Tag: 49ers injuries

Will Christian McCaffrey play this week? Injury updates for 49ers RB

49ers running back Christian McCaffrey will have to manage his Achilles injury all year. Here are the latest updates.

Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey made his 2024 debut for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 after working through Achilles tendinitis.

The nature of that ailment means the 49ers will have to manage McCaffrey’s usage throughout the season, including limiting him in practice potentially for the rest of the year.

McCaffrey tallied 19 touches in the 49ers’ Week 10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and didn’t have any setbacks during the game. Here’s where things stand going into Week 11:

Christian McCaffrey injury update

McCaffrey was limited in Wednesday and Thursday practices, but he was a full participant in Friday’s session and didn’t show up on the 49ers’ injury report. He should be a full go for the second consecutive week.

How much will Christian McCaffrey play?

It doesn’t appear the 49ers plan on limiting McCaffrey much in games. We may see him spelled for a handful of snaps here and there, but his touches should be back up where they were in Week 10 where he’s getting it 19-plus times. With a full game under his belt he may be even more effective against the Seattle Seahawks.

49ers RB depth chart

One of the advantages the 49ers have in managing McCaffrey’s ailment is that they have a pair of running backs behind him they can trust to snag some carries if the snap/touch counts get too high. Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo both filled in admirably while McCaffrey was out, but their opportunities figure to be limited when he’s healthy.

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49ers vs. Seahawks injury report: Latest updates, news for Week 11

All the latest updates and news on 49ers’ injury report ahead of a Week 11 game vs. Seahawks.

The San Francisco 49ers need a win in Week 11 over the Seattle Seahawks. Their injury situation may make it a significant uphill climb to a victory.

With the Arizona Cardinals on a Bye, the 49ers could finish Week 11 in a tie for first place in the NFC. They’ll be in second because of head-to-head tiebreakers, but they’ll also be just a half game out of the No. 7 seed in the NFC. San Francisco needs to start stacking some wins against NFC and NFC West opponents to give themselves a little breathing room in their hunt for a postseason berth.

Seattle, on the other hand, is trying to climb out of the NFC West basement after their Bye. A loss puts them further behind the curve to compete in the NFC West. A win puts them in position to fight for the division crown.

There’s a ton at stake in Sunday’s game, and the 49ers may be missing some key players. Here’s what their Week 11 injury report looks like:

49ers injury report

Out
CB Charvarius Ward (personal)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (back)

Doubtful
CB Darrell Luter Jr. (pelvis)

Questionable
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
DE Nick Bosa (hip)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)
DL Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
LG Aaron Banks (thigh)

CB Charvarius Ward injury update

Ward remains out to deal with a personal matter. Head coach Kyle Shanahan intimated Ward could be nearing a return, but the team won’t put a date on when he comes back due to the nature of his absence.

DT Kevin Givens injury update

Givens was seen working on a side field Friday according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner. That’s a good sign for the 49ers’ DT who has become an integral part of their defensive line rotation.

P Mitch Wishnowsky injury update

A back injury cropped up for Wishnowsky during training camp and flared up in Week 10. He may be out significant time to get his back right. The 49ers signed P Pat O’Donnell to their practice squad as a potential replacement if Wishnowsky is out long-term. Shanahan told reporters the team plans on placing Wishnowsky on IR.

CB Darrell Luter Jr. injury update

Luter showed up on Friday’s participation report with a pelvis injury. It’s unclear when he sustained the injury, but he didn’t participate Friday.

TE George Kittle injury update

A hamstring injury cropped up for Kittle after Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan indicated early in the week he was optimistic Kittle would be available Sunday. He missed Wednesday’s practice, but returned for Thursday and Friday’s sessions.

DE Nick Bosa injury update

Bosa played through a hip injury in Week 10, and told reporters after Wednesday’s practice he would rest during the week to try and get ready for Sunday. He wound up returning Friday for a limited practice. Shanahan seemed optimistic about Bosa’s chances, but he’ll be a game time decision.

LT Trent Williams injury update

An ankle injury accompanied Williams’s usual veteran rest day Wednesday. He was out of Thursday’s practice as well, putting a significant question mark over his status for Sunday.

DL Yetur Gross-Matos injury update

The 49ers haven’t activated Gross-Matos off IR after opening his practice window before Week 10. Here’s in line to turn this week and provide a significant boost to the 49ers’ defensive line.

C Jon Feliciano injury update

Feliciano is in the same boat as Gross-Matos as someone with their practice window opened. It sounds like the 49ers may be awaiting a chance to open a roster spot before bringing him back.

LG Aaron Banks injury update

This is a new one. Banks didn’t appear on either Wednesday or Thursday practice reports, and then landed as questionable with a thigh issue after a limited practice Friday. His status may determine whether Feliciano is activated.

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How much will 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey play in Week 11 vs. Seahawks?

Christian McCaffrey’s workload was a question in Week 10. It’s not in Week 11.

Don’t expect the San Francisco 49ers to take their foot off the gas in their usage of running back Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey returned in Week 10 after missing the first nine weeks to work through Achilles tendinitis. It stood to reason that his usage might start slow and then ramp up.

Instead, he played 88 percent of the snaps, accounted for 13 of their 18 designed carries, and received seven of the 36 available targets – the second-most on the team. While that sounds like a heavy workload, head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday after the team’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers indicated there’s no plan to slow down on McCaffrey’s workload.

“I didn’t think we rode him pretty hard,” Shanahan said. “But no, I think we were good with it and we’ll see how this year goes. That was our first game with him. I think he had 19 touches, which I think is a little less than he had last year. But it was our first game back with him and we didn’t want him to go too many series in a row. We started taking him out, I think we did it in between two series in the first half, and once we only had one drive in the third quarter and we got into that fourth quarter, we weren’t taking him out in the fourth. So, we’ll see how the year goes with it.”

With key games coming up against the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, the 49ers will likely wind up leaning even heavier on McCaffrey before they ease up on his usage.

There’ll be some injury management required, but early on it appears the team will be doing that by limiting his practice reps. Once the games begin, it figures to be business as usual with McCaffrey as the focal point of the 49ers’ offense.

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New 49ers Week 11 practice report features more bad news than good

Woof … Thursday’s practice report isn’t great.

The San Francisco 49ers are teetering on the brink of potential disaster on the injury front as they prepare for their Week 11 showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

Thursday’s practice participation report was even more crowded than Wednesday’s, and it featured more bad news than good.

The good news is that tight end George Kittle returned to action after missing Wednesday’s session. He was limited Thursday, as anticipated by head coach Kyle Shanahan who told reporters he wasn’t too worried about Kittle’s status for Sunday.

In some less-than-good news, left tackle Trent Williams was absent again with an ankle issue. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings also showed up as a limited participant with an ankle injury.

Williams was classified as a non-participant for rest Wednesday, but he also had an ankle injury listed. That ankle kept him out of another practice Thursday, putting his status for Sunday in doubt. If he can’t go, Jaylon Moore would be next in line to step in at left tackle. This will be worth monitoring closely.

Jennings wasn’t on the Wednesday report which makes his appearance Thursday even more concerning. It’s unclear the severity of the issue and when he sustained the injury. Shanahan will speak with reporters Friday and give a better idea of what the 49ers’ leading wide receiver is dealing with.

Defensive end Nick Bosa remained out of practice with a hip injury. He intimated to reporters Wednesday that he’d likely miss the entire week in hopes of getting ready to play Sunday. He’s also a question mark for Sunday in a key matchup with the Seahawks.

Here’s the full Thursday participation report:

Did not participate

DE Nick Bosa (hip)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (back)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)

Limited participation

TE George Kittle (hamstring)
WR Chris Conley (back)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
WR Jauan Jennings (ankle)
RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles)

Full participation

CB Renardo Green (toe)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)

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Why was Christian McCaffrey limited for 49ers in 1st Week 11 practice?

Christian McCaffrey was limited in Wednesday’s practice, but that’s no reason for alarm.

The San Francisco 49ers have a new weekly problem to solve now that running back Christian McCaffrey has returned from Achilles tendinitis.

While it’s certainly a positive that the reigning Offensive Player of the Year is back in their lineup, the club now has to navigate managing his injury. Part of that will likely be limited practice work and plenty of appearances for McCaffrey on the practice participation report as a result.

McCaffrey debuted Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and notched 13 carries to go along with six receptions on seven targets. He got through the game without issue, but showed up on Wednesday’s practice report as a limited participant.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan before Wednesday’s session said there was no setback for McCaffrey and that his limited practice was a product of how the 49ers are choosing to manage the injury.

It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if McCaffrey didn’t have a full participation in a full practice the rest of the year.

There doesn’t appear to be any inkling from the club or Shanahan that McCaffrey’s workload will diminish greatly this year. He averaged 21.2 touches per game last season and came out of the gate with his 19 in Week 10.

Shanahan didn’t seem bothered by the number of touches McCaffrey received in his debut, indicating he’ll likely continue being the workhorse back for San Francisco. Where they will shortcut his usage is in practice where full participation isn’t required for McCaffrey to be effective during the week.

This may all change if he has a setback at some point, but for now we can get used to seeing McCaffrey on the participation report as less than a full participant.

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3 49ers starters miss 1st practice of Week 11 due to injury

49ers Wednesday practice report is crowded.

The San Francisco 49ers kicked off their Week 11 practices with a handful off injury issues keeping players from practicing in full.

In total, nine players were either absent from the session or limited. Three were limited, and four others missed the first practice of the week due to injury.

Among the non-injury related absences were cornerback Charvarius Ward and left tackle Trent Williams.

Ward is out while he works through a personal tragedy. Williams is getting his usual veteran rest day, although the team also listed an ankle injury for him alongside his ‘not injury related’ designation. Chances are Williams will be back in practice Thursday despite an ankle issue.

Here’s what Wednesday’s participation report looks like:

Did not participate

DE Nick Bosa (hip)
DT Kevin Givens (groin)
TE George Kittle (hamstring)
P Mitch Wishnowsky (back)
CB Charvarius Ward (not injury related – personal matter)
LT Trent Williams (ankle, not injury related – resting player)

Givens has missed the last two games and a non-participation Wednesday isn’t a great sign for a Week 11 return. Head coach Kyle Shanahan before Wednesday’s practice indicated Kittle wouldn’t participate, but expressed optimism about his availability for Sunday. He was less optimistic about Bosa, who played in Week 10 through a hip injury he sustained in practice. Wishnowsky’s back flared up in Week 10, and the team added a punter to their special teams unit.

Limited participation

WR Chris Conley (hamstring)
C Jon Feliciano (knee)
RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles)

No surprises here. Conley would provide some depth at WR and Feliciano would provide depth on the O-line. San Francisco could’ve activated Feliciano off IR last week, but opted not to. McCaffrey’s limited session may be a regular occurrence this season while they manage his Achilles injury.

Full participation

CB Renardo Green (toe)
DE Yetur Gross-Matos (knee)

Green has been playing well and left Sunday’s game vs. the Buccaneers with a toe issue. His quick return is good for the 49ers’ secondary. Gross-Matos also was eligible to return from IR last week, but he was unable to suit up. A full practice is an optimistic sign he’ll return in Week 11.

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George Kittle to miss practice, but injury update is good for 49ers

Good news on George Kittle.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday had some good news regarding tight end George Kittle.

Kittle injured his hamstring during the 49ers’ Week 10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Shanahan told reporters in a press conference before Wednesday’s practice that the All-Pro tight end wouldn’t take part in Wednesday’s session, but that the expectation was for him to return Thursday with a goal of playing Sunday.

Typically the 49ers’ offensive firepower is such that Kittle missing a game wouldn’t have been a huge deal. However, injuries to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and some struggles scoring touchdowns in the red zone have put outsized importance on Kittle as a pass catcher for San Francisco this year.

He’s the team’s leader in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. It’s worth noting given the red zone issues that all seven of Kittle’s TDs this season have come from inside the opponent’s 20.

There’s always a chance that a hamstring injury can flare up and cause a setback. However, the early positive prognosis from Shanahan is a good sign for his chances of suiting up in a huge game against the Seattle Seahawks. Shanahan is usually mum on injury optimism early in the week.

Kittle had a big game in the 49ers’ first game against Seattle in Week 6 this season. He hauled in five receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns in that game.

The 49ers and Seahawks are slated to kick off for the second time this year Sunday at 1:05pm Pacific Time from Levi’s Stadium.

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49ers injury updates feature bad news for leading pass catcher

Injury updates from Kyle Shanahan, including some concern for TE George Kittle.

The San Francisco 49ers appeared to escape Tampa Bay with a win and no major injury issues, but head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday had an update that featured a couple of new names.

Shanahan on Sunday after the game said cornerback Renardo Green’s toe injury was the only health issue the team was dealing with. Green is considered day-to-day according to Shanahan’s conference call with reporters on Monday.

That’s overall good news for the standout rookie CB and it doesn’t appear he’ll miss significant time, if any.

Tight end George Kittle is also dealing with what Shanahan classified as “hamstring irritation” during his conference call. He said they’ll manage Kittle throughout the week, but his status for Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks is unclear.

“Kittle had some hamstring irritation today,” Shanahan said. “So we’ll see how the week goes with him, see how he feels on Wednesday.”

Kittle had three catches for 57 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers. He leads the team with 43 receptions, 560 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games this season. With Brandon Aiyuk already out for the season, missing Kittle for any amount of time would be a significant blow to the 49ers’ offense. He’s a go-to pass catcher for quarterback Brock Purdy and an offensive spark for the 49ers. They don’t have anyone to adequately replace his skill set, so it’ll be all hands on deck in Week 11 if the 49ers are without their All-Pro TE.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was dealing with a back injury in the days leading up to Week 10 and he’s now dealing with a “flare up” according to Shanahan. The club is looking into various treatment options for their punter. It’s unclear if Wishnowsky will be able to kick in Week 11. The team doesn’t have another punter on its roster or practice squad as of Monday.

The good news for San Francisco is that running back Christian McCaffrey, and WRs Jauan Jennings and Deebo Samuel didn’t pop up in any of Shanahan’s updates. That’s an indication they all got through the game healthy after dealing with injury problems going into Sunday.

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49ers officially make potential season-saving roster move

The 49ers have officially activated Christian McCaffrey.

The San Francisco 49ers on Saturday officially announced the return of superstar running back and reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.

McCaffrey has been out the entire season while battling Achilles tendinitis. His recovery involved missing the first eight games, making a trip to Germany for treatment, and working out at the team facility during their Bye week to ramp up for a return to practice ahead of Week 10.

By getting through Monday’s bonus session and three normal days of practice without issue, McCaffrey put himself on track to return Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters during his post-practice press conference that the team anticipated making the move to bring him back on IR for the first game after their Bye week.

McCaffrey should help cure the biggest offensive ailment for the 49ers this season: scoring touchdowns.

While San Francisco has moved the ball efficiently without McCaffrey, they’ve had a hard time finding the end zone. The inability to turn red zone trips into touchdowns was a key reason they suffered a couple of their losses early in the year.

Last season McCaffrey led the NFL with 21 touchdowns from scrimmage. The 49ers also led the NFL with a 67.2 percent red zone conversion rate. This year that number has dipped to 42.9 percent, which is 26th in the league. If McCaffrey can help the 49ers get in the end zone more often, they should be able to make another second-half run and punch their ticket to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.

The 49ers also announced veteran safety Tashaun Gipson would be elevated for Sunday’s game. He may be in the mix to start if rookie safety Malik Mustapha can’t play. The team officially listed him as questionable with a calf injury.

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49ers may turn to familiar face at safety as standout rookie battles injury

There may be a familiar face back in the secondary for the 49ers on Sunday.

The San Francisco 49ers recently brought a familiar face back onto their practice squad. Now they may need to turn to that familiar face in their Week 10 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tashaun Gipson was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars and quickly scooped up by the 49ers to join their practice squad. He offered good internal depth San Francisco knew it could rely on after he spent the 2022 and 2023 campaigns as the 49ers’ starting free safety.

Rookie Malik Mustapha has stepped into a starting role nicely after veteran Talanoa Hufanga went down with a wrist injury. Now Mustapha is dealing with an injury of his own, opening the door for Gipson to get back on the roster for game day.

Mustapha suffered a calf injury that limited him in Thursday and Friday’s practices. He’s officially listed as ‘questionable.’ Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday told reporters Gipson is a potential replacement for Mustapha if the rookie can’t go Sunday.

“Yeah, he is in the mix,” Shanahan said. “Especially with Mustapha being questionable. He got a week in practice at Jacksonville, he’s done awesome this week in his three days. And we’ll discuss that with him over these next 24 hours. It’s nicer being on the east coast, we get until four o’clock instead of one. But those are all things that he looks good enough to do it. Just kind of depends on the health of everyone else.”

Gipson spent most of the preseason with the Jaguars after signing in mid-August. He didn’t appear in a game for them before getting released in early November.

He played in 33 games across two seasons with the 49ers, and registered six interceptions with 11 pass breakups.

The 49ers and Buccaneers are slated to kick off at 10:00am Pacific Time from Raymond James Stadium.

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