Niners’ Kittle expects to face Seahawks; McCaffrey practices

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle left no room for ambiguity when asked if he expected to play in Saturday night’s regular-season finale against the Seattle Seahawks.

“Absolutely,” Kittle said.

Kittle missed the Niners’ win over the Chicago Bears last Sunday night with a sprained left ankle. He didn’t practice in the week leading up to that game, and although he had hoped to be able to play, the Niners erred on the side of caution.

But signs point to Kittle’s return for this week’s game. He participated on a limited basis in Tuesday’s practice and was in attendance at Wednesday’s practice. Although coach Kyle Shanahan offered no guarantees on Tuesday about Kittle’s availability, Kittle made it clear Wednesday that he is feeling much better.

“[I feel] fabulous,” Kittle said. “Great position for Saturday night to win first place. So just with that, I’m doing great.”

In addition to Kittle getting a second straight day of practice, the Niners welcomed back running back Christian McCaffrey (back stiffness) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (hip) on Wednesday after missing them Tuesday. McCaffrey said Tuesday that his back problem was “not serious.”

Left tackle Trent Williams (right hamstring) and defensive lineman Keion White (groin) were not seen at the start of the practice open to reporters. This duo’s potential availability appears to be more tenuous Saturday night after missing the first two days of practice on a short week.

The 12-4 Niners will meet the 13-3 Seahawks Saturday at 5 p.m. PT at Levi’s Stadium, with the winner earning the NFC West division crown, the No. 1 seed in the NFC, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.