According to ESPN, Christian McCaffrey won’t be activated from injured reserve if he becomes eligible in Week 6, but there’s apparently reason to hope his return won’t take much longer.
McCaffrey has been on injury reserve since Week 2 due to calf and Achilles tendonitis. He did not play in Week 1 after suffering a late scratch before San Francisco’s season opener.
There were previous indications that McCaffrey would return in November, but ESPN reports that McCaffrey started on the field this week without incident. If his current progress continues without setbacks, McCaffrey could reportedly return as early as the Niners’ Super Bowl rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 20.
Next up, the Niners play the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 27 and then have a bye week before their Nov. 10 date against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Any of these dates could apparently be the game he returns, but the bye week obviously makes November attractive if you prioritize caution.
McCaffrey flew to Germany last week to get a second opinion from a specialist about his Achilles injury.
With McCaffrey out, the Niners have brought in Jordan Mason at running back. Through five games, he has 447 rushing yards – second in the NFL – and three touchdowns on an NFL-high 91 carries. As a team, the Niners are off to a 2-2 start.
