Christian McCaffrey update: When is the San Francisco 49ers star back from injury?

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is on track to return to practice next week following his lengthy injury layoff, says head coach Kyle Shanahan.

McCaffrey has missed all eight of San Francisco's games so far this season while recovering from Achilles tendinitis that saw him placed on injured reserve on September 14.

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year flew to Germany to meet with a specialist at the end of September, but is now edging closer towards his comeback.

"It depends how this week goes," Shanahan, whose team is currently on a bye week, said. "He's had no setbacks, so it looks like we're on track, but he's going to hit it hard this week while we're gone, as long as it all goes good, hopefully we'll get him back in practice next week.

"After we decided to put him on IR, I think it's been pretty easy. That's why we did decide to do that. We knew it was going to be at least a month and shut him down for a while, and now build him up slowly and things have been going well, so now it's going to be nice to get him back hopefully."

McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 total yards and 21 touchdowns from scrimmage to spearhead the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season, Shanahan's side eventually falling short to the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas.

Jordan Mason has carried the workload impressively in his absence with 134 carries for 685 yards and three touchdowns as part of the league's fourth-ranked rushing attack, though the 49ers have notably lacked their usual efficiency on early down runs while also missing McCaffrey's threat in the passing game.

Upon opening his practice window, the 49ers will have 21 days to determine whether or not they will elevate McCaffrey to the active roster or place him back on injured reserve for the remainder of the year.

"The expectation is to see how he is when he gets back and then evaluate him as he goes," Shanahan added. "Of course, the hope is that everything just goes back to normal and it's perfect. That's what we're all striving for, but you've got to play that out smartly and you've got to evaluate that each day.

"What we see with our own eyes, what he tells us. That'll be something we constantly are working through."

The Niners currently sit 4-4 in the wake of Sunday night's win over the Dallas Cowboys, with injuries having marred the first half of the season in their continued bid to return to the Super Bowl.

Deebo Samuel is currently using San Francisco's bye week to recover from a hip and oblique injury, while fellow wide receiver Jauan Jennings has missed the past two games with a hip problem. The 49ers also recently lost Brandon Aiyuk for the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered against the Chiefs.

Mason is meanwhile nursing a re-aggravated shoulder injury sustained against the Cowboys, with fourth-round rookie Isaac Guerendo producing 14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown in his absence.

The 49ers are scheduled to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4) in Week 10 following their bye, marking a potential return date for McCaffrey.

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