There were high fantasy football hopes for RB Elijah Mitchell when he was drafted by the run-heavy San Francisco 49ers in 2021. He had a decent rookie season, finishing with 963 yards rushing and five touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for an additional 137 yards. He finished as RB25 that season after only playing 11 games. Unfortunately, we have seen very little from Mitchell since then.
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Elijah Mitchell Rest-of-Season Fantasy Outlook
The 49ers opened 2023 with a bang, and at 2-0, they look like a complete team. Sure, their defense is incredible, but the offense is also doing its part. The run game is an integral part of that offense, and through two weeks, San Francisco is tied for the third-highest rushing percentage (48%).
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RB Christian McCaffrey has taken the lion’s share of rushing work in the backfield, as Elijah Mitchell only played 15% of the snaps in Week 1 and didn’t even see the field in Week 2. In the season opener, Mitchell ran for 10 yards on five attempts. In Week 2, McCaffrey saw all of the team’s rushing attempts.
It is hard to attach any value to Mitchell outside of being a backup for the best fantasy RB in football right now on one of the best teams. Because of that, it is difficult to rationalize keeping him on your fantasy team.
Should I Cut Mitchell?
Mitchell is currently 46% rostered in Yahoo leagues, and although it is tempting to cut bait on him to pick up a player with a higher upside, I can see why managers are holding on. Lead RBs are getting injured left and right, and if McCaffrey ever went down, managers would run to the waiver wire to bid on Mitchell immediately.
Whether you should drop the back depends greatly on the number of bench spots you have and your need to win now. If you started the season off with two losses, drop Mitchell so you can grab a player that will score you points now. If you are lucky to have a large bench, Mitchell is a fine stash for a just-in-case injury situation.