How to handle Elijah Mitchell injury in the 2023 NFC Championship Game

Update — In a bit of a surprise move, Mitchell is inactive for the NFC Championship vs. the Eagles.

Update — There are some conflicting reports on Mitchell’s status for Sunday’s game. While he may be listed as active for the contest, there’s a chance he doesn’t actually see many snaps. If you’re looking to back Mitchell in DFS formats, know there’s some risk in rostering him. In terms of player props, the under might be the play even if he is listed as active.

Update — Mitchell (groin) is expected to play in the NFC Championship game vs. the Eagles.

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is officially listed as questionable for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mitchell’s situation is a little concerning because he did not participate in practice this week, which is usually not a great sign for a player’s availability.

However, this is the NFC Championship Game, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan left open the possibility of Mitchell playing in comments he made earlier in the week leading up to the game.

This is one of the injury situations that you’ll have to keep a close eye on. The 49ers and Eagles kickoff at 3 p.m. ET, the first game of the day on Sunday.

Fantasy impact: Elijah Mitchell (groin)

Though Mitchell has taken a backseat to Christian McCaffrey in the 49ers’ backfield, he’s still been a regular part of their offense. Last week, in a Divisional round win over the Dallas Cowboys, he carried the ball 14 times for 51 yards. The week before that, he had a receiving touchdown against the Seahawks in the Wild Card round.

If Mitchell can’t play this weekend, it could translate to some work for rookie running back Tyrion Davis-Price, who was among the game-day inactives last week. He’d still be a risky option in DFS games for this week.