49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has been a limited participant in practice so far this week after missing Monday’s game with calf and Achilles issues.
But G.M. John Lynch said in a Friday interview with KNBR that it’s still unclear whether or not he’ll be available for Sunday’s matchup with the Vikings.
“I don’t know that answer,” Lynch said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “He’s dealing with this Achilles tendinitis, which is one of those deals that can be feeling good one day and then, the next day, it flares. And so it’s been very frustrating for Christian, I know, and frustrating for us, only because he’s such a great player.
“But primary in our mind is the long view. Christian is such an elite player. He changes us. He makes us different. But also, it’s nice to see that we can function without him. We can function at a really high level.”
To that point, Jordan Mason rushed for 147 yards with a touchdown in the season-opening victory over the Jets. But, as Lynch said, McCaffrey is also an elite player at his position. So the team wants to be deliberate about noticing how his body responds to practice so McCaffrey can be at his best toward the end of the season.
“[W]e have to be really smart and understand that this is a long year and we need Christian fully healthy and out there, and don’t want to compromise anything,” Lynch said.
While head coach Kyle Shanahan dismissed the idea of placing McCaffrey on injured reserve earlier this week, Lynch did not.
“If that’s the right thing, it’s what we’ll do,” Lynch said. “We’ll consult. We’ll, first of all, see how he’s doing today after getting a good work session in yesterday, see how he responds. And then, all options now, as Kyle has said, are on the table.
“We’re going to do what’s right for Christian, right for our team.”