SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Christian McCaffrey says the Achilles tendonitis that sidelined him for the first eight weeks of the season is behind him.

“I feel good now,” McCaffrey said after Friday’s practice. ‘No, I wouldn’t be here if it still bothered me. I feel great.”

The plan, coach Kyle Shanahan said, was to activate McCaffrey on Saturday and see him make his 2024 debut on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“He’s good to go unless something crazy happens on this plane ride,” Shanahan said.

Christian McCaffrey has been activated to the 53-man roster.

For all roster moves ⬇️

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 9, 2024

McCaffrey missed most of training camp due to tendonitis in both Achilles tendons. He was on his way to play in the opener against the New York Jets when the problem flared up. When it also happened before Week 2, the 49ers placed him on IR.

The running back declined to discuss why he went to Germany in late September, saying, “If you’re on IR, you’re hurt, you’ll do anything to get back.” However, he did indicate that more than rest was needed to get to grips with the issue.

“I wish it were that easy,” he said.

Perhaps no 49er trains as intensely as McCaffrey, who uses a range of approaches to both stay in top form and avoid injury. That’s what made the Achilles situation so frustrating, he said, admitting there have been “dark” moments in the past two months.

“I think about football pretty much every day of my life,” he said. “It consumes about 98 percent of my life. And if things don’t go well, it can be very difficult. All I know is that it makes you realize how blessed and fortunate you are to (be able to) play on that field.”

The question now becomes whether the 49ers will rein in McCaffrey’s carries. He had one of the heaviest workloads of any running back last season as he led the league in rushing yards, and on three occasions he played 100 percent of the 49ers’ offensive snaps, which is rare for a modern tailback.

His top backup, Jordan Mason, is fully available this week after dealing with a shoulder injury in the last three games. Rookie Isaac Guerendo also made strides while McCaffrey was out.

While McCaffrey’s return gives the 49ers a big confidence boost as they begin the second half of their schedule, it’s not like they’ll come out of the bye as a healthy team.

The team listed 17 players on the practice participation report during the week, three of which, defensive end Nick Bosa (hip), safety Malik Mustapha (calf) and backup quarterback Brandon Allen (left finger), were injured during practice this week. Bosa and Mustapha are listed as doubtful for Sunday’s match.

Shanahan said Bosa suffered from “a little hip pointer” early in Wednesday’s practice and the defensive end in practice was “extremely limited” from that point on. Bosa warmed up as usual, but did not participate in the training sessions on Thursday and Friday.

“We’ll see on Sunday,” Shanahan said when asked if Bosa will be limited in the game.

Receiver Deebo Samuel (rib, oblique) and offensive lineman Jon Feliciano are also listed as questionable. Three 49ers have been ruled out of the game: receiver Chris Conley (hamstring), defensive tackle Kevin Givens (groin) and cornerback Charvarius Ward, who is mourning his 23-month-old daughter, Amani Joy, who died last month.

Receiver Jauan Jennings (hip) and kicker Jake Moody (ankle) are not on the injury report.

(Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty Images)