With more managers taking part in playoff fantasy football leagues now that the regular season has concluded, San Francisco 49ers RBs Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell will be hot names in drafts, as both enter the playoffs with a ton of momentum.
What are the fantasy values of both McCaffrey and Mitchell, and how should we view them for Wild Card Weekend?
Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell’s Fantasy Value
For the past several years, McCaffrey has been the best running back for fantasy football, and we dreamed what it would be like to see him in a top-tier offense. That question was answered in 2022 as he joined Mitchell in the 49ers’ backfield.
From Week 8 through Week 17, McCaffrey was the RB1 in fantasy by a whopping 24 points over Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler. McCaffrey was also the RB1 in points per game at 23.7 PPR while averaging 22.4 opportunities, 118.8 total yards, and one touchdown per game. That’s a pace of over 2,000 total yards, which would be baffling if it were anyone but McCaffrey, as we almost expected this.
McCaffrey has dominated the opportunities since he joined San Francisco. Mitchell, who has only played in four games since Week 8 due to a knee injury, is second on the team in rushing with 34 carries for 183 yards. He was activated off the IR in time for Week 18 and rushed five times for 55 yards against the Cardinals.
MORE: Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine Fantasy Playoffs Strategy
The 49ers are loaded on both sides of the ball. And, despite injuries to multiple quarterbacks, Brock Purdy has been sensational and has tossed his hat into the ring for the job in 2023. George Kittle is on an incredible scoring streak, and both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk have been significant contributors as well.
Because of this, the 49ers are expected to make a deep run into the playoffs. This is fantastic for fantasy, as this means we’ll potentially get four games of value out of McCaffrey and other 49ers players. It should come as no surprise that McCaffrey is not only the No. 1 ranked RB but also the No. 1 overall player for 2023 NFL playoff fantasy football leagues.
Mitchell does carry some value in Best Ball if anything were to happen to McCaffrey. But for traditional leagues, Mitchell is, at best, a Flex play, given the command McCaffrey has on this backfield.
Fantasy Outlook for McCaffrey and Mitchell in Wild Card Weekend
Although they weren’t able to secure the No. 1 seed, San Francisco will be at home for the Wild Card round, as they take on a divisional foe in the No. 7 seed, Seattle Seahawks. It’s a common trend this weekend as, for the fifth time since the merger in 1970, all six games from the opening round will feature a rematch from the regular season.
In both games, the 49ers walked away with the win thanks to their defense shutting down the Seahawks. The first came back in Week 2 in a 27-7 victory, and the second a 21-13 win in Week 15.
McCaffrey did his usual damage against Seattle in Week 15, rushing 26 times for 108 yards while catching six of his eight targets for 30 yards as the RB4 on the week with 25.8 PPR points. Mitchell, on the other hand, missed both games due to injuries.
I feel bad for anyone playing against McCaffrey in the Wild Card round. Since Week 12, Seattle has been 29th in rush DVOA, last in rushing EPA, 25th in success rate, and 21st in points allowed. He’s going to dominate, plain and simple.
While Purdy has played incredible football, despite being Mr. Irrelevant, I expect Kyle Shanahan to lean on McCaffrey to help get the rookie his first win in the playoffs, where the pressure is at a different level. With a Super Bowl or bust mentality, have complete confidence in McCaffrey for your fantasy team on Wild Card Weekend.