49ers Week 10 Injury Report: Christian McCaffrey to Return

Christian McCaffrey is listed as questionable on the 49ers injury report for their Week 10 matchup with the Buccaneers. He's set to make his 2024 debut.

Jan 28, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Detroit Lions during the first half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

Bad news for the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers are getting Christian McCaffrey back for their Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. McCaffrey has been listed as questionable on the 49ers injury report, but Kyle Shanahan said the 49ers will activate him off of Injured Reserve on Saturday.

The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year will return. An already solid offense is getting its best player back. The 49ers weren't desperate for McCaffrey back despite their even 4-4 record. They could easily or rather should be 6-2 if they didn't shoot themselves in the foot against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.

Either way, to be 4-4 is decent all things considered. The 49ers are staring at a potential winning streak with McCaffrey back against favorable opponents in the next two games. A strength of the 49ers offense is a weakness for the Buccaneers defense.

The 49ers run 21 personnel on a league-high 39.5 percent of the time, per Next Gen Stats. They have averaged 7.2 yards per play when they run the ball out of it. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers have allowed 212 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries faced when the opposing offense has used 21 personnel this season. It has translated to 8.8 yards per carry, the most in the NFL.

McCaffrey is returning for the perfect game. He is bound to put up impressive numbers even if he is limited. Ideally, he should be limited to continue to keep him fresh. A heavy workload for McCaffrey shouldn't be needed against the Buccaneers, especially since they're coming off an overtime loss on a short week.

All signs point to this game being a win for the 49ers. They are 4-1 in their last five games following the Bye week and are poised to make it a fifth win. With McCaffrey back to give them a boost on and off the field, the 49ers should look unstoppable.