Christian McCaffrey has a mild hamstring strain, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said Monday. The team is "pretty optimistic" he won't miss time. The 49ers announced during Sunday's 29-20 loss at Atlanta that McCaffrey had a thigh injury. Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper noted that Monday's diagnosis differed from that announcement.

The timeline is tied to the bye. NFL Trade Rumors, citing Matt Maiocco, reported that the team expects McCaffrey back following the week off. Yahoo Sports and Niners Nation added that Shanahan expects plenty of reinforcements to return after the bye, and Niners Nation called McCaffrey's status the one bright spot on the injury report coming out of Week 7. The summaries we have don't say which other players Shanahan meant, and none of them gives a firm return date. "Optimistic" is the extent of the team's public position.

On our numbers, the bye may mean he misses nothing. The 49ers are 6-1 and lead the NFC West, and their next game is at home against the Raiders on Sunday, Nov 8. If the strain heals as described, McCaffrey would miss no games.

He was productive before leaving the Atlanta game. McCaffrey carried seven times for 39 yards and a touchdown, and caught six of seven targets for 61 yards. Through seven games he has 84 carries for 389 yards and eight rushing touchdowns, plus 34 catches for 251 yards. The receiving work has been a large part of his role. He had nine catches on 10 targets against Washington on Oct 19.

The loss to the Falcons was the 49ers' first since the opener. It ended a two-game winning streak that included a 32-29 win at Seattle and a 23-17 win over Washington. San Francisco turned the ball over four times in Atlanta, two of them lost fumbles. It outgained the Falcons 400 yards to 295 and still lost.

The reporting gives no word on whether McCaffrey will practice during the bye. The next sign will be his status ahead of the Nov 8 game against Las Vegas.