The San Francisco 49ers may come out of the bye week with good news.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey has stepped up his workouts this week as he continues his rehab from his Achilles injury. He could return to practice next week and make his 2024 season debut in a Week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 10.

“He hasn’t had any setbacks, so it looks like we’re on the right track, but he’s going to work very hard this week while we’re out and do some practice simulations for himself,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Monday. “As long as everything goes well, hopefully we’ll have him back in training next week.”

McCaffrey did not play this season after being diagnosed with bilateral Achilles tendinitis. He had been dealing with the injury since early August and the team expected him to be ready for Week 1. He was placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 2 when he wasn’t ready.

If all goes well, the league’s leading rusher and 2023 Offensive Player of the Year could be back on the field, Shanahan said.

“The expectation is to see how he does when he comes back and evaluate him as he goes,” Shanahan told reporters. “The hope, of course, is that everything will go back to normal and be perfect; This is what we all strive for. But you have to play it smart and take it every day. “What we see with our own eyes, what he tells us, and those will be things we constantly work on.”

The 49ers earned a solid 30-24 Week 8 win over the Dallas Cowboys to move their record to 4-4 and move into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West.