Christian McCaffrey’s status for Week 1 just got a little shakier.
The star 49ers running back didn’t practice on Friday due to a calf injury, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
McCaffrey told reporters after practice that the injury was “nothing serious” and that he “plans to play” on Sunday.
“I feel great about where I’m at,” McCaffrey said. “Unfortunately, when you have the injury history that I have, sometimes when you don’t practice things get blown out of proportion.”
He’s listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in Seattle.
The news comes one day after McCaffrey suddenly popped up on San Francisco’s injury report.
McCaffrey had been a full participant in 49ers practice as recently as Wednesday before being a limited participant on Thursday.
The three-time Pro Bowler played in just four games last season thanks to an Achilles injury.
McCaffrey appeared to be healthy coming into this season, with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan even saying in August that he was looking like his old self during training camp.
“Yeah. I think he hit like 25 [mph] yesterday or something like that. I’m just making that up,” Shanahan told reporters when asked if McCaffrey was looking like his did two years ago when he won the Offensive Player of the Year award.
“Trying to make Christian happy. He’s doing awesome. He’s as fast as he’s been. He’s quick. He’s strong. He’s Christian McCaffrey.”
As recently as Wednesday, Shanahan suggested that McCaffrey was healthy and ready to go for the season.
“I knew Christian was back just once he told me he was healthy,” Shanahan said when asked when he knew McCaffrey was back, per ESPN. “It’s not like we were thinking he wouldn’t come back from it. You know, you hope that stuff, the arthritis and everything, goes away. Which it usually does. He was telling us that early in the offseason, so I felt pretty good about it. Christian’s not a liar. So, I didn’t think he was.
“Then we saw him early in OTAs, he looked like the guy we’ve always known and he’s continued that.”
If McCaffrey can’t go, the 49ers are expected to turn to running back Brian Robinson Jr., who was acquired from the Commanders in August.
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