Injuries continue to pile up at the running back position in the NFL, and the San Francisco 49ers are not safe for NFL Week 11. The recent Elijah Mitchell injury update suggests he will miss this week’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, this does mean the Jeff Wilson fantasy value is on the rise.
Elijah Mitchell Injury Update
Elijah Mitchell has been dealing with a couple of different injuries. However, the concerning one this week is a broken finger, which he suffered during last week’s Monday Night Football game. Despite working off to the side in practice with a non-contact jersey, head coach Kyle Shanahan offered optimism Mitchell would be ready to play this week.
However, general manager John Lynch suggested something different on Friday, saying the Elijah Mitchell injury was “a little different than what we anticipated.” Shanahan would later call Mitchell doubtful to play against the Jaguars in Week 11.
Jeff Wilson Fantasy Football Outlook
Following this Elijah Mitchell injury update, Jeff Wilson Jr. looks in line to start his first game since last season, making him an interesting start in fantasy football or a value play for those playing daily fantasy.
Wilson saw his first game action last week. He carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards, playing 32% of the offensive snaps. He and Mitchell were the only two running backs to carry the ball. However, Deebo Samuel did total five carries. This was mostly due to the fact that handing the ball to Samuel is easier than passing around Jalen Ramsey, and they needed to get their best player the ball.
The 49ers have deep corps of mediocre running backs, with Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon also available. However, Cannon shouldn’t be anything more than a possible change of pace, while Sermon does not look qualified to be on this offense. Kyle Juszczyk is also there, but he is more of a receiving threat than someone to carry the ball.
This backfield has always operated as the player(s) who Shanahan trusts and likes will get the ball. Wilson has Shanahan’s full trust, and we can expect him to start and handle the majority of the work. While he is more of a Flex than an RB2 since we could see some “Shanahanigans,” you could do worse than Wilson as your second running back.
