49ers RB Elijah Mitchell Placed on Season-Ending Injured Reserve

The San Francisco 49ers made a slew of moves on Tuesday to get their roster down to 53 players ahead of the deadline.

Of the many moves, the 49ers placed backup running back Elijah Mitchell on injured reserve without a designation to return.

Mitchell will now be out for the season unless the 49ers reach an injury settlement with him and waive him off IR.

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Mitchell was slated to be the backup to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Christian McCaffrey this season. However, Mitchell has dealt with a hamstring injury this offseason, and wasn’t able to get healthy enough to make the 53-man roster.

Mitchell was drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the 49ers. The 26-year-old has appeared in 27 games over the last three seasons, but has dealt with numerous injuries.

After breaking out in his rookie season for 963 rushing yards and six total touchdowns, he’s struggled to stay on the field. He has a total of 560 rushing yards and four touchdowns over the last two seasons.

With Mitchell out, Jordan Mason becomes the backup running back to McCaffrey.

Mason, 25, went undrafted in 2022 and joined the 49ers. He’s appeared in 33 games over the last two seasons, mainly on special teams. On offense, he has 83 total rushes for 464 yards and four touchdowns.

Fantasy Football Impact of Elijah Mitchell Injury

The Mitchell injury obviously doesn’t affect the 49ers backfield in fantasy football, as McCaffrey was expected to get a majority of the work every game. However, Mason now becomes a valuable handcuff to have, as McCaffrey is currently dealing with a calf strain and has had numerous injury issues throughout his career.

Last week, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he wasn’t worried about McCaffrey not being ready come Week 1.

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However, if there is any sort of injury or setback to McCaffrey, Mason would instantly become a top fantasy football option due to the value the running back has in a Shanahan-led offense.

The other running backs on the 49ers roster are Patrick Taylor Jr. and Isaac Guerendo, while Kyle Juszczyk is the starting fullback.

Taylor has spent the last three seasons with the Green Bay Packers while Guerendo was a fourth-round pick this year.

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