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Thursday night is here, which means Week 16 is about to kick off. And for most fantasy football managers, that means the start of semifinals week. COVID-19 outbreaks and injuries around the league continue to wreak havoc on fantasy lineups, so it's important to stay up to date on all player news.
The first game of Week 16 this Thursday will feature an 8-6 San Francisco 49ers team and a sliding 9-5 Tennessee Titans unit. The Titans are getting a key offensive piece back in wide receiver A.J. Brown (chest), while the 49ers continue to deal with injuries at the running back position. Let's focus on the Niners.
Is Elijah Mitchell (knee) playing tonight on Thursday Night Football? If Mitchell misses another game, is Jeff Wilson Jr. worth starting? Continue reading to delve deeper into the 49ers RB picture and who will be the best play in Week 16.
Is Elijah Mitchell Playing in Week 16 Against the Titans?
Rookie running back Elijah Mitchell was able to clear the concussion protocol this week, but he is out with a knee injury on Thursday night. Mitchell has been a strong RB2 play for fantasy managers as the team's unquestioned lead back when healthy, but the 23-year-old will miss his third straight game this week.
Don't drop Mitchell just yet in redraft leagues, though, as the Niners have a mouthwatering Week 17 matchup against the Houston Texans and their league-worst run defense. If Mitchell can get past his knee injury next week, he could be a league-winner if you can advance to the fantasy championship.
Should I Start Jeff Wilson Jr. in Week 16 Against the Titans?
Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. is in line to handle the lead-back role for the 49ers for the third straight week with Elijah Mitchell (knee) ruled out. The volume alone will put Wilson in play as a low-end RB2 in Week 16. He looked good last week against the Falcons, carrying a season-high 21 times for 110 yards and his first touchdown of 2021.
However, there are several reasons to be skeptical that Wilson will return enough value this week. The previous week against a much better Bengals run D, Wilson had just 13 totes for 56 yards. On Thursday night, he'll be facing an even better Titans run defense; they give up the second-fewest rushing yards per game (86.9).
Add in the fact that wide receiver Deebo Samuel continues to see more work out of the backfield -- he's carried the ball 33 times for 247 yards (7.48 yards per attempt) and six touchdowns in the last five games -- and you have the recipe for Wilson to disappoint to kick off Week 16.
Samuel is likely to be the team's most efficient RB again this week, and fullback Kyle Juszczyk and JaMycal Hasty will be involved as well.
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