From the moment the season began, Christian McCaffrey has continued to prove why he is one of the best players in the NFL. His season has been nothing short of spectacular, scoring in 15 straight games dating back to last season.
The only thing that can stop him is. . . injury. And that’s exactly what happened in Week 6 against the Browns, which saw him go down with an oblique injury clouded with a lot of mystery on its severity. Whether he’s back soon or not so soon, it’s time to invest in a handcuff.
But which 49ers’ backup RB should we roster?
49ERS BACKFIELD
Kyle Shanahan has been known to give touches to a lot of backs. If you’ve kept up with fantasy for the last few years, the names Jeff Wilson, JaMychal Hasty, and Trey Sermon sound all too familiar on the waiver wire.
But, those guys are not around anymore. Ever since McCaffrey came around, the workload has gone from an unpredictable split to a very predictable phrase: “Touchdown, Christian McCaffrey!”
Now, right behind CMC, we have Elijah Mitchell – who has spent the last few years contributing to this RB mix. Mitchell just returned from a knee injury, though, and instead, Jordan Mason got a majority of the touches once CMC went down last week. There’s also Ty Davis-Price, but he has seen little action all season and is unlikely to get more than a few looks.
Fair warning: there’s a very slim chance just one of these backs takes the entire load. Shanahan is more likely to return to his old ways, but you should not bail completely on this backfield. This offense is more than powerful enough to warrant picking up these backups.
Additionally, we do not know how long CMC will be out. On one hand, Coach Shanahan was quoted as saying:
“Hopefully Christian will be good to go this week,” . . . “But if not, we’ve got a group of backs we can rely on.”
I would take this with a grain of salt, though. Firstly, leaving uncertainty to the public also leaves uncertainty about their next opponent’s game plan. But more importantly, McCaffrey is an integral part of this offense, and rushing him back from injury during a potential Super Bowl season would be silly.
Thus, it is more than worth it to pick up one of CMC’s handcuffs and maybe even keep him around.
ELIJAH MITCHELL FANTASY OUTLOOK
Mitchell has been one of San Francisco’s only consistent backs over the last few years. In 2021, he rushed for just under 1,000 yards and added six total TDs. He started well in 2022 but unfortunately sprained his MCL late in the year, taking him out for the rest of the year.
He has been under the radar since McCaffrey arrived, but his time without him was still impressive. Even the end of the last season saw them splitting carries where he saw enough success to be rostered, at least as a handcuff across many leagues — as evidenced by his 28% ownership.
Overall, he is no chump by himself. After all, San Francisco has kept him in the mix for a reason (outside of injury). This is a guy the 49ers have built trust with and are willing to give the ball to until their OPOY candidate returns.
He had a minor injury that left him out for the last two weeks, and returned late in the week while prepping for the Browns. He is now back and ready to go against the Vikings in primetime.
He is listed as the RB2 on the depth chart, and despite getting out-touched by Mason once McCaffrey went down, there is some explaining to do. We can look to Kyle Shanahan once again for some advice. He had this to say when looking at the backfield going forward:
“Elijah came back and practiced last week on Thursday. So he got really one true day of practice in and that’s why JP [Jordan Mason] got the first nod once Christian came out.”
Although Kyle Shanahan is not always the most reliable regarding running back touches, this seems pretty clear. The depth chart has not moved and Elijah’s late return to the team led to the coaching staff being more comfortable inserting Jordan Mason.
JORDAN MASON FANTASY OUTLOOK
The last two weeks have seen Jordan Mason score two of his three career touchdowns. In a blowout against the Cowboys, he managed ten carries, 69 yards, and a TD. He was the first to enter the lineup when CMC went down and was given five carries for 27 yards and, of course, another TD.
As noted, he even got touches over Mitchell last week against the Browns. He is a strong, quick runner who looks more angry with every step he takes. That is the type of running that a coach loves to see.
Mason has averaged 5.6 yards per game in his short stints this year compared to just 2.7 yards per carry for Elijah Mitchell. Granted, the situations have been very different — Mason saw most of his yards against a Cowboys’ defense already down over 30 points.
Mason’s homerun ability is not to be ignored, though. His burst is impressive. It took a great effort for him to make the roster after being undrafted a couple of years ago, and has remained with the team as a star on special teams. His ability to even earn these carries at all deserves praise — the coaching staff must like him.
He also earned the best PFF grade on the team against the Cowboys at 91.0 — he may not have seen a ton of action, but he did the most with it he could. His TD against the Browns also gave them the lead in the 4th quarter.
The 49ers must have faith in him.
SUMMARY: MITCHELL VS MASON
There is no easy way to say this, but both of these guys have a great case to take the reigns in this backfield. This might mean that both of them do. But, even when Shanahan splits carries, he has always favored one of the others.
Outside of McCaffrey, he has preferred Elijah Mitchell. He is experienced, proven, and after all, ranks higher on the depth chart. Personally, with the situation they’re in, I would expect them to go more with Mitchell than Mason.
If you need to stream a RB, Elijah Mitchell is a good option. The Vikings’ defense has actually been solid this year, only allowing 3.7 yards per carry. But this is not an average team. The 49ers are favored to win this game, and if they are, running the ball will be paramount to keeping the lead and bleeding time
With that being said, Jordan Mason is not a lost cause. Mitchell’s injury likely limited his touches last week, so they may keep that going. Also, in deeper leagues, CMC’s injury could keep him out for a few weeks, and Elijah Mitchell is not the most durable. He could very well be worth a roster spot, at least to see how the week goes.
Elijah Mitchell is rostered in 27% of leagues, meaning he may not be an option in every single league to pick up or stream, but it is definitely worth the look. Meanwhile, Jordan Mason is rostered in less than 5% of leagues — take your shot at him and see what he can do.
In the long term, you will have to wait and see. Mitchell has been rotting on many managers’ rosters all season in case this exact situation happened. It’s not a bad idea, but it could change quickly if Mason takes a step. Assuming neither is completely phased out during CMC’s injury, either is worth stashing as a handcuff in deeper leagues.
For what it’s worth, Mason sits at RB39, while Mitchell is RB45 on The Wolf’s Week 7 Rankings while we wait for the McCaffrey diagnosis.
