The San Francisco 49ers will be without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) in Week 2, and based on the pain level he is currently experiencing from his Achilles tendonitis, him landing on the Injured Reserve list may now be a possibility.
"(The Injured Reserve list) is something we are considering now," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Yesterday was his worst day. It's on and off but with him having the worst pain yesterday, it's something we are going to be discussing in the next 24 hours."
McCaffrey sat out all preseason action and the lingering issue kept the reigning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year out of the team's season opener. With McCaffrey out of the lineup, the team will once again look to third-year running back Jordan Mason to lead the ground game. Last week in his first-career start, Mason amassed 147 rushing yards and a touchdown in the 49ers 32-19 victory over the Jets.
Health wise, the rest of the team appears to be trending in the right direction with defensive lineman Yetur Gross-Matos and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) returning to practice on Thursday for the first time since the tail end of the preseason. By Friday, Gross-Matos was upgraded to a full participant in practice and avoided an injury designation altogether. Meanwhile, safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee) enters the weekend as doubtful after limited participation in practice that last three days.
Below is the complete Week 2 Game Status Report for Friday:
- Did Not Participate: RB Christian McCaffrey
- Limited Participation: S Talanoa Hufanga (knee), LB Dee Winters (ankle)
- Full Participation: G Aaron Banks (finger, calf), DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee), WR Jauan Jennings (ankle)
Status Report:
- LB Dee Winters (ankle) - Questionable
- S Talanoa Hufanga (knee) - Doubtful
- RB Christian McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) - Out
