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Should I draft Elijah Mitchell or Jordan Mason for fantasy football drafts? Who will be the RB2 for the 49ers in 2024? Jake tells you which running back to draft.
The San Francisco 49ers have a very talented backfield heading into the 2024 NFL season. Led by superstar Christain McCaffrey, the Niners have two other talented backs, Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason, behind him.
It is no secret that McCaffrey is expected to see a huge chunk of the team’s snaps in the backfield, however, Mitchell and Mason have also had their moments over the past few seasons.
Of the two running backs besides CMC, which one will see more carries in 2024? Which one will have a more productive fantasy season? Let's find out!
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Who is the San Fransisco 49ers' RB2?
Both of these running backs are talented and have had success in the 49ers’ offensive system. Mitchell, however, has a slightly better track record than Mason and is listed as the team’s RB2 on unofficial depth charts.
It is worth noting that, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan, Mason has had a solid training camp while Mitchell has been recovering from a hamstring injury. This means that Mason could see plenty of snaps in 2024 and may even be able to overtake Mitchell if he plays poorly or gets hurt again (as Mitchell also has an injury history)
Last season, although Mason appeared in more games than Mitchell (17 compared to 11), Mitchell had almost double the amount of touches as Mason (75 compared to 40). Mitchell had an exceptional season with the 49ers back in 2021, where in 11 games, he rushed for 963 yards (87.5 YPG) and scored five touchdowns.
There is a 20 game sample over the last 2 seasons of both Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason being active
Shanahan preferred Mitchell as the RB2 ~90% of the time
I still lean that Mitchell is the best contingent bet in SF, but it's certainly close given his nagging injuries https://t.co/6CnKZkPFgo pic.twitter.com/ifJZvMeKZE
— Sam Sherman (@Sherman_FFB) August 21, 2024
Who Should I Draft in Fantasy Football?
Neither back is expected to have an extraordinarily impactful fantasy season as the 49ers’ RB2 behind CMC. However, if you were to pick one of the two players to fill out one of your last bench spots, I would go with Mitchell.
Elijah Mitchell gets in on the end zone party
Mitchell anytime TD (+190) pic.twitter.com/y9rGlcLaqe
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) January 14, 2023
If CMC were to get hurt, Mitchell has shown he can be a productive starter, as he finished with 165 fantasy points and as the RB26 (PPR scoring) in 2021. Selecting Mitchell around his ADP of 168 seems like a good play however, I would also keep my eye on Jordan Mason in the free agent pool.
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