Elijah Mitchell
#2 RB,
49ers
ACTUAL 2022
44 FPTS
RANK: 80
2023 SEASON
143 FPTS
RANK: 40
AGE
25 yrs
HEIGHT/WEIGHT
5'10'' / 200 lbs
COLLEGE
Louisiana
| SEASON | GP | FPTS | RANK | RUATT | RUYD | RUTD | RUAVE | RECPT | REYD | RETD |
| 2023 | 14 | 143 | 40th | 176 | 822 | 6 | 4.7 | 14 | 102 | undefined |
| 2022 | 5 | 44 | 80th | 45 | 279 | 2 | 6.2 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| 3yr Ave | 11 | 165 | 24th | 207 | 963 | 5 | 4.65 | 19 | 137 | 1 |
Needs surgery on hamstring
Published: 2024-08-28
Mitchell will have surgery on his hamstring after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner 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 49ers hope to get Christian McCaffrey (calf) back in practice soon, and they're backfield depth suddenly looks shaky with Isaac Guerendo bothered by a groin injury and Cody Schrader claimed off waivers by the division-rival Rams. Mason and Patrick Taylor are the only fully healthy RBs on the roster or practice squad.
Weekly Stats 2022
Stats not availablePerformance Splits: 2020 to 2022
| Fantasy Points | Rushing Averages | Receiving Averages | ||||||||||||||||
| LOCATION | STADIUM | GP | GS | GM | TOUCH | RANK | YD | TD | AVE | YAC% | 10+ | 20+ | 50+ | REC | YD | TD | ||
| Home | Outdoor | 8 | 5 | 15.1 | 0.83 | 12th | 83 | 0.5 | 5.1 | 48% | 2.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 1.9 | 12 | 0.1 | ||
| Away | Outdoor | 6 | 5 | 10.5 | 0.64 | 38th | 72 | 0.3 | 4.6 | 54% | 1.8 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.8 | 5 | 0.0 | ||
| Away | Dome | 1 | 0 | 16.4 | 0.86 | 18th | 104 | 1.0 | 5.5 | 38% | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0.0 | ||
| Away | Retractable Dome | 1 | 1 | 8.2 | 0.75 | 59th | 43 | 0.0 | 4.8 | 79% | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 19 | 0.0 | ||
Career Stats by Season: 2021 to 2022
| Fantasy Points | Rushing Stats | Receiving Stats | ||||||||||||||||||
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | GP | GS | TOTAL | RANK | ATT | YD | TD | AVE | YAC% | 10+ | 20+ | 50+ | SHARE | REC | YD | TD | ||
| 2021 | 23 | SF | 11 | 10 | 165 | 26th | 207 | 963 | 5 | 4.7 | 54% | 29 | 6 | 0 | 42% | 19 | 137 | 1 | ||
| 2022 | 24 | SF | 5 | 1 | 44 | 80th | 45 | 279 | 2 | 6.2 | 39% | 8 | 1 | 0 | 9% | 3 | 7 | 0 | ||
Going to injured reserve
Published: 2024-08-27
The 49ers placed 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.
Not suiting up Friday
Published: 2024-08-23
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 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.
Retakes practice field
Published: 2024-08-21
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 49ers could still opt to hold Mitchell out of exhibition action, but he looks ready to suit up Week 1 versus the Jets. Meanwhile, while Christian McCaffrey (calf) continues to work his way back, Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) and Jordan Mason (hip) both also resumed practicing this week.
Likely not playing Saturday
Published: 2024-08-10
Mitchell (hamstring) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason opener, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Areareports.
The 49ers have a numbered of injured running backs including Christian McCaffrey (calf) and Isaac Guerendo (hamstring) also not playing Saturday, but it doesn't seem as if possible backup Jordan Mason will play extensive minutes either. As a result, Cody Schrader, Matt Breida and Patrick Taylor could see extensive playing time.
Has strained hamstring
Published: 2024-08-06
Coach Kyle Shanahan relayed Tuesday that Mitchell is dealing with a strained hamstring, Lindsey Pallares of the 49ers' official site reports.
Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey has a calf strain that figures to sideline him a couple of weeks and Isaac Guerendo has been slowed by a hamstring issue. To bolster their backfield depth amidst the injuries, 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.
Facing challenge for backup role?
Published: 2024-07-30
Jordan Mason may challenge Mitchell for the No. 2 RB role, Jordan Elliott of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.
A report from the offseason program suggested Mitchell was still the "clear No. 2" running back, but Mason's continued development has potential to complicate things, or at least lead to a committee situation in the event Christian McCaffrey is injured. San Francisco's strong backfield depth could even make Mitchell a trade target heading into the final year of his rookie contract, although the 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.
Still the No. 2 back
Published: 2024-06-07
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 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.
Cashes in short TD
Published: 2024-01-31
Mitchell had four carries for seven yards and a touchdown in the NFC Conference Championship win over the Lions.
Mitchell was able to unearth a short rushing touchdown despite seeing just six snaps on offense (nine percent). The 25-year-old spelled starter Christian McCaffrey (20-90-2) in the fourth quarter after the latter came just a few yards short of his third rushing touchdown of the game. Sunday's workload against Detroit marked an increase over the zero touches Mitchell received in the divisional round win over the Packers. Barring injury, CMC figures to handle as many touches as the superstar tailback can handle against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, leaving Mitchell as a low-end DFS option despite him vulturing a touchdown this week.