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The San Francisco 49ers offense has been a hotbed for fantasy production during head coach Kyle Shanahan's tenure, so even backups are on the fantasy radar every season. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has remained healthy during his 49ers career to this point, but he played in just 10 games in his final two full seasons with the Carolina Panthers, and he'll turn 28 years old before the 2024 season begins.
Needless to say, the RB2 in San Francisco will be worth stashing as one of the top handcuff running backs. If CMC misses time, whoever steps into the temporary starting role will have at least low-end RB1 upside. Additionally, Shanahan might opt to lessen McCaffrey's load as he ages, setting up more opportunities for his breather back.
Is Elijah Mitchell or Isaac Guerendo the primary backup RB for San Francisco in 2024? Let's dive in.
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Elijah Mitchell Fantasy Football Outlook
Mitchell, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, hit the fantasy football scene by storm right away. After Raheem Mostert suffered a major knee injury in Week 1 of the 2021 campaign, Mitchell rushed 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. He'd finish the season with 207 carries for 963 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games on his way to an RB25 finish in half-PPR leagues.
Elijah Mitchell // 6th round gem 💎
Solid debut for the rookie: 19 carries, 104 yards, 1 TD 🔥🔥#49ers || #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Jat5TqXEB6
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) September 13, 2021
Unfortunately, the back who was viewed as a young star in the making has battled injuries throughout his three-year career and has not been fantasy-relevant since. He's missed 24 total games to begin his career, which likely further incentivized the 49ers to trade for McCaffrey and continue to acquire running backs like Tyrion Davis-Price, Jordan Mason, and Isaac Guerendo.
Now, he's heading into his fourth NFL campaign with extra competition in the running back room.
Isaac Guerendo Fantasy Football Outlook
Little was known about Guerendo following his final collegiate season at Louisville in 2023. The 23-year-old began his career at Wisconsin, where he was buried on the depth chart behind Jonathan Taylor in 2019 and Braelon Allen in 2021 and 2022. He totaled just 582 rushing yards, 124 receiving yards, and seven total touchdowns in 23 games over four years with the Badgers.
In his lone season at Louisville, he was primarily the RB2 behind Jawhar Jordan but flashed upside in his role by averaging 6.1 yards per carry and 10.6 yards per reception. He tallied 1,044 total yards and 11 touchdowns.
His performance in 2023 still likely didn't put him high on the 49ers' radar, but his 2024 NFL Combine performance surely did.
At 221 pounds, Guerendo ran a 4.33 forty-yard dash while posting "elite" explosion and "great" agility scores (as shown below).
Isaac Guerendo is a RB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.98 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 5 out of 1765 RB from 1987 to 2024.
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/K4OFfjGj1g pic.twitter.com/cmBvJotVRd
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 3, 2024
Elite athleticism can make up for a lackluster college production profile, as shown by the 49ers' decision to take Guerendo in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft -- ahead of college stars like Braelon Allen and Audric Estime.
Who is the 49ers RB2 in 2024?
While we can't know for sure this early in the offseason, Guerendo should have every opportunity to win the RB2 job at some point in the 2024 campaign. It's possible for Mitchell to bounce back to being healthy and Jordan Mason to take a run at the backup spot, but the shiny new rookie has the athletic profile to flash in camp.
Having exposure to both Mitchell and Guerendo is likely a smart strategy, but Guerendo's upside in the case of a McCaffrey injury could be nuclear. Both are cheap to acquire at this point in the offseason before we have a definitive answer, but Guerendo is likely to go undrafted in many fantasy football leagues. Take the cheap gamble on him, and hope he gets a few games of immediate relevance.
Isaac Guerendo is a monster pickup for the #49ers and will change their offense.
• 6’0”
• 221lbs
• 4.33 40
• 42” vertical
• 10’9” broadIf you give him a runway, it’s six. pic.twitter.com/OeSLHKgaPj
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) April 28, 2024
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