Elijah Mitchell’s fantasy season has been very up and down. I wrote about Mitchell last week as someone fantasy football managers could rely on as a solid RB2 option, and it certainly paid off. Does he hold the same value in Week 8, though?
Elijah Mitchell’s fantasy outlook
As we all know, the San Francisco backfield was never meant to be Mitchell’s to command. They were supposed to have Raheem Mostert leading the pack and rookie Trey Sermon ready to take over the reins. However, an injury to Mostert and a slow start by Sermon changed everything.
Mitchell is the true RB1 in San Francisco
Through seven weeks of the season, it’s clear that Mitchell is the true RB1 in San Francisco. He’s also the only 49ers RB to roster in most fantasy football formats at the moment outside of deeper dynasty leagues. That says something right there.
The 49ers have a history of cycling through running backs, which has frustrated fantasy managers for years. Now, with Mitchell essentially locking up the job for himself, that helps clear the fog like a summer day on the San Francisco Bay.
Mitchell was likely a waiver claim that is paying dividends in your fantasy league. If you’ve held on this long or recently acquired him in a trade, you’re likely pretty happy with the results. With all of the injuries and busts we’ve seen this year, Mitchell is a welcome bright spot.
Mitchell showed up in Week 7
In Week 7, Mitchell pretty much went off. He ran 18 times for 107 yards and a touchdown against the Colts on Sunday night. In the team’s Week 5 game against the Cardinals, he only ran 9 times for 43 yards. However, that was with QB Trey Lance running the show.
Mitchell has been much better with Jimmy Garoppolo under center so far this year. In the three games he’s played with Garoppolo, Mitchell has averaged 13.5 PPR points with 84.3 rushing yards. In the one game with Lance, he finished with just 8.2 fantasy points.
For the year, Mitchell is RB48 in PPR with 48.6 total points. Yet, his 12.2 points per game currently put him at RB23. Bottom line, when on the field, Mitchell’s been worth starting.
Mitchell missed two games with a shoulder injury. Now that he’s off the injury report, is he a must-start in your lineup?
Start/Sit Elijah Mitchell in Week 8
With fewer teams on byes this week, managers have more options to choose from when it comes to who to start. Mitchell came through during a depleted week, but how will he do with more players available to choose from?
Very little competition against a mediocre Bears defense
As I mentioned, Mitchell is pretty much the only game in town. Sure, Sermon is still on the roster, but he’s far from a threat. Once Jeff Wilson returns, things could get a little more confusing. But until then, this job is Mitchell’s to lose.
On top of that, head coach Kyle Shanahan loves to run the ball, and the Bears aren’t likely to stop him. The Bears are 10th in the league in rushing yards allowed with 855 on the year. That’s 122.14 yards per game — more than Mitchell has had in any game this year.
Lastly, the Bears will be without starting OLB Khalil Mack, who is out with a foot injury. This bodes well for any offense trying to run the ball, especially those that tend to focus on it. The 49ers’ passing game has been somewhat hit or miss with TE George Kittle out of the lineup. Therefore, I fully expect Mitchell to carry his team to victory on Sunday afternoon.
Conclusion
Fantasy managers shouldn’t worry about putting Mitchell in their starting lineup this week. He’s getting a lot of rushing volume and producing well with that volume. Against the Bears this week, he should see plenty of holes to run through as well. All of this points to him having a good week for fantasy. Start him with confidence again, and smile as the fantasy points rack up.