San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will practice on Wednesday, though he will once again be limited. McCaffrey is still dealing with a calf strain and Achilles tendinitis, with the latter having kept him out of Monday night's game against the New York Jets. His status for Sunday's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings remains uncertain.
Before Wednesday's practice, head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if the 49ers had considered placing McCaffrey on injured reserve, which would sideline him for four games to allow for recovery.
"No, I've never considered that," Shanahan said. "I was considering him to play [on Monday night], so definitely not thinking about four weeks off."
McCaffrey also spoke to reporters in the locker room, addressing his confidence last week about playing against the Jets, which ultimately didn't happen.
"That's how I am every week," McCaffrey said. "I'm not lying. I think as soon as a player says, 'Maybe I'll play, maybe I won't,' that's not a good mentality to go into a week with when you're kind of on the fence. So, for me, I'm ready to go."
"My mentality is I'm playing this week" — 49ers Christian McCaffrey on Sunday game at Vikings. Calf/Achilles kept him out of opener pic.twitter.com/Hagdpzm5cg
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) September 11, 2024
Asked if playing on the artificial turf at U.S. Bank Stadium poses a concern considering his injury, McCaffrey replied, "No. If you can't run on turf, you can't run on the field. If you can't run on grass, you can't run on turf. If you can go, you can go."
Additionally, Shanahan noted that defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and linebacker Dee Winters (ankle) will not practice, while wide receiver Jauan Jennings (ankle), safety Talanoa Hufanga (knee), and guard Aaron Banks (finger, calf) will be limited.
