San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan clarified that running back Christian McCaffrey's (calf) injury did not involve a setback but was simply too bothersome for him to play effectively on Sunday. Despite practicing all week, McCaffrey's calf issue has been intermittent and proved too troublesome for this game. During the ESPN postgame interview, Jordan Mason mentioned he was informed on Friday night that he would be starting, but Shanahan corrected this, stating that Mason was only told he would likely see significant playing time and didn't confirm the starting role until the day of the game. Shanahan addressed the situation to prevent any potential league repercussions. The excellent news is McCaffrey did not suffer a setback, and he will have six days to recover before the 49ers face the Vikings in Week 2. McCaffrey remains a must-start if available, while Mason is his top backup and must start if McCaffrey is sidelined again.

With the San Francisco 49ers surprisingly ruling running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) out for Monday night's showdown against the New York Jets, backup Jordan Mason will now get the start in the backfield. Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo will also be active and available as depth, with Guerendo likely returning kicks on special teams. Fantasy managers that were fully expecting CMC to play on Monday could be in trouble if they don't already have Mason on their roster or he's not immediately available to pluck off the waiver wire. The 25-year-old Mason has had limited opportunities in his two NFL seasons in San Fran, but he has averaged 5.6 yards per carry and has scored four times in 33 total games (zero starts). In a strong Niners offense, Mason is an appealing handcuff with upside as a plug-in-play option for those that have McCaffrey rostered.

In a big surprise, San Francisco 49ers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles), the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in 2023, is inactive for the team's Week 1 regular-season opener on Monday night against the visiting New York Jets, according to sources. McCaffrey practiced on a limited basis with the team last week before being handed a questionable tag for Week 1, but he expressed optimism that he would play over the weekend and handle a near-normal workload. CMC was apparently more optimistic than the coaching staff, and they have decided to hold him out for another week. If CMC's fantasy managers don't already have backup Jordan Mason handcuffed, they could find themselves in a bind on Monday night. Mason is starting on Monday, with Patrick Taylor Jr. and rookie Isaac Guerendo also active and available. Guerendo will likely return kicks.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles) intends to play a full complement of snaps in Week 1, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The running back is officially listed as questionable after being limited during practice, but the star running back has consistently vowed to suit up without any limitations on Monday night. Nevertheless, the 49ers will monitor McCaffrey throughout the game, and in the event that he needs to take snaps off, Jordan Mason would likely enter in his place. Even with the lingering injuries, McCaffrey is a high-end RB1 for fantasy purposes.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (chest) is expected to return as soon as he's eligible in Week 5, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. The first-round rookie is currently on the non-football injury list after being shot during an armed robbery attempt. Garafolo notes that Pearsall was back in the facilities and wanted to play in Week 1 against the Jets, but the 49ers opted to sideline him for four weeks by placing him on the non-football injury list. In his absence, Jauan Jennings is headed for the No. 3 role in San Francisco and could see additional opportunities if Brandon Aiyuk is limited on Monday night.