Report: Christian McCaffrey expected to play vs. Vikings in Monday Night Football

To the delight of 49ers fans and select fantasy football owners, Christian McCaffrey will suit up in play in San Francisco’s Monday Night Football game against the Vikings.

NFL insider Adam Schefter broke the news early in the day Monday that McCaffrey will give it a go. Here was that report from ESPN:

“San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian McCaffrey will play Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.”

The report also noted that McCaffrey did participate in the team’s Saturday practice.

“McCaffrey is listed as questionable for the game after suffering an oblique injury during last Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns. The two-time Pro Bowl selection returned to practice as a limited participant Saturday after missing the two previous workouts and said afterward that he felt ‘great.'”

Kyle Shanahan fine with heavy McCaffrey work load

From the moment the San Francisco 49ers acquired running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers in the middle of the 2022 season, the 27-year-old has been as dependable a back as you’ll find in the NFL.

A true workhorse, McCaffrey has already racked up 133 total touches this season — a 377-touch pace over a 17-game season. But with McCaffrey dealing with an oblique injury that’s jeopardizing his availability for Monday’s Week 7 road tilt against the Minnesota Vikings, some might question if the heavy workload is starting to catch up to him. The two-time Pro Bowler remained sidelined at practice Friday, his second straight missed practice.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed Thursday if McCaffrey’s workload is sustainable, and said he’s happy with how he’s being used this season.

“I mean, we treat him as our starting running back,” Shanahan said, via NFL.com. “So, I don’t really think of how many touches we want to get somebody in a year. That’s week-to-week and how the game goes. But he gets a lot more extra because he gets thrown to so much in the passing game. I’m happy with how he’s being used. I’m happy with how he’s been playing, and we’ll see how the rest of the year goes.”

Although, it will be interesting to see if that usage changes tonight since he was banged up heading into the game. Even if he is less than 100%, McCaffrey’s presence is certainly a big boost for the 49ers, especially since, as Shanahan notes, he is a huge threat in the passing game.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.