Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that McCaffrey (Achilles) won't return to practice next week, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

It means McCaffrey will miss at least one more game, leaving either Jordan Mason (shoulder) or Isaac Guerendo as the lead back for a Super Bowl rematch with the Chiefs on Sunday, Oct. 20. Mason suffered an AC joint sprain during Thursday's win over Seattle, leaving Guerendo and Patrick Taylor to handle backfield snaps after halftime.

McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) won't return when eligible Week 6 against the Seahawks, but he did on-field work this week and didn't experience any flareups, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The workouts marked McCaffrey's first on-field work since landing on IR in Week 2 and came less than two weeks after he visited a specialist in Germany. Schefter deemed the lack of a flareup as "mild encouragement" and noted that the star running back's return will be dependent on how he fares in practice while also citing a source indicating that McCaffrey could return as soon as Oct. 20 versus Kansas City. Schefter further suggests the possibility that San Francisco could opt to sit McCaffrey out through the team's Week 9 bye in order to give him an extra week of recovery, so an actual target date for a return remains very hazy. Jordan Mason will continue to start at running back for the 49ers for as long as McCaffrey remains out.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey is tending to tendinitis in both of his Achilles, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports. "I think it started in one, and you overcompensate, it went to the other," Shanahan added. "Mainly one of them has just been bothering him, but he's had it in both."

EDGE Analysis

After a recent visit to Germany to meet with a specialist, McCaffrey returned to San Francisco, and a plan for ramping up his activity level was mentioned by Shanahan last Thursday on 104.5 KNBR. In particular, Shanahan noted the 49ers will "start testing it out here sooner rather than later." McCaffrey must remain on injured reserve through at least Week 5, but he's slated to miss more time than that considering he has no timetable to return. A report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Sunday relayed that McCaffrey may run on hard ground this week, and there's a chance he'll be back in action by early November. The coming weeks should be key to determining when McCaffrey could be available for his season debut.

There's a chance McCaffrey (Achilles) will run on hard ground this coming week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCaffrey, who is dealing with Achilles tendonitis, remains on IR and without a clear timetable for a return, but Rapoport suggests that the running back should be back, at least, by early November. In the meantime, Jordan Mason is on track to lead the 49ers' backfield while McCaffrey remains sidelined.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that McCaffrey (Achilles) may "start hitting the rehab here harder on Monday," Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCaffrey has returned from his trip to Germany to see a specialist for his Achilles tendinitis. He won't be eligible to return from injured reserve until Week 6 and still may be out much longer than that, but it sounds like he's at least gotten clearance to increase his activity level within the next few days.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on 104.5 KNBR that the 49ers will "probably turn it up here in the next couple of weeks" with McCaffrey (calf/Achilles). "We'll start testing it out here sooner rather than later," Shanahan added.

EDGE Analysis

Because McCaffrey was placed on injured reserve prior to the 49ers' Week 2 loss at Minnesota, he won't be eligible to practice until before a Week 6 road matchup with the Seahawks. Having said that, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported Sept. 15 that McCaffrey could miss six weeks or perhaps more than that. If San Francisco ultimately designates McCaffrey to return from IR, he'd have three weeks to test out his Achilles before the team would need to make a decision to activate him. The hope is that his recent visit to Germany to meet with a specialist will aid in the recovery of what's been ailing McCaffrey, but for as long as he's sidelined, the 49ers will entrust most of the backfield reps to Jordan Mason.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday that McCaffrey is in Germany to visit with a specialist for his Achilles tendinitis, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The saga surrounding McCaffrey continues as he seeks all avenues to get past an injury that has plagued him since early August. Shanahan noted McCaffrey is slated to spend multiple days in Germany, perhaps with the aim to precipitate his recovery. With three games missed during his current absence, he still must reside on injured reserve for at least two more games, but there's an expectation that he'll be out six weeks and maybe more than that, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. In the meantime, Jordan Mason will continue to pace San Francisco's backfield.

McCaffrey (calf), who was placed on injured reserve Saturday, is "likely to be out six weeks or potentially more" while he recovers from Achilles tendinitis, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

McCaffrey's placement on IR ensures that he'll miss the 49ers' next four games, but Rapoport suggests that the team is preparing for the star tailback to miss additional time beyond that. The 28-year-old isn't helped by the fact that the 49ers will play a Thursday night game in Seattle in Week 6, the first game in which McCaffrey would be eligible to return from IR. While Rapoport notes that McCaffrey won't be at an elevated risk of tearing his Achilles once he eventually plays again, the running back's Achilles tendinitis is regarded as a painful injury that will require rest and rehab for him to properly heal. Jordan Mason played 81 percent of the 49ers' offensive snaps and took on 29 touches in a Week 1 win over the Jets, and he looks like he could be in line for a heavy workload for the duration of McCaffrey's absence.

McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) will be placed on injured reserve Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

This move became a clear possibility when McCaffrey didn't practice Friday and was subsequently ruled out for Sunday's Week 2 contest versus Minnesota. McCaffrey will now be required to miss San Francisco's next four contests, thus his earliest return date is Oct. 10 versus Seattle on Thursday Night Football. Jordan Mason will continue to hold lead running back duties for the 49ers for as long as McCaffrey remains sidelined.

The 49ers may place McCaffrey (calf/Achilles) on injured reserve Saturday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

In order to start McCaffrey's four-game tally, at the very least, on IR, San Francisco can take that approach before Saturday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline for such a transaction. He initially dealt with a calf strain throughout training camp and the preseason, but his situation was thrown into no-man's land when Achilles was attached to his name on the team's first Week 1 injury report last Thursday. There was no indication outside the 49ers' organization that McCaffrey was in danger of sitting out this past Monday against the Jets until inactives dropped before the game, and since then it was revealed he was tending to Achilles tendinitis, which requires rest to get past completely. With Jordan Mason faring well in McCaffrey's absence, the team seems poised to roll with the former out of the backfield in the short term, with the aim to get its star RB healthy with the second half of the season and playoffs in mind.