Elijah Mitchell viewed as 49ers' top back
San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is viewed as the team's top rusher, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.
Mitchell was barely on the fantasy radar as a sixth-round pick in a crowded backfield at the beginning of last season, but he wound up leading the backfield with 226 touches and 1,100 yards from scrimmage in 11 games. Despite viewing Mitchell as the team's top back, Wagoner adds that the 49ers believe third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price could emerge as a "bigger, more powerful complement" to the second-year back. That creates some concern for Mitchell's fantasy outlook due to possibly losing out on scoring opportunities close to the goal line. Mitchell led the 49ers' running backs with four carries inside the five-yard live last season.
Among the 77 running backs with at least 50 carries last season, Mitchell ranked 46th in Rushing Net Expected Points per carry (negative-0.01). He averaged 14.1 FanDuel points in 11 games last season, which ranked 12th among qualified NFL backs.
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