San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey adopted an optimistic outlook regarding his availability for the team’s Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
“My mentality is I’m playing this week,” McCaffrey told reporters on Wednesday. “That’s where I’m at. That’s how I am every week. I’m not lying. I think as soon as a player says, ‘Maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t,’ that’s not a good mentality to go into a week with when you’re kind of on the fence. So for me, I’m ready to go.”
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McCaffrey, who miss the team’s Weel 1 win against the New York Jets, was limited in practice Wednesday, as he continues to deal with a calf injury and Achilles tendinitis. San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey is dealing with the same calf injury he had during before the 49ers’ playoff game against the Green Bay Packers last season.
Shanahan said McCaffrey could have played if it were a playoff game, but it’s just the second week of the season and they’re taking a very cautious approach.Tendinitis in the Achilles can ultimately weaken the tendon, potentially making it more vulnerable to tears. A tear is usually season-ending, an outcome the 49ers want to avoid
““I believe they’re similar, I know it was a calf then and it’s a calf now … It’s not just the calf, it’s the Achilles and the Achilles is tendinitis and that stuff comes and goes. When it is acting up, it’s something you’ve got to be very careful about,” Shanahan told reporters Tuesday. “Christian’s very diligent about that stuff. And 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, and especially when you’re dealing with the lower extremities like that, it was a tough decision. But hearing all the words and stuff, in the long run it made (the decision to sit McCaffrey) easy.”
The running back is listed as day-to-day, but a report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport says McCaffrey is a “long shot” to play against the Vikings.
If McCaffrey doesn’t play, the 49ers will turn to backup Jordan Mason once again. Mason carried 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown in the 49ers’ 32-19 season-opening win over the Jets.