49ers fantasy football: 4 sleepers you can draft late in 2022
By Fred Smith
49ers fantasy football sleeper No. 2: RB Elijah Mitchell
Currently, the NFL running back hierarchy appears to be star-studded, which means there could be a laundry list of running backs whom fantasy players are already salivating at drafting. Lucky for you, this means you may get the chance to draft second-year running back Elijah Mitchell, who had an impressive rookie season in 2021, finishing eighth in total yards (963) and top-15 in yards per carry (7.2).
Additionally, similar to Robbie Gould, Mitchell will be heavily relied upon throughout the season, which is a natural and expected result of having a young quarterback in the grittiest football organization in the world, the NFL. You can count on Mitchell seeing more carries and touchdowns in his upcoming sophomore season than he had his rookie year, and in turn, fantasy players can capitalize on that.
As mentioned, the NFL running back group is star-studded, so players will first look to draft big-name tailbacks like Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Christian McCaffrey, and especially Jonathan Taylor.
This leaves the door open for sleepers like Mitchell to be unspoken for in the later rounds, waiting for you to select him.
Even if you are lucky enough to snag a superstar running back, bye weeks and injuries do exist, and with the workload Mitchell could have on his plate this season, he could be a healthy and viable option as an RB3 or FLEX option on your roster. Consider game management as an essential skill in fantasy football.
Unless you are a 49ers fan, you may not be familiar with Mitchel, his capabilities, and his potential. Nevertheless, if you are familiar with Mitchell’s game, you’d know what he’d potentially have to offer your fantasy squad entering his opportunistic 2022 sophomore season.
Who knows, drafting Mitchell onto your fantasy squad could be the biggest pleasant surprise of your 2022 season.