The 49ers have surprisingly placed RB Elijah Mitchell on IR with no designation to return. That means he'll miss the season. It's surprising because his injury had merely been reported as a hamstring strain. We'll watch for more details on his situation.
Mitchell barely hit the field since the start of training camp because of the hamstring trouble. That gave Jordan Mason lots of time to work into the No. 2 role and should mean he opens the season that way.
Christian McCaffrey, of course, has dealt with a calf issue. Although he and the team have downplayed that injury, it adds at least a little upside to San Francisco's backup spot.
Mason tallied just 83 carries and 3 receptions over the past two seasons by averaged 5.6 yards per rush. Any RB that takes the field for the 49ers carries fantasy upside.
Mitchell is obviously worth dumping if you drafted him in handcuff range. There remains the possibility, though, of an injury settlement that would make him a free agent -- if the injury proves less serious than this IR designation suggests.
It's probably safe to quit on Mitchell in dynasty if you haven't done so already.
Mason, meanwhile, carries some sell-high potential -- either to the McCaffrey manager in your league right now or to anyone if Mason actually gets a starting shot at some point.
He's a 25-year-old former undrafted free agent who garnered just 97 total touches in his final college season (out of four).
Rookie Isaac Guerendo and Patrick Taylor are the other two RBs on the current roster. We'll see whether that's how San Francisco enters the season.
The Niners waived undrafted rookie RB Cody Schrader, who might be a practice-squad candidate.
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