Elijah Mitchell was not expected to be a factor in a crowded 49ers' backfield last season that had Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and Trey Sermon. However, the late-round rookie emerged from that pack as San Francisco's feature back and became one of the biggest sleepers in fantasy football. The young running back had 903 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 11 games. Mitchell would've produced more if not for multiple injuries (shoulder, knee, finger, and concussion) that caused him to miss six games, but his 2022 fantasy outlook is a bit murky thanks to a preseason hamstring injury.
As a result, fantasy owners might be hesitant to draft Mitchell in the early rounds. Below, we'll take a look at Mitchell's fantasy outlook and where he stands in ADP.
DOMINATE YOUR DRAFT: Ultimate 2022 fantasy cheat sheet
Elijah Mitchell Injury Update: How long will 49ers RB be out?
UPDATE: Mitchell returned to 49ers practice on Aug. 28 and should be good to go for Week 1.
Last week, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Mitchell is nursing a hamstring injury that will prevent him from playing in the preseason. However, Schefter added that Mitchell is expected to be ready for the start of the regular season. The former Ragin' Cajun standout also underwent a clean-up procedure on his knee earlier in the offseason.
If Mitchell is ready to go to start the regular season, you can confidently slot him in as your RB2. However, it would not be a bad idea to keep an eye on the other RBs for the 49ers (Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson, and Tyrion Davis-Price), who could take some snaps from Mitchell as Kyle Shanahan likes to employ a running-back-by-committee system.
UPDATE (8/26): Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday that the second-year running back is on schedule to play in Week 1, according to beat writer Matt Maiocco.
2022 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
Elijah Mitchell fantasy ranking and ADP
Heading into the 2022 season, SN Fantasy has Mitchell ranked 18th in standard formats and 23rd in PPR formats. The young running back showed last season when healthy that he can take on 18-plus carries a game. Mitchell had five games with 20 or more carries. In two of those games, Mitchell recorded 133 and 109 yards, respectively, on the ground.
Overall, he had five games with 100 rushing yards or more and averaged 4.7 yards per carry as a rookie, which put him up there with Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, James Robinson, and Damien Harris. FantasyPros has Mitchell's ADP at No. 50 overall and RB23. Mitchell's injury history plays a part with him being ranked low in FantasyPros' rankings and also not being a factor in the passing game. However, if he can stay healthy, Mitchell will move up the rankings during the season.
2022 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers | Top 200 | Superflex
Elijah Mitchell's fantasy outlook 2022
If Mitchell did not miss six games due to injury, he was on the road to having a 1,000-yard rushing season, which is nothing to sneeze at for a rookie in the 49ers' offense. The 49ers haven't had a 1,000-yard rusher during the Shanahan era.
Last season, we saw star wide receiver Deebo Samuel get some touches in the running game, which took away from Mitchell and the other RBs. However, after Samuel signed a lucrative multi-year contract extension, he might be running less despite some incentives based on his rushing numbers. Mitchell had six games with 14 or more fantasy points last season, which could be a sign of things to come this season if he's healthy.
2022 FANTASY SLEEPERS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | One from each team
Mitchell might've scored more fantasy points last season if he was utilized more inside the 20-yard line. Four of Mitchell's eight touchdowns came inside the 20, which is low compared to James Conner, Damien Harris, etc. The 21-year-old running back also took 35.6 percent of San Francisco's red-zone rushing attempts, which was good for 27th in the NFL. That number may decrease this season as San Francisco will have dual-threat quarterback Trey Lance under center, who will play a significant factor in the 49ers' running game.
2022 RANKINGS TIERS & DRAFT STRATEGY:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs
Nevertheless, if Mitchell is 100 percent healthy when the regular season starts, he should be in line for 1,000 rushing yards and a good amount of TDs. If he can accomplish this feat, Mitchell will live up to his ADP -- at least in standard leagues -- and be someone we talk about next season as a top-15 running back in fantasy football. However, we should also temper our expectations for Mitchell because he's in an interesting handcuff situation with Wilson and Davis-Price. If Mitchell is available in Round 5 or later, he's worth drafting because he'll get carries and produce in an elite rushing offense. Obviously there are risks, though, so make sure to get a good RB3 if you're counting on Mitchell as your RB2.
