The San Francisco 49ers have had an unusual amount of drama heading into Week 1 this preseason. With the contract disputes between Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams dominating the news coverage, the usual raft of early season injuries have received far less attention. However, Niners superstar running back Christian McCaffrey has been dealing with a calf/Achilles injury.

Although McCaffrey was limited in practice on Thursday and Friday, according to the 49ers’ injury report, the Stanford product was adamant that he expects to play on Monday against the New York Jets. When asked by reporters if he was concerned about being held back by his injury, McCaffrey replied, “No, that’s not a problem for me.”

The 49ers are currently the heavy favorite (-215) over the Jets (+180) to win the game at FanDuel Sportsbook. Needless to say, it’s a lot easier to be confident in San Francisco’s chances of living up to their heavy favorite status with McCaffrey on the court.

The line has swung back and forth between the Niners as a 3.5 and 4.5 favorite, likely due to uncertainty over what will happen at the left tackle position or how involved Aiyuk will be, not to mention McCaffrey’s status.

The dynamic running back is coming off an incredible 2023 campaign. Last season, he led the NFL with 339 total touches and 1,459 rushing yards. He also collected 564 receiving yards and scored 21 total touchdowns.

With McCaffrey sidelined or limited, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan will likely lean on backup Jordan Mason for carries. While Mason has been fairly productive on the ground throughout his career, McCaffrey’s unique ability as a receiver gives quarterback Brock Purdy a valuable outlet and helps Shanahan create openings for other wideouts in the passing game.