Elijah Mitchell

Elijah Mitchell

26-Year-Old Running BackRB
San Francisco 49ers
IR
Injury Hamstring
Est. Return 2/10/2025
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Mitchell showed as a rookie that he has the talent to be a good starting running back in the NFL, but he's struggled to stay healthy even when occupying a backup role. He spent the past year and a half behind the league's pre-eminent workhorse, Christian McCaffrey, who might not have been acquired in the first place if Mitchell had been healthier his first two seasons. In any case, he's missed 24 of a possible 51 regular-season games, and San Francisco couldn't resist the temptation of drafting Louisville burner Isaac Guerendo in the fourth round this spring. Mitchell then struggled with injuries throughout the summer, ultimately landing on IR before the start of the season and leaving Guerendo and Jordan Mason to handle backup roles behind McCaffrey. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
$Signed a four-year, $3.66 million contract with the 49ers in May of 2021.
Needs surgery on hamstring
RBSan Francisco 49ers
Undisclosed
August 28, 2024
Mitchell will have surgery on his hamstring after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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 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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NFL Stats
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
2024 NFL Game Log
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
San Francisco 49ers49ers 2024 RB Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
#% of Team Snaps

32163%
7541%
9018%
6335%
184%
1810%
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
See where Elijah Mitchell lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.
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This Week's Opposing Pass Defense
How does the Buccaneers pass defense compare to other NFL teams this season?
The bars represents the team's percentile rank (based on QB Rating Against). The longer the bar, the better their pass defense is. The team and position group ratings only include players that are currently on the roster and not on injured reserve. The list of players in the table only includes defenders with at least 3 attempts against them.
TB
@ Buccaneers
Sunday, Nov 10th at 1:00PM
Overall QB Rating Against
88.7
 
Cornerbacks
97.4
 
Safeties
75.2
 
Linebackers
90.6
 
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2024 Elijah Mitchell Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Elijah Mitchell's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* All metrics are from his Pro Day (not the combine).
Height
5' 10"
 
Weight
200 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
4.33 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.20 sec
 
Cone Drill
6.94 sec
 
Vertical Jump
37.5 in
 
Broad Jump
128 in
 
Bench Press
17 reps
 
Hand Length
9.50 in
 
Arm Length
31.00 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Elijah Mitchell See More
NFL Game Previews: Jets-49ers Monday Night Matchup
61 days ago
Erik Siegrist previews the Monday night matchup as Aaron Rodgers returns to the field for the Jets.
NFL Injury Analysis: A Primer on How to Use This Column
63 days ago
Jeff Stotts explains how to supplement his analysis with league injury and practice reports to best manage injuries on your fantasy team.
NFL Waiver Wire: Week 1 Pickups
63 days ago
Kevin Payne analyzes the top waiver-wire options heading into Week 1, including Jordan Mason, who is a good stash candidate as the 49ers' new backup RB.
Weekly Rankings: Week 1 Value Meter
63 days ago
Tyreek Hill sits atop the wide receiver rankings for Week 1.
Draft Strategy: 5 Final-Round Targets
65 days ago
Isaac Guerendo missed almost all of training camp due to injuries, but his 4.33 speed will play well in the 49ers offense if he can get healthy.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
Mitchell is a starter-level running back when healthy, so it's a shame the majority of his 2022 was wiped out by knee troubles. First, Mitchell sprained his right MCL on a slippery Soldier Field in Week 1, then three games into his return he sprained the left MCL in Week 12. Although he entered the season as San Francisco's clear RB1, Mitchell's fantasy value took a blow greater than either knee injury when the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey in October. Good as Mitchell is, he'll never imitate McCaffrey, especially as a pass catcher. Still, Mitchell's sub-4.4 speed plays well off the bench, and the 49ers run often enough at fast enough tempo that there should be a handful of 10-carry weeks for Mitchell even if McCaffrey is at full strength. If McCaffrey misses time, Mitchell would likely have no trouble holding off the likes of Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price for the starting job -- a role he handled more than capably in the past, apart from repeatedly being forced out with injuries.
The 49ers backfield rarely shakes out the way anyone expects it to, and 2021 was no exception. The fragile Raheem Mostert started off atop the depth chart, with third-round pick Trey Sermon expected to push for touches. Mostert did indeed get hurt just four snaps into Week 1 and missed the rest of the season, but it was sixth-round selection Mitchell who got first crack at filling in. The rookie made it his own, rushing for more than 100 yards and a TD in three of his first five games. The Louisiana-Lafayette product also missed two games during that stretch with a shoulder stinger, setting the tone for the rest of the season as he wound up missing six games in all due to three separate injuries. Mitchell was effective when he played, ranking 12th in YPC (4.7) and fifth in rushing yards per game (87.5) and yards after contact per carry (2.5). While not the most elusive back, Mitchell is both fast (4.39 40 at his pro day) and surprisingly powerful for a 200-pounder (12th in the NFL with 16 broken tackles on run plays). His rookie- year performance was enough to solidify him as the leader of San Francisco's backfield heading into the summer, albeit with durability concerns and the possibility of losing some work — especially on passing downs — to Sermon, Jeff Wilson, JaMycal Hasty or third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price. Maybe this is the year coach Kyle Shanahan does the completely unexpected thing and sticks with his initial depth chart.
The 49ers selected Mitchell in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but the late pick doesn't mean he can't have an immediate impact in the league. With a 5-10, 200-pound frame and 4.33 speed out of the backfield, the Louisiana product could carve out a specialty role for the 49ers (or another team if he doesn't make the cut).
More Fantasy News
Going to injured reserve
RBSan Francisco 49ers
Undisclosed
August 27, 2024
The 49ers placed Mitchell (undisclosed) on injured reserve Tuesday.
ANALYSIS
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Not suiting up Friday
RBSan Francisco 49ers
August 23, 2024
Mitchell isn't in line to play in Friday's preseason game in Las Vegas, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
ANALYSIS
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Retakes practice field
RBSan Francisco 49ers
August 21, 2024
Mitchell (hamstring) resumed practicing Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Likely not playing Saturday
RBSan Francisco 49ers
Hamstring
August 10, 2024
Mitchell (hamstring) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
ANALYSIS
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Has strained hamstring
RBSan Francisco 49ers
Hamstring
August 6, 2024
Coach Kyle Shanahan relayed Tuesday that Mitchell is dealing with a strained hamstring, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could be traded before season
RBSan Francisco 49ers
August 25, 2024
Mitchell's a candidate to be traded before the start of the 2024 regular season, according to Matt Barrows and David Lombardi of The Athletic.
ANALYSIS
The 49ers have traded running backs Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson for fifth-round picks during the Kyle Shanahan era, and Mitchell could be on the move as well if another team is willing to give up a fifth-round pick for him. Mitchell has recovered from the hamstring injury that bothered him during training camp, but the 49ers also have Jordan Mason and rookie fourth-round draft pick Isaac Guerendo to fill depth roles behind workhorse starter Christian McCaffrey, who is recovering from a calf injury. Breida, Patrick Taylor, Cody Schrader and Ke'Shawn Vaughn are also vying for roster spots, and trading Mitchell would clear the space for San Francisco to keep one of those four on the 53-man roster.
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