San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey, hybrid receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Elijah Mitchell sat out practice on Wednesday as they nursed their respective injuries.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, however, told reporters that he expects McCaffrey (calf), Samuel (ankle) and Mitchell (groin) to play in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I expect them (to play), but there’s no guarantees,” Shanahan said on Wednesday. “Especially with it being an NFC Championship Game, I think there’s a better chance they’ll be ready since there’s nothing guaranteed after this. Hopefully, we’ll keep our fingers crossed.”
Shanahan initially deemed McCaffrey and Mitchell as day-to-day on Monday, one day after the 49ers’ 19-12 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
Shanahan also addressed the availability of defensive end Charles Omenihu (oblique) for Sunday’s game. Omenihu was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence on Monday after police were called to his home in San Jose, Calif.
“We’ve looked into it for the last 24 hours or 48 hours, not necessarily myself but other people,” Shanahan said. “We feel very good letting the legal process take care of itself. Don’t feel we should kick him off our team at this time.”
The NFL confirmed that Omenihu will remain available and that the case will be reviewed down the line.
“The matter will be reviewed under the league’s personal conduct policy. There is no change to his status,” the league’s statement said.
Omenihu, 25, has recorded career-best totals in tackles (20) and sacks (4.5) in 17 games (three starts) this season. He also had two sacks and a forced fumble in San Francisco’s 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round.
McCaffrey, 26, rushed for 746 yards and six touchdowns and caught 52 passes for 464 yards and four scores in 11 regular-season games for the 49ers after being acquired from the Carolina Panthers in mid-October. He was superb in the NFC wild-card round when he gained 119 yards on 15 carries and added a TD catch.
Mitchell, 24, was limited to five regular-season games due to two knee injuries — one to each knee — and had 279 yards and two touchdowns. He had just 2 yards on nine carries versus Seattle but had a touchdown grab among his two catches for 25 yards.
Samuel, 27, had 56 catches for 632 yards and two touchdowns and 42 carries for 232 yards and three scores in 13 games this season. He had six receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown in the wild-card game versus Seattle.
–Field Level Media