49ers may not face Vikings lethal weapon who torched them last season

The Vikings' Jordan Addison seems unlikely to play against the 49ers in Week 2, which is good news for San Francisco.

Short weeks that involve travel back east are always tough for West Coast teams, yet that's what the San Francisco 49ers will face when they visit the 1-0 Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.

The Niners, fresh off a Monday Night Football shellacking of the New York Jets, are now on a short week and will have less time to prepare and recover than usual before their game in Minnesota.

And they could potentially be shorthanded, too, namely if All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey misses a second consecutive week because of calf and Achilles injuries. While there's no concrete determination for his gameday status this upcoming Sunday, the Vikings are probably hoping to see backup rusher Jordan Mason instead of McCaffrey.

Even though Mason broke out in Week 1 with a 147-yard rushing performance.

However, Minnesota might also be shorthanded in Week 2, missing one of its top offensive weapons in a player who played a major role in the Vikings' 2023 victory over San Francisco a year ago.

49ers may avoid another Jordan Addison game because of WR's injury

Minnesota has plenty of offensive talent to support its starting quarterback, former 49ers backup Sam Darnold.

While all eyes will be on All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, fellow wideout Jordan Addison was the one who delivered plenty of blows to the Niners a year ago when these two teams met at US Bank Stadium in Week 7.

Including this touchdown right before halftime:

Addison finished that contest with seven receptions on 10 targets for 123 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Norsemen out to a 22-17 victory over San Francisco.

However, he might not be available for this Sunday's contest.

In the Vikings' regular-season opener against the New York Giants, Addison's ankle was rolled up while being tackled in the game, and he was forced to exit.

Now, he's listed on Minnesota's injury report and didn't practice on Wednesday. Tack on additional reports from Vikings insiders, and the scuttlebutt seems to point toward Addison not playing when the two teams square off again from US Bank Stadium on Sept. 15.

That means the 49ers can largely focus their coverage attention on Jefferson instead of having to content with Addison, too.

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