Will the San Francisco 49ers have starting running back Elijah Mitchell for Week 1 of the regular season against the Chicago Bears?
The Niners have been holding Mitchell out of the preseason due to hamstring injury. But on Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan provided a positive update on his running back.
According to Shanahan, the 49ers should have Elijah Mitchell available for Week 1 of the regular season.
With the news that Mitchell’s injury is nothing serious, fantasy football players are obviously wondering where the versatile back should be taken in upcoming drafts.
Elijah Mitchell Fantasy Football Ranking
Per our Stokastic cheat sheet, Mitchell is currently the 25th-ranked running back in a regular PPR league. Last season, Mitchell rushed for 963 yards and five touchdowns in just 11 games before his season was cut short due to injury.
When healthy, Mitchell has proved that he’s far-and-away the best option in the Niners’ backfield, which should prove to be valuable in fantasy football given Shanahan’s run-first approach to his offense. The next step for the Niners is making sure the young back can stay on the field for a full season.
In the offseason, Shanahan admitted that Mitchell needed time to “get right” following a series of injuries suffered in his first NFL season, but when practicing during OTAs, the head coach was happy to see his running back able to get back on the field.
“He has looked good,” Shanahan said via NBC Sports. “He had a tough offseason just going back from injuries. He didn’t get to do much in OTAs. It was great to get him out there these first three days. He is easing his way back into it. Just glad he’s getting back to health.”
Mitchell is expected to lead a packed 49ers running back room consisting of Ty Davis-Price, Jeff Wilson Jr., Trey Sermon, and JaMycal Hasty.
For a full breakdown of the Stokastic fantasy football rankings, click here.
