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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Needs surgery on hamstring
Elijah Mitchell will have surgery on his hamstring after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.Out for most of the summer with a hamstring injury, Mitchell returned to practice Aug. 21 but then suffered a more serious hamstring injury not long thereafter. He's now out for the season and scheduled for surgery, leaving Jordan Mason as the presumed No. 2 running back ahead of a Week 1 matchup with the Jets. The San Francisco 49ers hope to get Christian McCaffrey (calf) back in practice soon, and their backfield depth suddenly looks shaky with Isaac Guerendo bothered by a groin injury and with Cody Schrader having been claimed off waivers by the division-rival Rams. Mason and Patrick Taylor are the only fully healthy backs on the roster or practice squad.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Going to injured reserve
The San Francisco 49ers placed Elijah Mitchell (undisclosed) on injured reserve Tuesday.Mitchell kicked off August with a strained hamstring that sidelined him for a good portion of training camp and the entire preseason slate, but he returned to practice last Wednesday, signaling he was making progress in his recovery. It's unclear if the aforementioned health concern precipitated this move, but he'll nonetheless miss the entire season. With Mitchell on IR, Jordan Mason, Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor will be the reserve running backs behind Christian McCaffrey (calf) to begin the campaign.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Not suiting up Friday
Elijah Mitchell isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason game in Las Vegas, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.A strained hamstring sidelined Mitchell for the first two exhibitions, and even though he returned to practice Wednesday, the San Francisco 49ers will opt to keep him in street clothes two days later. He'll thus turn his focus to Week 1, when he's expected to serve as the primary backup to All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey (calf). In 27 regular-season games in his three-year career, Mitchell has averaged 4.7 YPC while scoring 10 total touchdowns.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Retakes practice field
Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) resumed practicing Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.Mitchell has been sidelined due to a strained hamstring since Aug. 6, but he's managed to resume practicing ahead of San Francisco's preseason finale against the Raiders on Friday. The San Francisco 49ers could still opt to hold Mitchell out of exhibition action, but he looks like he'll at least be ready to suit up Week 1 versus the Jets. Meanwhile, lead back Christian McCaffrey (calf) continues to work his way back, and depth options Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) and Jordan Mason (hip) both also resumed practicing this week.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Likely not playing Saturday
Elijah Mitchell (hamstring) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.The San Francisco 49ers have a numbered of injured running backs also not playing Saturday, including Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Isaac Guerendo, but it doesn't seem as if backup Jordan Mason will see extensive snaps. As a result, Cody Schrader, Matt Breida and Patrick Taylor could see plenty of opportunities.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Has strained hamstring
Coach Kyle Shanahan relayed Tuesday that Elijah Mitchell is dealing with a strained hamstring, Lindsey Pallares of the San Francisco 49ers' official site reports.Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey has a calf strain that figures to sideline him a couple of weeks and Isaac Guerendo has also been slowed by a hamstring issue. To bolster their backfield depth, the 49ers have added Matt Breida to the mix. Once Mitchell returns to the field, he'll look to cement his standing as McCaffrey 's top backup.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Facing challenge for backup role
Jordan Mason may challenge Elijah Mitchell for the No. 2 RB role, Jordan Elliott of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.Mitchell was still viewed as the clear No. 2 running back as recently as minicamp in June, but Mason's continued development may be complicating things. San Francisco's strong backfield depth behind Christian McCaffrey could even make Mitchell a trade target heading into the final year of his rookie contract, although the San Francisco 49ers would probably feel better about that if fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo was practicing rather than nursing a hamstring injury. Mitchell still makes sense as a late-round pick in fantasy drafts, as it's hard to know if the camp hype surrounding Mason really matters relative to Mitchell's solid track record when tasked with a lead role. There's even potential for Mitchell's value to rise considerably between now and Week 1, either via a trade or a McCaffrey injury.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Still the No. 2 back
Elijah Mitchell remains the clear No. 2 running back for San Francisco, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.Lombardi notes that the Niners have a history of trading backup running backs (Matt Breida, Jeff Wilson) when they're happy with their depth at the position. That could be an option this summer, though it's not necessarily likely, with Mitchell in the final year of his contract and a pair of rookies (fourth-round pick Isaac Guerendo, UDFA Cody Schrader) getting work at minicamp. The San Francisco 49ers also have returning veteran Jordan Mason, but he's mostly played special teams and has never managed to move above Mitchell on the depth chart when Mitchell's been healthy. The long-term plan probably entails Guerendo taking over as the No. 2 RB behind Christian McCaffrey, but Mitchell looks on track to handle the role again this season.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Cashes in short touchdown
Elijah Mitchell had four carries for seven yards and a touchdown Sunday in the San Francisco 49ers' 34-31 win over the Lions in the NFC Championship Game.Mitchell punched in a three-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, making the most of his minor role on the day. The 25-year-old finished with just six snaps on offense, with most of his reps coming late in the game when starting running back Christian McCaffrey exited in the fourth quarter after coming just a few yards short of his third rushing touchdown of the contest. McCaffrey's departure appeared to the result of him landing hard on his head, but with the 49ers offering no indication that the 27-year-old has entered concussion protocol, he should shoulder a heavy workload out of the backfield against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11. As such, Mitchell should be viewed as little more than a low-end DFS option, despite provided a touchdown run in the NFC Championship Game.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
49ers' Elijah Mitchell: Starts in place of CMC
Elijah Mitchell rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts while catching both of his targets for 15 yards in Sunday's 21-20 loss to the Rams.The NFC's No. 1 seed opted to sit multiple stars in Week 18 with nothing to play for. Mitchell took full advantage of Christian McCaffrey's absence by leading the team in all rushing categories and scoring his second touchdown in as many weeks. The oft-injured Mitchell was dealing with an illness during the practice week but seemed 100 percent Sunday, and with an extra week of rest in store for all San Francisco players due to a first-round playoff bye, he should be available to back up CMC when the team resumes play in the divisional round.