Will Christian McCaffrey play today? How to watch the 49ers

Christian McCaffrey is one of the most exciting players on the San Francisco 49ers roster. The 28-year-old star, who was traded from the Carolina Panthers during the 2022-23 season, has had a huge impact on Kyle Shanahan’s roster. The second-generation NFL star scored 21 touchdowns during the 2023-24 NFL season and looks to increase his production this season. 
The superstar running back is currently recovering from calf soreness and Achilles tendinitis, putting him on injured reserve, which means he’ll be sidelined for at least four weeks. But when he returns, McCaffrey is sure to be the game changer the Niners need to have another championship-worthy season.
Keep reading to find out how and when to watch every San Francisco 49ers game this season, even if you don’t have cable.
If you don’t have cable TV that includes NBC, Fox, ABC, ESPN and NFL Network, one of the most cost-effective ways to watch the San Francisco 49ers this season, and all the major sporting events happening this fall, is through a subscription to Sling TV. We suggest leveling up your coverage to the Orange + Blue with Sports Extra tier to get more NFL and college football games this fall.
The Orange + Blue plan regularly costs $60 per month, but the streamer currently offers a $25 off promotion for your first month, so you’ll pay just $35. The Orange + Blue with Sports Extra plan is $50 for your first month and $75 per month after. The Sports Extra add-on features 18 channels, including NFL Redzone, ESPNU, SEC Network, Big 10 Network and ACC Network.
The streamer is also currently offering big savings on four months of the Orange + Blue tier plus the Sports Extra plan when you prepay for the Sling TV Season Pass. The plan costs $219, reduced from $300.
Note: Because Sling TV does not carry CBS, Sling subscribers will want to add Paramount+ to their bundle. (Paramount+ and CBS Essentials are both subsidiaries of Paramount Global.)
Top features of Sling TV Orange + Blue plan:
You can watch the 49ers this season on CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and Prime Video. The 49ers 2024-5 schedule includes six primetime games, two on “Sunday Night Football.”  The Niners are also scheduled to play two “Monday Night Football” games and two “Thursday Night Football” matchups this season. 
The team will play back-to-back road games the last week of November and the first week of December when they face the Green Bay Packers (November 24, 2024) followed by the Buffalo Bills (December 1, 2024). The team’s regular season schedule begins on Monday, September 9, 2024 when they host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Keep reading for the full 49ers 2024-5 season schedule, and how to watch each game without cable.
All times Eastern.
Preseason
Aug. 10: Tennessee Titans 17, San Francisco 49ers 13
Aug. 18: San Francisco 49ers 16, New Orleans Saints 10
Aug. 23:  at Las Vegas Raiders, 10 p.m. (NFL Network)
Regular season
Week 1: Monday, Sept. 9, vs N.Y. Jets, 8:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 15, at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. (CBS)
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 22, at L.A. Rams, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 29, vs. New England Patriots, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 6, vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Week 6: Thursday, Oct. 10, at Seattle Seahawks, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 20, vs. Kansas City Chiefs, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 27, vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 9: Bye week
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 10, at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. (FOX)
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 17, vs. Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. (FOX)
Week 12: Sunday, Nov. 24, at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 1, at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 8, vs. Chicago Bears, 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
Week 15: Thursday, Dec. 12, vs. L.A. Rams, 8:15 p.m. (Prime Video)
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 22, at Miami Dolphins, 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
Week 17: Monday, Dec. 30, vs. Detroit Lions, 85:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Week 18: Saturday, Jan. 4 or Sunday, Jan. 5, at Arizona Cardinals, TBD
Live TV streaming service Fubo offers the same top-tier programming you can get from your local cable provider at a fraction of the price. The streamer is a sports fan’s dream considering the sheer volume of live sporting events you can watch on it.
Fubo packages include access to NFL games airing on your local CBS affiliate, Fox Sunday NFC games via “NFL on Fox,” “Sunday Night Football” on NBC, “Monday Night Football” on ABC and ESPN, and all games aired on NFL Network. There are plenty of channels for NCAA college football fans too, including SEC Network, Big Ten Network and ESPNU.
If you want to give Fubo a try, now’s a great time to do so: Fubo is currently offering $30 off your first month of any subscription tier. That means you can watch every NFL and college football game airing on network TV this week starting at just $49.99. Once you subscribe, you can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer.
Top features of Fubo:
If you want to spend your Sunday watching McCaffrey play but don’t have a cable subscription, consider a subscription to Paramount+. Paramount+ gives viewers access to all CBS original content, movies and more. You can watch NFL football live on any Paramount+ subscription tier, starting at $7 per month.
A sports-lovers dream, the platform live streams NFL football games airing on CBS, NCAA college football, PGA Tour golf, professional soccer and more when you upgrade to the Paramount+ with Showtime tier (starting at $12.99 per month).
What you can stream with Paramount+: 
The Walmart+ shopping subscription service includes access to the Paramount+ Essentials tier (with live NFL games airing on CBS), a $60 per year value. Walmart+ subscribers also get discounts on gasoline at Mobil and Exxon stations, access to special members-only deals (including Walmart’s holiday deals), same-day home delivery from your local store and more. Walmart+ costs $98 per year. Tap the button below to learn all the benefits of Walmart+, and to start your 30-day free trial.
You can also add Paramount+ to your Prime Video subscription to access CBS-aired NFL games, plus Paramount+ originals. Add Paramount+ to your Prime Video subscription for $7.99 per month, or level up to Paramount+ with Showtime to get access to CBS-aired college football and more for $12.99 per month. Both pricing tiers come with a seven-day free trial. 
Starting in 2022, Amazon became the exclusive carrier of Thursday Night Football (TNF). This season, Prime will host Thursday Night Football in Weeks 2-17, plus the Las Vegas Raiders vs. Kansas City Chiefs game on Black Friday (Friday, Nov. 29, 2024) at 6 p.m. ET. Prime Video will also exclusively air at least one Wild Card game this season.
Amazon Prime is $14.99 per month after a 30-day free trial. In addition to NFL football, Prime members will get two-day shipping, member-exclusive Prime Day deals, and expedited shipping on Prime Deals. 
You can watch the NFL, including the NFL Network, with Hulu + Live TV. The bundle features access to 90 channels, including NBC, CBS and Fox. Unlimited DVR storage is also included. Watch every game on every network with Hulu + Live TV, plus catch live NFL preseason games, exclusive live regular season games, popular studio shows (including NFL Total Access and the Emmy-nominated show Good Morning Football) and lots more.
Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month after a three-day free trial.
In addition to watching NBC-aired NFL games, Peacock subscribers can also access Peacock originals like “Love Island” and the Annette Bening thriller “Apples Never Fall,” plus live NBC-aired content with a Peacock Premium Plus subscription, and Peacock’s library of on-demand content including “The Office.”
Your best value, you can get a year of Peacock Premium (with ads) for $80, or a year of Peacock Premium Plus (mostly ad-free) for $120. Or, get a monthly subscription: Peacock Premium subscription costs $8 per month, while Peacock Premium Plus is $14 per month.
ESPN+ will play host to 25 NFL games this season, including one ESPN+- exclusive game on October 21, 2024, when the Arizona Cardinals host the Los Angeles Chargers. 
ESPN+ is ESPN’s subscription streaming platform, which offers coverage of some of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark’s WNBA games, original studio shows and top-tier series that aren’t accessible on the ESPN networks. ESPN+ subscribers may purchase UFC PPV events and access the platform’s vast archive of on-demand content, including the entire 30 For 30 catalog, game replays and select ESPN films. 
ESPN+ offers exclusive live sports, original shows, and a vast library of on-demand content, including the entire 30 For 30 series and more. Here’s a sampling of what’s available on ESPN+:
It is important to note that ESPN+ does not include access to the ESPN network. It is a separate sports-centric service, with separate sports programming.
An ESPN+ subscription costs $11 per month. Or save 15% when you pay annually ($110).  
If you want to catch Christian McCaffrey play this season, and all the other NFL games happening this preseason, check out NFL+. The premium streaming service, starting at $40 per year (or $7 per month), offers access to all NFL games happening this preseason — even out-of-market games — on all supported devices. The streaming service also offers access to NFL Network on all supported devices.
To boost your NFL experience even further, you can upgrade to NFL+ Premium with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously.
Top features of NFL+:
You can also watch NFL football on TV with an affordable indoor antenna, which pulls in local over-the-air HDTV channels such as CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, PBS, Univision and more. Here’s the kicker: There’s no monthly charge.
For anyone living in a partially blocked-off area (those near mountains or first-floor apartments), a digital TV antenna may not pick up a good signal — or any signal at all. But for many homes, a digital TV antenna provides a seriously inexpensive way to watch sports without paying a cable company. Indoor TV antennas can also provide some much-needed TV backup if a storm knocks out your cable.
This ultra-thin, multi-directional Mohu Leaf Supreme Pro digital antenna with a 65-mile range can receive hundreds of HD TV channels, including ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox, and Univision, and can filter out cellular and FM signals. It delivers a high-quality picture in 1080p HDTV and top-tier sound. The antenna comes with a 12-foot digital coax cable.
While you watch Christian McCaffrey and the Niners from home, it’s a great time to stock up on the latest McCaffrey gear.  Fanatics is our first stop for the newest in fan gear. The online fan gear retailer is well stocked on the latest No. 23 jerseys, T-shirts, hoodies and more. There is plenty of No. 23 gear in stock, but you’ll want get yours before it sells out.
Tap the button below to head directly to Fanatics to see the newest Christian McCaffrey fan gear drop.
Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to be played on Feb. 9, 2025, at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA (home of the New Orleans Saints). Super Bowl LIX will air on Fox, and stream on Fubo, Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV.