RB Christian McCaffrey absent for Vikings game, 49ers considering IR

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — When it comes to the availability of San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, there’s no question this week.

Niners coach Kyle Shanahan ruled McCaffrey out of Sunday’s game at the Minnesota Vikings on Friday after the running back felt unwell during limited participation in Thursday’s practice. Placing McCaffrey on the injured list, which would mean he would miss at least four games, is now part of the conversation, Shanahan said.

“It’s something we’re thinking about right now,” Shanahan said. “Yesterday was his worst day. It comes and goes, but yesterday was the most painful day. It’s something we’re going to talk about together over the next 24 hours.”

McCaffrey is battling a right calf injury and Achilles tendonitis, which surprisingly kept him out of Monday night’s season opener against the New York Jets.

Like last week, McCaffrey was limited in his participation in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but the signs that he might be sidelined were clear when he was not on the field during the first part of practice on Friday, which was open to reporters.

If the Niners place McCaffrey on the injured list for Sunday’s game, he could return to action on “Thursday Night Football” on Oct. 10 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Shanahan added that McCaffrey does not require any surgery to repair the injury at this time.

McCaffrey spoke to reporters earlier this week and explained why he was so determined to play in the Jets game. McCaffrey explained that he mentally tells himself that he will be ready to go, even if that doesn’t end up being the case, when he’s dealing with an injury.

“My mindset is every week I’m going to play,” McCaffrey said Wednesday. “There’s been weeks where I’ve gone all week and not even felt good enough to do the walkthrough, and then I wake up and my body is capable of doing a lot of cool things. Mentally, I’m always prepared to play, and then I wake up and it was a group decision, a really tough one. I hate not playing, but I look at it as a chess move and something that hopefully benefits you the rest of the season.”

McCaffrey’s inactive status Monday night came as a surprise, but a league spokesperson told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the NFL investigated the matter and “found no evidence of a violation of the league’s injury reporting policy.”

The Niners’ hope is that McCaffrey will get more rest to put the tendonitis behind him. Shanahan has said the tricky part is the Achilles issue comes and goes, making it hard to judge other than on a day-to-day basis.

Shanahan was asked Wednesday if McCaffrey would be a candidate for injured reserve, and he said it wasn’t considered at the time, but both he and general manager John Lynch struck a different tone Friday after this latest setback.

“If that’s the right thing to do, then that’s what we’ll do,” Lynch told KNBR Radio in San Francisco. “All options, like Kyle said, are on the table. We’ll do what’s right for Christian and what’s right for our team.”

This week marks a second straight start for third-year running back Jordan Mason following his breakout performance Monday night. In his first career start, Mason rushed 28 times for 147 yards and a touchdown with a catch for 5 yards.

It was the most carries in a regular-season game by a Niners player since Shanahan took over in 2017 and the most in a 49ers season opener in franchise history.

That performance undoubtedly boosted San Francisco’s confidence in Mason, allowing the team to resume play on the road to Minnesota, a place where the Niners have lost seven straight games.

“I just keep saying, this guy just keeps getting better and better and better,” run game coordinator Chris Foerster said. “JP has always worked hard, but there was always that little bit of confidence. Now he’s all about (running backs coach) Bobby (Turner). He’s all about the offense and he’s just blossomed. He’s a tough, hard-running guy.”

With McCaffrey out and Mason starting, the backup options for the Niners once again are wide receiver Deebo Samuel, rookie Isaac Guerendo and fourth-year veteran Patrick Taylor Jr. Neither Guerendo nor Taylor had a carry behind Mason against the Jets, as Samuel was the only other Niners player to take a handoff. He rushed eight times for 23 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s different being on your third guy,” Shanahan said. “I never really looked at Elijah (Mitchell) or JP (Mason) as a two or three. I think those guys are capable of being one-and-one, like Elijah has shown in the past and JP has shown as well. The two new guys are ready when their (opportunity) comes.”

In other injury news for the Niners, safety Talanoa Hufanga (right knee) is questionable for Sunday and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) is listed as questionable.