In the aftermath of his team’s impressive season-opening win over the New York Jets, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan has spent more time clarifying the status of Christian McCaffrey than he has discussing San Francisco’s impressive 32-19 win.
Shanahan, who shot down a report stating that McCaffrey would probably not play in Week 2, also told reporters on Tuesday that his star running back would have faced the Jets if it would have been a playoff game, via Pro Football Talk. Shanahan ultimately decided to give McCaffrey the night off as he continues to work his way through calf and Achilles injuries. He was initially labeled as questionable to play in Monday night’s game.
Shanahan’s decision proved to be the right one. With McCaffrey watching and out of harm’s way, his backup, Jordan Mason, gashed the Jets’ formidable defense to the tune of 147 yards and a score on 28 carries. In all, the 49ers rumbled for 180 yards and two scores while compiling a 4.7 yards-per-carry average.
The update on Shanahan is certainly good news for both 49ers fans and Fantasy football players who have McCaffrey on their roster. McCaffrey, the league’s leading rusher last season, was likely the No. 1 overall pick in most Fantasy drafts this summer. It’s safe to say that a slew of Fantasy players plucked Mason off of their respective waiver wires, following his breakout performance against the Jets.
Rest assured that McCaffrey’s practice status will be closely monitored throughout this week. Whomever starts at running back for the 49ers will face a Vikings defense in Week 2 that allowed just 240 total yards (including just 74 on the ground) during Minnesota’s 28-6 win over the Giants in Week 1.
