Elijah Mitchell Injury Update Brightens Week 16 Fantasy Outlook Ahead of Thursday Night Football

The San Francisco 49ers could receive a boost on offense in Week 16 as running back Elijah Mitchell is labeled as a game-time decision for Thursday night. The rookie running back has missed each of the last two games as he continues to work his way back from a concussion and knee injury.

#49ers Elijah Mitchell's knee issue has "taken a positive turn," and he'll be a game-night decision Thursday, GM John Lynch says on KNBR.
Mitchell is out of concussion protocol; knee injury came on same play. in Seattle, Lynch says
— Cam Inman (@CamInman) December 21, 2021

Elijah Mitchell Fantasy Outlook

When healthy this season, Mitchell has acted as the workhorse in head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. The 23-year-old saw 76 carries over his last three games played and turned them into 290 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

It's possible that Mitchell is able to suit up against the Tennessee Titans and fantasy managers should not hesitate to slide him into a starting spot. The Titans rank No. 17 in rush defense DVOA rating and Mitchell is averaging an impressive 4.6 yards per carry behind the 49ers' stellar offensive line.

As a precaution, it'd be smart to pick up backup Jeff Wilson off the waiver wire this week. The fourth-year pro took advantage of his opportunity in Week 15 by racking up 110 rushing yards and 1 touchdown on 21 carries. He would be in line to see 15-plus touches if Mitchell is rule out.

Fantasy managers need to keep an eye on any updates that get released regarding Mitchell's status in the coming days. For now, he checks in at RB18 in The Duel's Week 16 fantasy football rankings. The San Francisco ball-carrier is a rock-solid RB2 assuming he takes back his starting role.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.