Christian McCaffrey injury update: Will 49ers RB be ready for Week 1 of regular season?

After straining his calf on Aug. 4 in practice, Christian McCaffrey had 49er fans — and fantasy football owners — worried the injury would keep him from starting the regular season.

However, it appears that the strain is not serious despite keeping him sidelined for the team's first preseason game against the Titans, as it's likely McCaffrey wouldn't have played even if he was healthy.

The NFL Madden 25 cover athlete is taking time off out of an abundance of caution in hopes that he will be at full strength for the 49ers Week 1 contest against the New York Jets.

Here's everything to know about McCaffrey's injury and whether San Francisco's running back will be ready for the first game of the regular season.

MORE: NFL Preseason injury tracker | RB depth charts

Christian McCaffrey injury update

The more that comes out about McCaffrey's injury, the less panicked 49ers fans should be. In sum, his place on the bench is simply a precaution to protect the team's star running back from any further dings before the regular season. 

"Yeah, I feel great," McCaffrey shared in a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. "Very cautionary stuff. If we had a game, I would play, but just trying to be smart right now."

Any preseason action McCaffrey would have participated in is now out of the question as he recovers—he is expected to miss about two weeks of practice from the time of the injury. That being said, the running back was seen running, cutting, and catching passes on a side field Thursday at 49ers training which is a good sign that he's making significant strides.

McCaffrey's teammate, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, instilled more confidence that the running back would make a full recovery soon while speaking to reporters Thursday.

"He's going to have cleats on that grass here in no time, and he's going to be Christian McCaffrey," Juszczyk said. "He's going to go do his thing and be one of the best players in the world."

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Will Christian McCaffrey be ready for Week 1 of the regular season?

Two weeks of time to rest and heal up should be plenty for the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year to return to practice before the 49ers' season opener against the Jets on Sept. 9. Barring any major setback, expect to see McCaffrey in the starting lineup Week 1. 

In the same SiriusXM NFL Radio interview, McCaffrey emphasized that he's "still training, still getting a bunch of work in" so that he's ready to go for the season opener.

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49ers running back depth chart

Here is the latest edition of the 49ers running back room, as updated by the team on Aug. 14.