There is one certainty for the San Francisco 49ers as they gear up to face the Minnesota Vikings tonight on Monday Night Football. They will face their Week 7 opponent without wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the lineup. Their dynamic offensive star will miss tonight's game and next week's against the Cincinnati Bengals. The team is optimistic about his return after the bye week, when they face the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Two other key players dealing with injuries are running back Christian McCaffrey and tackle Trent Williams. Their official game statuses won't be confirmed until 90 minutes before kickoff, when the 49ers release their list of inactive players.
Christian McCaffrey
Fortunately, McCaffrey avoided a more severe rib injury but sustained an oblique injury during Week 6's contest against the Cleveland Browns. He didn't participate in practice on Thursday or Friday as the team prepared for the Vikings. However, he did manage to join his teammates for on-field work on Saturday, albeit in a limited capacity.
The 49ers listed McCaffrey as "questionable" for tonight's game. On Saturday, when asked about his injury, the running back simply stated, "I feel great."
When asked about the potential risk of exacerbating the injury, which might keep him out for an extended period, he responded, "I still feel great."
RELATED McCaffrey expected to play despite "slight little tear" in oblique
On Sunday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that "all signs point to 49ers' RB Christian McCaffrey playing Monday night at Minnesota." According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported that the running back is dealing with a "slight little tear" in his oblique, but it's still anticipated that he will play.
My take: I think McCaffrey is suited up against the Vikings. His determination is evident, even going so far as to request his head coach, Kyle Shanahan, not alter this week's game plan, proceeding with the assumption that he will be available.
McCaffrey was asked about the importance of being out there with his teammates, responding, "That's a huge deal. Yeah, it's what you signed up to do, so if you can go, you've got to go."
Clearly, McCaffrey possesses the mindset of a player set on playing. Will he receive a full workload? I think the coaching staff will have Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell ready to give their starter some rest on the sideline as the game progresses.
Trent Williams
Williams was unable to practice at all during the past week. He sustained an ankle injury early in the Browns matchup but played through the pain. After the game, Williams was seen limping with his foot in a protective boot. He has since discarded the boot but was still noticeably limping throughout the week.
San Francisco listed Williams as "doubtful."
My take: Williams' chances of playing appear significantly slimmer, reflected by his "doubtful" designation for tonight. I don't think he suits up against the Vikings. Jaylon Moore has taken all the starting practice reps this week, and the 49ers seem confident that he can step in for the All-Pro offensive lineman.
Williams didn't see any action during the preseason. Moore logged 76 offensive snaps in exhibition games. Williams also typically sits out the first practice of the week, allowing Moore to get those starting reps. The 49ers have seen plenty from their backup tackle and don't seem to have any qualms about putting him to work against the Vikings.
"The good thing with Jaylon is he gets a lot of work with us," Shanahan said on Saturday. "Trent, with his age and stuff, he never really goes on [the first practice of the week], so Jaylon's always going with all the reps on [those days]. He got a ton of reps in preseason, all the games and everything. So he's ready for this moment.
"He's been with us for a while, and if he's got to step up, which it's looking that way right now, he'll be ready. He's had a good week."
