Despite a minor scare, Christian McCaffrey will remain in the San Francisco 49ers' Week 15 lineup when they face the Tennessee Titans.
The star running back missed practice early in the week with his illness, but was a full participant on Friday and is expected to play in Week 15, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group reported.
After only appearing in four games in 2024, McCaffrey has yet to miss a week in 2025. The 29-year-old is 151 rushing yards shy of his fifth career 1,000-yard season with four regular season games remaining.
The 49ers tend to be cautious with their stars late in the year to prepare for the playoffs, suggesting that McCaffrey should play with few limitations. Brian Robinson Jr. has topped 40 rushing yards in three of the last five games and will be ready to spell McCaffrey if necessary.
Even if he plays wounded, McCaffrey has an excellent opportunity to shine in Week 15. The Titans have been below average against the run all season and enter the matchup allowing 4.5 yards per carry, 11th-highest in the league.
After a relatively slow start to the year for his standards, McCaffrey has picked up his pace over the last couple of months. He had his first big performance of the year with a 129-yard game against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7, and has recorded 80 or more rushing yards in four of the 49ers' last seven games.
Although he has avoided injury, McCaffrey has struggled with inefficiency on the ground in 2025. He brings a career-low 3.6 yards per carry into Week 15.
However, while McCaffrey's rushing production has not been what fans are accustomed to, he remains an elite pass-catcher out of the backfield. His 806 receiving yards are already the third-most of his career, and his most since the 2019 season.
