49ers RB Christian McCaffrey reportedly a long shot to play vs. Vikings

Christian McCaffrey’s Achilles injury seems likely to sideline him for a second straight game.

The San Francisco 49ers star running back is considered a long shot to play in Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, NFL Media reported Wednesday.

McCaffrey has been dealing with a calf injury since the early days of training camp in August. The 49ers sidelined him through the rest of camp and the preseason, but it was expected that he would play in Week 1 against the New York Jets. However, McCaffrey was scratched from the lineup 90 minutes prior to their win against the Jets on Monday.

Even though the 49ers listed McCaffrey as questionable with an Achilles/calf injury in the days prior to the opener, the news of his scratch was a bit of a surprise. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan shared that McCaffrey’s Achilles issue was tendinitis with the muscle, as he downplayed any long-term concern on Tuesday

“The Achilles is tendinitis and that stuff comes and goes,” Shanahan told reporters. “When it is acting up, it’s something you’ve got to be very careful about. Christian’s very diligent about that stuff. If it was a playoff game, he made it very clear to me he believed he could go. But when you hear that type of stuff and it’s not a playoff game and it’s Week 1, especially when you’re dealing with the lower extremities like that, it was a tough decision. But hearing all the words in the long run, it made it easy.”

Shanahan also told reporters that McCaffrey was “day-to-day” with the injury.

If McCaffrey can’t go against the Vikings, the 49ers know that their running game could be effective without the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Third-year running back Jordan Mason had a career night versus the Jets, rushing for 147 yards on 5.3 yards per carry and a touchdown.

While Mason stepped in and was a last-minute hero for the 49ers, he caused some controversy following Monday’s game. He told ESPN that he was informed that he would start the Week 1 matchup on Friday, the same day that McCaffrey told reporters he expected to play in that game. Teams can be punished for misleading injury reports through fines.

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Shanahan, though, denied that the coaching staff told Mason he would be starting in Week 1 days in advance. Following Monday’s win, Shanahan said that Mason was only told to prepare for a heavier load and they didn’t rule McCaffrey out from playing until 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

As of Wednesday, there’s “no indication” that the NFL has opened an investigation on the 49ers for McCaffrey’s injury designation ahead of Week 1, The Athletic reported.

The 49ers will hit the practice field for the first time following their Week 1 win on Wednesday. McCaffrey’s level of participation could be an indicator of whether McCaffrey plays at Minnesota.

McCaffrey, who had 2,023 yards of total offense last season, had one of the quieter performances of his dominant 2023 campaign against the Vikings. He rushed for 45 yards to go with 51 receiving yards, but still found the end zone twice in a loss at Minnesota.

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