49ers' Kittle (ankle) 'absolutely' expects to play

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

"Absolutely," Kittle said.

Kittle sat out the Niners' win against the Chicago Bears last Sunday night because of a sprained left ankle. He did not practice in the week leading up to that game, and though he had hoped he could play, the Niners erred on the side of caution.

But the signs have pointed to Kittle's return for this week's game. He was a limited participant in practice Tuesday and was present for practice Wednesday. Though on Tuesday coach Kyle Shanahan offered no assurances of Kittle's availability, Kittle made it clear Wednesday he was feeling much better.

"[I feel] fabulous," Kittle said. "Great position for Saturday night to punch a 1-seed. So just with that, I'm doing fantastic."

In addition to Kittle getting a second straight day of participation in practice, the Niners welcomed back running back Christian McCaffrey (back stiffness) and fullback Kyle Juszczyk (hip) Wednesday after they did not participate Tuesday. McCaffrey said Tuesday that his back issue was "not serious."

Left tackle Trent Williams (right hamstring) and defensive lineman Keion White (groin) were not seen during the early portion of practice open to reporters. That duo's potential availability figures to be more tenuous for Saturday night after sitting out the first two days of practice on a short week.

The 12-4 Niners meet the 13-3 Seahawks on Saturday at 5 p.m. PT at Levi's Stadium with the winner taking home the NFC West Division crown, the NFC's No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.