49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Lone bright spot on offense
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McCaffrey (calf) rushed 15 times for 84 yards and a touchdown while catching all four of his targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 31-7 playoff loss to the Eagles.
McCaffrey also attempted a pass after both of San Francisco's active quarterbacks were injured -- but unlike his lone pass attempt that went for a touchdown earlier this season -- this one fell for an incompletion. The multi-talented back provided an early spark when he pinballed off multiple defenders for a long touchdown run in the first quarter, but he faced stacked boxes in the second half playing virtually without a quarterback. McCaffrey had an excellent regular season (1,880 total yards and 14 combined touchdowns) to complement his strong playoff run, and he played in every game for the first time since 2019. He was a great fit in San Francisco and remains under contract next year, which should have the fantasy stud near the top of draft boards ahead of next season
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Ready for Sunday
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McCaffrey (calf) doesn't have a designation for Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
The 49ers took it easy on McCaffrey this week as he tended to a bruised right calf, holding him out of practice Wednesday and Thursday. But he was able to return to the field Friday, after which coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey was "full go," according to Omar Ruiz of NFL Network. While McCaffrey's status for Sunday is clear, Elijah Mitchell's (groin) is not, as he's listed as questionable after getting in some minimal work Friday. Look for McCaffrey to handle his usual workload this weekend, with or without Mitchell, which has amounted to 19.5 touches per game for the former during the 49ers' current 12-game winning streak.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Back at practice Friday
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McCaffrey (calf) returned to practice Friday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
After he sat out the first two sessions of the week due to a bruised right calf, McCaffrey's presence on the field and in drills Friday is a positive sign for his availability ahead of Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia. For what it's worth, he relayed to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday that there's "zero" chance he doesn't suit up this weekend, so now the only question appears to be if he'll have a designation for the contest. Meanwhile, fellow running back Elijah Mitchell (groin) again wasn't with his teammates Friday, which allowed practice-squad member Tevin Coleman to take reps directly behind McCaffrey. In the end, the composition of the 49ers backfield remains in flux for the time being.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Expects to play Sunday
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McCaffrey (calf), who didn't practice Thursday, told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area that there's "zero" chance that he doesn't play in Sunday's NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia.
McCaffrey emerged from this past Sunday's divisional-round win versus the Cowboys with a bruised right calf. According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, McCaffrey was in uniform and holding a helmet as he left the locker room to hit the practice field Thursday, but he didn't log any official activity for a second straight session, as coach Kyle Shanahan forecast beforehand. Fellow running back Elijah Mitchell (groin) also hasn't mixed into drills this week, while Deebo Samuel (ankle) was limited both Wednesday and Thursday. The 49ers are expected to have all three available this weekend, but Friday's injury report will reveal whether or not McCaffrey enters it with a designation.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: No practice Thursday
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Coach Kyle Shanahan said McCaffrey (calf) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
McCaffrey emerged from this past Sunday's divisional-round win against the Cowboys with a right calf injury, which so far hasn't allowed for any on-field work this week. The same can be said for backup running back Elijah Mitchell (groin), while the do-it-all Deebo Samuel (ankle) has managed back-to-back limited practices. There's an expectation from Shanahan that all three players will be available for Sunday's NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia, but McCaffrey may enter the weekend with a designation if he's unable to mix into drills at Friday's session.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Not practicing Wednesday
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McCaffrey (calf) won't practice Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel (ankle) and Elijah Mitchell (groin) are all sitting out Wednesday's practice to nurse minor injuries, but head coach Kyle Shanahan expects to have the trio of playmakers available for Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. McCaffrey and Mitchell played through their respective injuries during the 49ers' divisional-round win over Dallas and were deemed day-to-day by Shanahan on Monday, so it appears their absences Wednesday are merely precautionary. Following Wednesday's session, San Francisco will have two more practices before the team has to give McCaffrey an official designation for the NFC title game.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Day-to-day, per coach
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McCaffrey (calf) is considered day-to-day, but coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that he expects McCaffrey to play in Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Eagles, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Fellow 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell (groin) also is considered day-to-day. McCaffrey and Mitchell both played through their respective injuries in the divisional round against Dallas, with the former producing 57 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown on 16 touches while the latter rushed 14 times for 51 yards. The running backs may have their reps capped in practice throughout the week, but both should be available Sunday, barring any setbacks.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Plays through calf issue Sunday
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McCaffrey noted after Sunday's 19-12 win over the Cowboys in the divisional round that the right calf issue that resulted in him ceding snaps to backup Elijah Mitchell late in the contest is "all good" and won't affect his availability for this weekend's NFC Championship Game matchup with the Eagles, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports. "I was fighting but made it through, made it through great," McCaffrey said. "[The calf] is nothing bad."
McCaffrey ended Sunday's contest with 10 carries for 35 yards and a touchdown and six catches for 22 yards on eight targets while playing 67 percent of the snaps on offense, his second-lowest share in any of the 49ers' eight games dating back to Week 13. After finding the end zone from two yards out with 14:58 left in the fourth quarter, McCaffrey didn't draw a carry on either of the 49ers' final two possessions while Mitchell received 11 handoffs between the two drives, though McCaffrey did record two receptions. The fact that McCaffrey was available in some capacity down the stretch supports the notion that his calf injury isn't a major concern, but it wouldn't be surprising if he received some extra maintenance in the 49ers' practices this week.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Scores game-winning TD
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McCaffrey rushed 10 times for 35 yards and a touchdown and caught six of eight targets for 22 yards in Sunday's 19-12 playoff win over the Cowboys.
McCaffrey was held in check for most of the contest, but a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter salvaged his fantasy day. The 26-year-old split touches with Elijah Mitchell (14-51-0), with the former commanding all of the backfield targets Sunday. McCaffrey still presents the higher upside due to his contributions as a receiver heading into next Sunday's NFC Championship Game against the Eagles.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Breaks century mark in win
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McCaffrey rushed 15 times for 119 yards and caught both of his targets for 17 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 41-23 playoff win over Seattle.
McCaffrey got San Francisco's offense kickstarted when he broke his first carry of the game for 68 yards, eventually leading to a short receiving touchdown for the dual-threat back. The 26-year-old remained heavily involved on offense even with the 49ers getting back to full strength at the playmaker positions for the start of the playoffs. McCaffrey figures to remain a key cog on offense heading into the divisional round, so expect a minimum of 15-20 productive touches and a high DFS price tag next week. He's now scored at least one touchdown in seven straight games.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Clear for Saturday
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McCaffrey (knee) doesn't have a designation for Saturday's wild-card game against the Seahawks, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
McCaffrey endured some practice limitations this week due to lingering knee soreness, but as has been the case for the previous six weeks, he won't carry a designation into game day. During that six-game stretch, he's been the engine that drives the 49ers offense, turning 128 touches into 767 yards from scrimmage and seven TDs.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Another limited showing
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McCaffrey (knee) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday.
McCaffrey has been dealing with a sore knee since a Week 12 win against the Saints, but a mild ankle sprain also affected his practice reps last week. While he's ditched the latter health concern this week, the knee issue has forced two straight capped sessions to begin prep for Saturday's wild-card matchup with the Seahawks. McCaffrey has ditched a designation ahead of each of the previous six contests, something that he'll aim to do upon the release of Thursday's injury report. During the aforementioned six-game stretch, he's been firing on all cylinders, racking up 767 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns on 128 touches.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Limited Tuesday
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McCaffrey (ankle/knee) was a limited participant at Tuesday's practice, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
McCaffrey sat out two practices last week due to ankle and knee issues, but his status for the regular-season finale Sunday was never in question. Regardless of his level of practice participation the rest of the week, the 26-year-old should be on track to play in Saturday's wild-card matchup versus Seattle.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Finishes regular season strong
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McCaffrey (ankle/knee) rushed 10 times for 45 yards and caught all three of his targets for 34 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 38-13 rout of the Cardinals.
McCaffrey was limited to his second lowest touch total of the season (13), but he still produced a strong fantasy line with his fifth receiving touchdown on the year. The low touch count can be attributed to the star running back's recent bout with minor injuries, in addition to the team limiting his touches ahead of the playoffs. McCaffrey finishes the regular season with 1,880 yards from scrimmage and 13 combined touchdowns across 17 games with the Panthers and 49ers. San Francisco will lean heavily on its prized deadline acquisition in the wild-card round, likely mixing in Elijah Mitchell (knee) whenever McCaffrey is not on the field.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Cleared to face Cardinals
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McCaffrey (ankle/knee) has no injury designation for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
McCaffrey downplayed the pair of injuries Thursday and returned to practice Friday. He'll lead the San Francisco backfield again, though perhaps with more competition for carries now that running back Elijah Mitchell (knee) is expected to be activated from injured reserve and wideout Deebo Samuel (ankle/knee) has been cleared to return after a three-week absence.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Practicing Friday
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McCaffrey (ankle/knee) returned to practice Friday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
McCaffrey already said he feels fine and downplayed any potential concern about his knee or ankle. He'll likely be active ahead of Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff with the Cardinals, though it's possible the Niners scale back McCaffrey's workload if outcomes around the league suggest their result is unlikely to impact playoff seeding. There's also the matter of Elijah Mitchell (knee) likely being activated from injured reserve and potentially taking a few more carries than Jordan Mason or Tyrion Davis-Price would. Even so, McCaffrey remains among the best running back plays for Week 18 as the likely focal point of San Francisco's offense for at least the first half of Sunday's game.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Another DNP on Thursday
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McCaffrey (ankle/knee) didn't practice Thursday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
Per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News, McCaffrey was seen jogging straight ahead during the part of Thursday's session open to the media before going to the locker room. While McCaffrey received a DNP on a second consecutive Week 18 injury report, he told David Lombardi of The Athletic afterward that he felt great, and that his absences this week were a precaution taken by the 49ers. Even if he sits out again Friday, McCaffrey may avoid a designation entirely for Sunday's game against the Cardinals, but the final report of the week will reveal whether or not he does so. Assuming he's able to suit up this weekend, he appears as if he'll be welcoming back fellow RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) from IR because coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday that he expects the Mitchell to be available, according to Adam Copeland of KNBR.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Not practicing Wednesday
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McCaffrey (ankle) won't take part in Wednesday's practice, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.
Prior to this past Sunday's overtime win at Las Vegas, McCaffrey had been dealing with a knee issue since late November, but he continued to pace the backfield for five consecutive games to the tune of 115 touches for 688 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns. After Week 17 action, however, he's tending to a mild ankle sprain, which is keeping him off the practice field to begin Week 18 prep. As such, McCaffrey's status will be monitored as the week continues to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Dealing with mild ankle sprain
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McCaffrey is considered day-to-day with a mild ankle sprain, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
McCaffrey logged an 85 percent snap share in Sunday's 37-34 overtime win over the Raiders, while rushing 19 times for 121 yards and a TD and adding six catches on nine targets for 72 yards. However, now that 49ers' top back is dealing with an injury concern, his status will need to be monitored ahead of this weekend's contest against the Cardinals. In any case, it's a good bet that McCaffrey's practice participation in the coming days will be impacted by his current ankle issue.
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49ers' Christian McCaffrey: Racks up 193 total yards in OT win
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McCaffrey rushed 19 times for 121 yards and a touchdown while adding six receptions on nine targets for 72 yards in Sunday's 37-34 overtime win over Las Vegas.
McCaffrey was the star on offense in an exciting battle between former regional rivals, gashing the opposition routinely on his 25 combined touches. The 26-year-old has been fighting through a minor knee issue in recent weeks, but Sunday's combination of voluminous touches and strong play should ease any concerns from his fantasy managers. The 49ers still have a shot at taking over the No. 1 seed in the NFC -- and a first-round bye -- so McCaffrey should continue to be a focal point of San Francisco's thriving offense against Arizona on Sunday.
