Elijah Mitchell start or sit: Week 10 fantasy football advice

The 49ers face the Chargers on Sunday Night Football in Week 10 and will welcome back running back Elijah Mitchell from injured reserve. The team placed him on IR after a Week 1 knee injury and activated him ahead of Sunday’s game.

Mitchell will be counted on as a contributor against the Chargers, but his role has changed drastically in the nine weeks since he got hurt. Unfortunately for those who invested a high pick in him, his fantasy relevance has taken a big hit.

Fantasy Football analysis: 49ers RB Elijah Mitchell

Mitchell entered Week 1 as the team’s starting running back, with Jeff Wilson serving as the complementary option. Mitchell sprained his MCL against the Bears in the opener and was placed on IR following the injury. Wilson took over as starting running back until the team traded for Christian McCaffrey ahead of Week 7. The 49ers then traded Wilson ahead of the November 1 trade deadline and are now welcoming back Mitchell.

Mitchell rushed six times for 41 yards before injuring his knee. He’ll undoubtedly get some work this week against the Chargers, but it won’t be enough to justify starting him in any format. Maybe he ends up getting a fair amount of work week in and week out, but with McCaffrey in the lineup and having Deebo Samuel as a weapon in the ground game as well, there’s just not enough work to go around for Mitchell to be a relevant fantasy option moving forward this season.

Start or sit in Week 10?

Sit him in all formats. It’s worth stashing him on your bench for now, but don’t expect to start him unless there’s a notable injury.