49ers News: Such a tease today

49ers-Jets Injuries: 2 players ruled out on either side

“Now, the lingering question is whether McCaffrey will play, and if so, how involved will he be. The answer to the first question is yes, McCaffrey is expected to play. John Lynch said as much this week and McCaffrey said Friday he will play in full.

Will there be limitations? Probably. Kyle Shanahan stated explicitly in training camp that it was a goal for him to limit some of McCaffrey’s touches this season, so the idea of him being a bell cow in the opener seems dubious. Jordan Mason should be somewhat involved. That said, if the 49ers are trailing, Shanahan has showed he’ll ride McCaffrey. It could depend on the flow of the game.”

How Shanahan phone call reportedly ended Williams’ 49ers contract holdout

“Before that pivotal phone call, Williams and Shanahan had given each other the silent treatment for more than two months, Russini reported, with no texts or calls.

In fact, the last time they had communicated, per Russini, was at Christian McCaffrey’s wedding, which Williams promised the star running back he wouldn’t miss, despite his contract status.

At that point in late June, Williams and the 49ers were the furthest apart they had been during negotiations, Russini reported. Williams was nervous, knowing he’d see his coach, as well as general manager John Lynch, at the reception.

Williams indeed ran into Shanahan, and the two hugged and “exchanged some quick pleasantries,” per Russini. Then it was back to business.

Nine weeks later, Shanahan picked up the phone, made the call and sealed the deal.”

49ers’ Shanahan explains ‘tough’ backup QB decision after Dobbs disagrees (paywall)

“Brandon and Brock both can make plays with their legs, but Josh does it at a higher level, which helps us for the scout team on certain weeks and definitely adds an element to our offense, with the spark,” Shanahan said. “And some different game-plan stuff that if he ever did get a shot (as a starter), it would bring a different element.”

Shanahan said the competition was so close that he wished he had another week to decide, but he also acknowledged that it could be difficult for Dobbs to leapfrog Allen on the depth chart during the season. As a third-stringer, Dobbs will run the scout team, which is charged with running the offense of the 49ers’ opponent that week.

“I wouldn’t say no he can’t (move up),” Shanahan said. “It’s not like we’re going to have him compete too hard on the scout team.”

That is, the regular season has marked the end of the spirited backup-QB battle, which was part of Dobbs’ disappointment this week.

“I know in-season weeks can look different than the preseason,” Dobbs said. “So I’m not oblivious to that.”

Niners eye full workload for Williams, reduced snaps for Aiyuk

Shanahan said Williams returned in good shape and got better through each of the four practices the team held this week. Still, that’s not much time to then go and play a full game’s worth of snaps, which means Williams will be monitored closely throughout the game by offensive line coach Chris Foerster.

“I’d like him to [play the whole game], but you’ve got to watch it,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got to talk to him. I haven’t done this too much with a tackle. O-linemen are different with rotating … but also it seems weird to just watch Trent sitting on the sideline next to us. That’s something we’ll be on top of throughout the game and he’ll be honest with us and how he feels.”