San Francisco 49ers fans probably had their hearts drop earlier this week when Christian McCaffrey was limited in practice on Thursday with a calf injury after being a full participant on Wednesday.
Then, the situation seemed to take a turn for the worse when McCaffrey was considered a ‘DNP’ for Friday’s practice, although reporters did see him working on the side at the beginning of practice.
While McCaffrey himself expressed optimism he’d be good to go on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, head
coach Kyle Shanahan kept things mum, calling him questionable while sidestepping most injury questions.
Well, things are trending upwards as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo shared Saturday that McCaffrey is likely to play on Sunday, despite not officially practicing on Friday.
“Signs are pointing toward 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (calf) playing vs. the Seahawks,” Garofolo tweeted on Saturday. “Kyle Shanahan wouldn’t speculate on McCaffrey’s status after he was a DNP yesterday but McCaffrey was confident he’d play. It’s looking like he will.”
McCaffrey had a similar situation ahead of last season’s opener, sharing confidence that he would be ready to play while dealing with an Achilles injury. However, the running back was ultimately shut down for the first two months of the season, and he ended up playing only four games in 2024.
It seems the tides are different here for the 2025 season opener, as McCaffrey is now expected to play against the Seahawks in Week 1.
While the running back should be healthy, the 49ers are expected to use backup running back Brian Robinson Jr. as well after trading a sixth-round pick for him last month.
“Brian knows the game plan,” Shanahan said ahead of the game. “You got it in this week. You don’t have to know an entire offense. You’ve got to know what the plan is this week. And he’s repped at it, so that’s the situation. We’re good to go with it, he’s ready for it, and I know Isaac [Guerendo] will be also.”
