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Game-day update: Mitchell is active. He’s risky for fantasy, but his upside is great, even on limited touches.
It’d be a shame if this week’s hottest waiver wire pickup, Keaton Mitchell, couldn’t play. Fortunately, that does not look to be the case, despite the Baltimore Ravens rookie sensation turning up mid-week on the injury report. The first-year running back was listed as a limited participant in practice on Thursday with a hamstring issue, news that surprised a lot of people. But he was back at practice in full to finish off the week.
Mitchell is officially questionable for Sunday’s home game against the Cleveland Browns. Kickoff for that one is at 1 p.m. ET. Thought reports are saying Mitchell should play:
#Ravens rookie running back Keaton Mitchell (questionable, hamstring) — who exploded for 138 rushing yards and a touchdown in his first game action last week — is expected to play Sunday vs. #Browns, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 11, 2023
Betting and DFS implications for Week 10
The Ravens are favored by 6.5 points in this game, but this is a difficult Cleveland defense to work against. As impressive as Mitchell was in his breakout game last week, I don’t know that he’ll make much of a difference when it comes to the game line here.
The Browns are a top-5 defense against opposing running backs. They’ve given up just two rushing touchdowns all season to the position and one receiving score. And as far as fantasy football goes, trying to figure out the Ravens’ backfield is never very easy; Mitchell’s emergence only makes it more complicated.
RB Gus Edwards still has the top spot on the backfield depth chart. I’d look for Mitchell to get sprinkled for a change of pace to keep the defense honest. That makes the rookie a risky fantasy play, but one with potential for big upside this week.