Elijah Mitchell start or sit: Week 7 fantasy football advice

The San Francisco 49ers are starting to get healthy at running back. The team welcomed back Elijah Mitchell in Week 5 before their bye and JaMycal Hasty is expected back this weekend against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football. That’s bad news for fantasy football managers.

Mitchell appears to have secured the starting role ahead of Sermon and Hasty, but given how Kyle Shanahan and Bobby Turner can rotte running backs, nothing is a sure thing. Mitchell took over the lead role after Raheem Mostert got hurt and was the clear leader in Weeks 1 and 2. He returned from injury in Week 5 and was the starter, but quarterback Trey Lance led the team in rushing.

Fantasy Football analysis: 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell

Jimmy Garoppolo is back in the starting lineup for Week 7, which could bode well for Mitchell. Garoppolo will scramble for some yards here and there, but he won’t use his legs like Lance. Sunday Night Football could get messy with rain, and while the 49ers will be without George Kittle and probably Trent Williams to provide blocking, we will likely still see some leaning on the ground game.

That being said, it’s not a great matchup. The Colts rank No. 1 in rush defense efficiency and give up the fourth fewest fantasy points to running backs. There’s a lot of byes this week, so Mitchell is worth starting if you’re shorthanded. But if the six-team bye weekend does not decimate your depth, you can probably do better than Mitchell for just this weekend.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Sit him unless you are shorthanded due to byes.