49ers’ Christian McCaffrey out of Week 2 start, injured reserve on roster for game

The San Francisco 49ers have ruled out star running back Christian McCaffrey for the second straight week with leg and Achilles tendon issues.

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said the team is considering calling up injured reserve McCaffrey, who suffered soreness after practice Thursday. The 49ers play an away game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

If McCaffrey is placed on the injured list, he will miss at least four games.

“It’s one of those deals where you might be happy one day and then you’re on fire the next,” 49ers general manager John Lynch told KNBR radio. “So it was very frustrating for Christian, I know, and frustrating for us just because he’s an elite player. But the key for us is the long-term outlook.”

McCaffrey, the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in passing yards last season with a career-high 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns. McCaffrey also added 564 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, career-highs.

“We have to be very smart and realize this is a long year, we need Christian to be fit and we don’t want to give anything away,” Lynch said.

The team’s consideration of holding McCaffrey out of games is new. On Wednesday, Shanahan said the star running back’s four-game absence was not a consideration.

McCaffrey’s absence from Sunday’s game doesn’t seem as dire as it did before the New York Jets game because his replacement, Jordan Mason, played well against the Jets. Mason had the heaviest workload — 28 carries — by a San Francisco player in 11 years and came out of the game unscathed.

Mason’s depth, however, remains a big question mark. Deebo Samuel carried the ball 10 times against New York, a number that may be difficult to maintain over a 17-game season. The next true quarterback in line is rookie Isaac Gerindo, a fourth-round pick.

After Gerindo comes Patrick Taylor Jr. Gerindo played three offensive snaps against the New York Jets but neither he nor Taylor could carry the ball. Matt Barrows, 49ers writer

How long can the 49ers play without McCaffrey?

The 49ers have no incentive to bring McCaffrey back, especially after Mason’s impressive performance in the season opener. The team has a talent pool they can use while McCaffrey continues his rehab. However, the fact that Shanahan said McCaffrey’s “worst day” health-wise was Thursday is not a good sign.

That means McCaffrey has regressed, a trend San Francisco clearly wants to reverse. David Lombardi, 49ers writer

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(Photo: Ryan Kang/Getty Images)