Is Christian McCaffrey playing this week? Latest 49ers injury report for Week 10

Christian McCaffrey continue to take steps in the right direction after missing the entire season for the San Francisco 49ers due to a calf injury he suffered in early August that developed into Achilles tendinitis. McCaffrey was originally only projected to be absent for the four minimum games while on injured reserve, then Kyle Shanahan announced the star was suffering from Achilles tendinitis. Subsequently, McCaffrey flew to Germany to seek answers from a specialist.

On Monday, the 49ers announced that they opened the window for McCaffrey to return to practice for the first time since August. They also opened the practice window for guard Jon Feliciano. While it is good for 49ers fans and fantasy football managers alike to see McCaffrey back on the practice field, they may need to temper their expectations.

Is Christian McCaffrey playing in Week 10 for 49ers?

UPDATE: Christian McCaffrey is expected to play on Sunday, but with a limited snap count, per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports.

It's unclear what that snap count is, so the smart play for fantasy managers is to start McCaffrey – I mean, this is why you drafted and stashed him.

The 49ers sit at 4-4 and third in the NFC West, so urgency is at an all time high, but McCaffrey is returning from an injury that kept him sidelined for all of pre-season and ten weeks of regular season action. So expect McCaffrey to make his season debut, but expect Kyle Shanahan to keep him on a short leash.

He likely will not see the work load he is used to seeing, at least for a few weeks. Instead, they will lean on Jordan Mason, who is questionable himself, and undrafted rookie Isaac Guerendo.

What could throw a wrench in those plans, however, is McCaffrey was revealed to have "no pain" after participating in his first practice on Monday, according to Shanahan.

Also returning to the practice field for the 49ers was wide receiver Jauan Jennings and kicker Jake Moody, both missed multiple weeks. To make room, they released kicker Andres Carlson.

The 49ers appear to be getting healthy at the right time, as they have a gauntlet of a schedule coming up, facing Seattle, Green Bay, Buffalo, Chicago, and the Rams in five consecutive weeks after Tampa. We will see how they perform when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday at one eastern.