49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Likely facing six-plus-week absence
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McCaffrey (calf), who was placed on injured reserve Saturday, is "likely to be out six weeks or potentially more" while he recovers from Achilles tendinitis, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
McCaffrey's placement on IR ensures that he'll miss the 49ers' next four games, but Rapoport suggests that the team is preparing for the star tailback to miss additional time beyond that. The 28-year-old isn't helped by the fact that the 49ers will play a Thursday night game in Seattle in Week 6, the first game in which McCaffrey would be eligible to return from IR. While Rapoport notes that McCaffrey won't be at an elevated risk of tearing his Achilles once he eventually plays again, the running back's Achilles tendinitis is regarded as a painful injury that will require rest and rehab for him to properly heal. Jordan Mason played 81 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps and took on 29 touches in a Week 1 win over the Jets, and he looks like he could be in line for a heavy workload for the duration of McCaffrey's absence.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Headed to IR
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McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) will be placed on injured reserve Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
This move became a clear possibility when McCaffrey didn't practice Friday and was subsequently ruled out for Sunday's Week 2 contest versus Minnesota. McCaffrey will now be required to miss San Francisco's next four contests, thus his earliest return date is Oct. 10 versus Seattle on Thursday Night Football. Jordan Mason will continue to hold lead running back duties for the 49ers for as long as McCaffrey remains sidelined.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Move to IR imminent?
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The 49ers may place McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) on injured reserve Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
In order to start McCaffrey's four-game tally, at the very least, on IR, San Francisco can take that approach before Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for such a transaction. He initially dealt with a calf strain throughout training camp and the preseason, but his situation was thrown into no-man's land when Achilles was attached to his name on the team's first Week 1 injury report last Thursday. There was no indication outside the 49ers' organization that McCaffrey was in danger of sitting out this past Monday against the Jets until inactives dropped before the game, and since then it was revealed he was tending to Achilles tendinitis, which requires rest to get past completely. With Jordan Mason faring well in McCaffrey's absence, the team seems poised to roll with the former out of the backfield in the short term, with the aim to get its star RB healthy with the second half of the season and playoffs in mind.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Out Sunday and maybe more
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McCaffrey has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Minnesota, and the 49ers are considering placing him on injured reserve, which would sideline him through at least Week 5, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Jordan Mason enjoyed a breakout performance Week 1 against the Jets, taking 29 touches for 152 yards and a touchdown on 81 percent snap share, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel also picking up some of the backfield slack and tying his career high of eight carries. It sounds like that scenario could continue for several weeks, as coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Friday that Thursday was McCaffrey's worst day so far in terms of pain, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. It's been a rapid downward slide for McCaffrey and his fantasy managers, after most reports last week suggested he was on track to play in the season opener. He'll now miss a second straight game, at the very least.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Not spotted at Friday's practice
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McCaffrey (Achilles) is not present at the portion of Friday's practice open to the media, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
McCaffrey logged limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday, but it appears his activity level may be in line to regress Friday. 49ers GM John Lynch said Friday morning that he was uncertain whether McCaffrey would be cleared to suit up Sunday against Minnesota on the road, and head coach Kyle Shanahan will address the media later this afternoon. Jordan Mason enjoyed a breakout performance Week 1 with McCaffrey sidelined, while wide receiver Deebo Samuel also was tasked to handle extra backfield slack and logged eight carries.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Uncertain for Week 2
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49ers GM John Lynch said Friday morning that he doesn't know if McCaffrey (Achilles) will play Sunday at the Vikings, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
"Dealing with Achilles tendinitis, [it] could be good one day and then it flares," Lynch said. "Been frustrating. We're thinking in long view. We need Christian healthy, fully out there and don't want to compromise anything." Lynch's comments suggest McCaffrey is headed for another questionable designation, after being listed that way last week and ultimately missing Monday's win over the Jets. Jordan Mason filled in with 28 carries for 147 yards and a TD on an 81 percent snap share in the 32-19 victory, with WR Deebo Samuel also getting some snaps as a running back and matching his career high of eight carries.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Another limited session
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McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) remained limited at Thursday's practice, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.
The waiting game continues for McCaffrey after he sat out Monday's win against the Jets due to a strained calf and Achilles tendinitis. The 49ers are more concerned about the second injury, but McCaffrey has looked like himself during the parts of recent practices open to the media. Still, even if he gets back to all activity Friday, McCaffrey seems like a good bet to enter the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game in Minnesota. If McCaffrey is inhibited or sidelined in that contest, Jordan Mason again would get the call at running back for the 49ers, with wide receiver Deebo Samuel also mixing in.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Slated to practice Thursday
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McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) is in uniform and expected to participate in Thursday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
After practicing in a limited fashion Wednesday, McCaffrey looks poised to take reps for the second day in a row, but the extent of his participation won't be known until the 49ers release their second Week 2 injury report later Thursday. Inman notes that 49ers players aren't wearing full pads for Thursday's session, so McCaffrey may not be taking contact even if he increases his activity from Wednesday. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier this week that McCaffrey was viewed as a long shot to play Sunday versus the Vikings, but the 49ers aren't yet ruling him out from being available in some capacity.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Will be limited Wednesday
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Head coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) will be a limited practice participant Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
Shanahan also noted that placing McCaffrey on injured reserve hasn't been considered because the running back was close to playing Week 1 against the Jets, per David Lombardi of The Athletic. While a strained calf has affected McCaffrey since early August, Achilles tendinitis is the main hindrance for him at the moment. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier Wednesday that McCaffrey seems like a long shot to suit up this Sunday at Minnesota, so if that comes to pass, the 49ers again will roll with Jordan Mason as their lead option out of the backfield.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Facing uphill battle to play Week 2
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McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) appears to be a long shot to play Sunday against the Vikings, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Citing those familiar with the running back's injury, Rapoport suggests that the 49ers are leaning toward holding McCaffrey out for another week while he manages Achilles tendinitis in addition to a calf strain that dates back to early August. San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan intimated Tuesday that the Achilles issue is the greater concern for McCaffrey at this time and is requiring more treatment than the pulled calf. Though McCaffrey could still practice in some fashion this week and perhaps even take a questionable designation into Sunday, Jordan Mason looks to be the early favorite to receive another turn as the 49ers' lead back. Mason turned 29 touches into 152 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown while McCaffrey sat out Monday's 32-19 win over the Jets, with wideout Deebo Samuel (eight carries) essentially serving as the No. 2 back.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Deemed day-to-day
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San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan labeled McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) as day-to-day heading into Sunday's game against the Vikings, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Though McCaffrey was listed as questionable for the 49ers' Week 1 game against the Jets on Monday, multiple reports prior to the contest suggested that the star tailback would play before he ended up being a surprise inactive. According to Clayton Holloway of NFL Network, Shanahan said that he believes McCaffrey would have suited up if the 49ers were playing a playoff game, but he sat out the Week 1 contest to afford himself more time to heal up from the lower leg injury that he's been tending to for more than a month. Shanahan noted that Achilles tendinitis rather than the calf strain is the main concern for McCaffrey at this time, so the 49ers will wait and see how the 28-year-old responds to practice activity this week before a decision on his status is made for Sunday's game.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Sitting out Week 1
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McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) is listed as inactive Monday against the Jets, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.
San Francisco thus won't have McCaffrey for Week 1 as a result of the calf/Achilles injury that he's dealt with since early August. In McCaffrey's stead, the team will turn to Jordan Mason out of the backfield, with Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor on hand for any reps that linger. McCaffrey will turn his focus to being available Sunday at Minnesota.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: To be inactive Monday
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McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) is in line to be inactive Monday against the Jets, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
In a surprise turn of events, the 49ers won't have McCaffrey available due to the combined calf/Achilles injury that he's tended to since early August. Jordan Mason thus should serve as the team's top running back Week 1.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Remains likely to play Monday
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McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) is listed as questionable ahead of Monday's game against the Jets, but he expects to play and handle something close to his normal workload, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Rapoport relays that McCaffrey expects to take on around 15 to 20 touches, which isn't far off the 21.9 combined carries and receptions per game that he averaged over his 19 regular-season and playoff appearances in 2023. McCaffrey won't be formally cleared until the 49ers release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes prior to Monday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, but fantasy managers can feel comfortable locking him into their Week 1 lineups.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Questionable for Monday
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McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Jets, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
McCaffrey said Friday that he will be available for the season opener, and while the expectation remains that he'll be cleared ahead of Monday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, his questionable designation could hint that the 49ers plan to manage his workload. Regardless of McCaffrey's availability and touch count in Week 1, Jordan Mason should be primed for some work as the primary backup to the star running back.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Listed as limited Friday
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McCaffrey (calf) was a limited practice participant Friday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
He has just one more chance to progress to full participation before Monday's game against the Jets, but it does seem McCaffrey is on track to play after 49ers GM John Lynch made optimistic comments Friday morning, saying the running back is "doing great" and will "be out there and ready to go," per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News. The Niners listed McCaffrey as a limited participant Thursday as well, and he may end up being technically questionable even if the team expects him to play.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Looking healthy at practice
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McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) is practicing Friday and appears to be moving well and without issue, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
49ers GM John Lynch said Friday morning that McCaffrey looks like his usual self and is expected to play in Monday's game against the Jets. McCaffrey was listed as limited Thursday on San Francisco's first official injury/practice report of the season, but it sounds like he may progress to full participation Friday or Saturday. His calf injury initially was reported the first week of August, about five weeks before San Francisco's season opener this coming Monday.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: To be limited Thursday
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) will be a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The injury that forced McCaffrey to miss the entire preseason slate was termed a strained calf, but Shanahan tacked on Achilles in his session with the media Thursday. There doesn't seem to be much worry about McCaffrey's availability for Monday's Week 1 matchup with the Jets, but his status nonetheless bears watching in the coming days. Behind McCaffrey, Jordan Mason is the likely next man up at running back for the 49ers with Elijah Mitchell (hamstring, IR) out for the season, and Isaac Guerendo (groin) and Patrick Taylor also on the team's active roster.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Back at practice Tuesday
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McCaffrey (calf) is in uniform for the portion of Tuesday's practice open to the media, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
The 49ers' first official practice report of Week 1 won't be released until Thursday, so it's unclear whether McCaffrey is practicing in full or on a limited basis Tuesday. Nonetheless, it's encouraging to see the star running back participating in any capacity. A calf injury forced McCaffrey to miss all of the preseason and most of training camp, though he did resume working out on a side field in mid-August. San Francisco seems to expect he will suit up for Monday's regular-season opener against the Jets, but backup running backs Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo (groin) and Patrick Taylor could benefit from increased opportunities if McCaffrey's workload is limited.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Ramping up activity level
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McCaffrey (calf) increased his activity level on the side field at practice Thursday and seems to be getting closer to a return, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
McCaffrey also ran some half-speed routes on the side Thursday, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The star running back is expected to sit out all of San Francisco's preseason games while he works his way back from a calf strain suffered early August, but at this point there don't seem to be any serious concerns about his Week 1 status. McCaffrey still has over three weeks to get healthy before San Francisco's regular-season opener against the Jets on Monday, Sept. 9.
