Kyle Shanahan provides update on Christian McCaffrey's chances of playing in 49ers' Week 2 clash with Vikings

The San Francisco 49ers thrived in their Monday Night Football opener despite being without reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey.

Star running back McCaffrey was a surprise late scratch with a calf/Achilles injury for the primetime clash with the New York Jets, but it mattered not as Jordan Mason took full advantage of his first career start , racking up 147 yards and a touchdown in an outstanding performance.

Mason's display on the ground, aided by an excellent showing from the offensive line and a swarming effort from the 49er defense, laid the foundation for a dominant 32-19 win for San Francisco.

And, even if McCaffrey is able to return for the Week 2 game with the Minnesota Vikings, it seems likely Mason will again have a big role to play after head coach Kyle Shanahan provided an update on McCaffrey's status in his Tuesday conference call with local media.

Shanahan revealed McCaffrey is considered "day-to-day", with the Achilles the more significant issue that could continue to limit the 2023 rushing champion.

"I believed if it was a playoff game, he would have played," Shanahan said of McCaffrey's Week 1 absence.

"But it's not just the calf, it's the Achilles, and the Achilles is tendinitis, and that stuff comes and goes. And when it is acting up, it's something you got to be very careful about.

"Christian is very diligent about that stuff, and if it was a playoff game, he made it very clear to me that he believed he could go.

"But when you hear that type of stuff, and it's not a playoff game, and it's Week 1, and especially when you're dealing with the lower extremities like that, it was a tough decision, but hearing all the words and stuff, in the long run, it made it easy."

McCaffrey's status for Week 2 will depend on how he is feeling at the end of this week of practice. However, with the quick turnaround, it would appear unlikely the 49ers will be ready to place a full workload on his shoulders. If McCaffrey can go, it would be prudent on the 49ers' part to have him share the load with Mason.

Meanwhile, Shanahan said All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga will have a chance to potentially make his return from the torn ACL he suffered in November. Hufanga missed his target of being ready for Week 1, with George Odum starting next to Ji'Ayir Brown in his place.

"We won't make that decision until later in the week, so hopefully he has another good week," Shanahan said of Hufanga.

Defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos (knee) and Dee Winters (ankle) both missed the opener but could return to practice this week.

"They've got a big day today, just seeing how they go," Shanahan added.

"There's a chance they can get back into practice this week, but really not sure until they do the rehab this afternoon."

In terms of injuries from the game, Jauan Jennings (ankle) and Aaron Banks (calf) are both considered day-to-day.

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