It’s a new season for the San Francisco 49ers but the same questions that have dogged Kyle Shanahan since he took over as head coach persist — will the same running back ever lead the team in rushing 2 years in a row on his watch? Running back Elijah Mitchell is hoping to be the player who breaks the streak. Five different running backs have led the team in rushing in Shanahan’s 5 years at the helm, which has some wondering if any running back will ever be the consistent featured back.
Below, we look at Elijah Mitchell‘s 2022 fantasy football average draft position (ADP) and where you should draft him.
When the 2021 season began, Mitchell wasn’t expected to be the primary back. He was a 6th-round draft pick with no guarantee of even making the final roster. He instead became the workhorse back and compiled 963 rushing yards on 207 carries and catching 19 of the 20 passes thrown his way in just 11 games.
Mitchell is positioned to be the primary back again entering 2022, but we’ve heard this song before only to have a different ending every time.
Elijah Mitchell’s ADP: 61.73
(ADP data courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com; last updated at time of this publishing – ADPs continually change as more drafts occur)
It would appear the 49ers’ history of revolving running backs has hurt Mitchell’s draft stock. He is at the front end of a running backs run in the 7th round of 10-player league drafts. He finds himself behind J.K. Dobbins (Baltimore Ravens) with an ADP at 57.93 and ahead of A.J. Dillon (Green Bay Packers) at 67.40, Antonio Gibson (Washington Commanders) at 69.43 and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Kansas City Chiefs) at 67.15.
All of those running backs have some question marks associated and many fantasy owners will view them as being interchangeable.
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Elijah Mitchell’s 2021 stats
Games: 11
Carries | rushing yards: 207 | 963
Rushing touchdowns: 5
Receptions | receiving yards: 19 | 137
Receiving touchdowns: 1
Where should you draft Mitchell?
I think this is the year that the streak of different leading rushers finally ends in San Francisco. The organization has systematically weeded out the players that stood in front of Mitchell and is giving him the opportunity to be the main man.
Keep in mind that Mitchell averaged 19 carries a game in the 11 games he played — a big number, but representative of the type of offense the 49ers like to run. Ideally, if the team runs 60 offensive plays it wants to have 30 runs and 30 passes. That ratio is likely going to stay as the team moves on to young quarterback Trey Lance.
There may be some concerns that WR Deebo Samuel will cut into his time (Samuel scored 8 rushing touchdowns in the 2nd half of 2021), but when you’re looking for an RB3 — Mitchell is the 23rd ranked running back by ADP — to land a player who can run 20 or more times a game consistently is a rare gift that makes Mitchell a solid sleeper.
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