Kyle Shanahan happy with 49ers’ heavy usage of Christian McCaffrey

Christian McCaffrey is entering Week 7 a little banged up. The San Francisco 49ers are keeping a close eye on their star running back as the veteran works through an oblique injury. The good news is that McCaffrey is considered day-to-day, meaning his injury is not considered a long-term one.

McCaffrey did not practice today, the 49ers' first session of the week, as the team gears up to rebound from Sunday's defeat. The Minnesota Vikings will host the 49ers on Monday night.

McCaffrey ranks No. 2 in the NFL in touches with 133 (RB Travis Etienne of the Jaguars has 134) and still leads the league in rushing yards despite only recording 94 over the past two games. The running back's heavy workload in the season's early stages has prompted speculation about the inevitability of bumps and bruises along the way.

Is McCaffrey's significant involvement sustainable, and was it part of the strategy for this season?

"We treat him as our starting running back," Shanahan informed reporters on Thursday. "So, I don't really think of how many touches we want to get somebody in a year. That's week to week and [dependent on] how the game goes."

McCaffrey is more than the 49ers' rushing workhorse. The veteran player is also a potent weapon in the passing game, already recording 23 catches for 177 yards and two receiving touchdowns. Only three running backs have more receptions.

"But he gets a lot more extra [touches] because he gets thrown to so much in the passing game," Shanahan added. "But I'm happy with how he's being used. I'm happy with how he's been playing, and we'll see how the rest of the year goes."

The encouraging results from McCaffrey's recent MRI raise optimism about the running back's chances of suiting up against the Vikings.