly's scheme. He said he made it a point to go through mental reps when the first-team offense is on the field in practice before this week, and has also put the team's virtual reality simulator to extensive use.

If Ponder got the opportunity to step in this week or either of the final two weeks, he believes he would be able to run whatever is called.

"I'm comfortable with what's going on," Ponder said. "I think the biggest thing is it's one thing to know it on paper, it's another thing to go out and do it. So finally getting the reps and that experience has been a big help."