McCaffrey is questionable to return

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 25: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers looks on during warmups before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 25, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.

The San Francisco 49ers look like the best team in football to start the 2026 season, and keeping Christian McCaffrey healthy and productive has been a big reason why. The star running back was off to another great start against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 7 after scoring the first touchdown of the game, but the injury bug hit again early in the second quarter.

McCaffrey was pulled from the game and taken to the medical tent to look at a thigh injury. McCaffrey is now questionable to return, according to the broadcast.

Backup running back Kaelon Black picked up where McCaffrey left off by ripping a 30-yard touchdown run as McCaffrey was getting looked at on the bench. The 49ers are already in complete control against Atlanta early in the first half, and might not need McCaffrey to finish off this win. Still, it’s never good to see a star player with such a long history like McCaffrey go down.

We’ll update this story as it develops.

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