McCaffrey expected to make season debut vs. Bucs

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to make his season debut Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Thursday on KNBR's "Tolbert & Copes" show.

"He's been awesome these last two days," Shanahan said. "Hopefully, that continues to go well. I expect to get him out there."

McCaffrey has missed San Francisco's first eight games of the regular season with an Achilles injury. The 49ers made him a surprise inactive for Week 1 before placing him on the injured reserve ahead of their Week 2 matchup.

The reigning Offensive Player of the Year returned to practice earlier this week, opening a 21-day window to activate him off IR.

Jordan Mason has carried the workload admirably in McCaffrey's absence, rushing for 685 yards and averaging 5.1 yards per carry.

McCaffrey compiled a league-high 1,459 rushing yards and 2,023 yards from scrimmage last year. His 21 total touchdowns also led the NFL.