The San Francisco 49ers‘ backfield is a major headache for fantasy football managers in Week 7. With Christian McCaffrey dealing with an oblique injury, Elijah Mitchell returning from injury, and Jordan Mason having played a role in recent weeks, a case can be made for all three to have a role on Monday Night Football.
Ahead of MNF, which of McCaffrey, Mitchell, or Mason should fantasy managers consider starting in their lineups this week?
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Christian McCaffrey Fantasy Outlook This Week
McCaffrey is somewhat of a head-scratcher this week because we just don’t know what his role will look like. We found out from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Sunday morning that he is expected to be active despite his oblique issue.
“All signs point to 49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey playing Monday night at Minnesota, despite the fact that he is listed as questionable due to an oblique injury, per sources. McCaffrey returned to practice in a limited way Saturday and said after that he feels ‘great.'”
MORE: Fantasy News Tracker
What that doesn’t tell us is how much McCaffrey is going to be on the field in Week 7. Will we see his usual usage or a reduced role as the 49ers look to manage him through the issue? There is even a chance that McCaffrey will be active in case of emergency or if San Francisco finds themselves chasing the game in the second half.
The long and short of it is that if McCaffrey is active, you’re starting him. The potential reward far outweighs the risk of him being used as a decoy, especially with the uncertainty surrounding the other backs playing in this game.
Elijah Mitchell Fantasy Outlook This Week
Entering the season, the prevailing thought was that Mitchell would be the clear counterpart for the 49ers this year. However, his role has been somewhat of a mess this season — albeit complicated by some injuries.
Mitchell was inactive in Week 2 before playing in Week 3 as McCaffrey’s primary backup. He finished that game with 14 touches for 44 yards as San Francisco blew out the New York Giants at home on Thursday Night Football. However, injuries then saw him inactive until last week, when he shared the backup role with Mason.
Based on what we saw in Week 3, Mitchell is the presumed backup when fully healthy. He only played seven snaps last week but was working his way back from two weeks being inactive due to injury. Now that he is seemingly back to full health, we could potentially see more of Mitchell this week — especially if McCaffrey is limited.
Jordan Mason Fantasy Outlook This Week
Mason sits second on the team in terms of carries this year with 21 across the six games the 49ers have played. However, even as McCaffrey’s primary backup for three of those weeks, he only touched the ball 14 times. Granted, 10 of those came in Week 5 in a blowout win over Dallas, where he had 69 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Last week, Mason remained the “primary” backup with 15 snaps to seven for Mitchell. However, even with McCaffrey injured for the majority of the second half, he only touched the ball five times.
We’ve seen good efficiency from Mason in the past two weeks. On 15 carries, he has 96 yards and two touchdowns. Averaging over six yards per carry and finding the end zone in each of the last two games should hopefully be a good sign for his role going forward.
Which of the San Francisco 49ers RBs Should You Start?
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings still have McCaffrey as the player to start. His projected 16.4 points include a projection of 45 rushing yards, 4.4 receptions, and 38.4 receiving yards.
MORE: 49ers vs. Vikings Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Even with concerns over his health and usage levels, he’s still comfortably ahead of Mitchell (7.0 fantasy points) and Mason (6.0 fantasy points).
This makes a lot of sense based on recent weeks. If he’s a full go, McCaffrey is the clear option. Unless we hear otherwise, that is how fantasy managers have to proceed.
Behind McCaffrey, it’s really a 50-50 proposition as to how the backfield plays out between Mitchell and Mason.