Who Should I Start? Elijah Mitchell or Brashard Smith

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Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts.	Rush. Yds.	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec TD
0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

Elijah Mitchell News

Patriots Sign Elijah Mitchell on Tuesday

Tuesday, December 23, 11:37 PM

The New England Patriots signed veteran free-agent running back Elijah Mitchell to their practice squad on Tuesday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Mitchell quickly latches on with another team after the Kansas City Chiefs waived him last weekend. Patriots rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson suffered a concussion in Sunday night's win over the Baltimore Ravens and is in danger of missing the Week 17 game against the New York Jets, so the Pats will bring in Mitchell to give the team more RB depth at the end of the regular season. If Henderson doesn't clear the league's concussion protocol by this Sunday, Mitchell could be elevated to the active 53-man roster to serve as the RB3 behind Rhamondre Stevenson and D'Ernest Johnson. Unless Stevenson also misses time with an injury, Mitchell is unlikely to become a major contributor in New England's offense. He was active for just one game with KC this year and didn't have a single rushing attempt.

Brashard Smith - Kansas City (RB)

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Week 1 Projections

Fant. Pts.	Rush. Yds.	Rush TD	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	Rec TD
1.9	8.2	0.1	0.2	1.7	0.0

Brashard Smith News

Brashard Smith Has Path to a Larger Role

Monday, February 16, 5:28 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith could have the opportunity to take on an expanded role during the 2026 season. Smith was buried in a depth role for most of his rookie season in 2025, especially with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt leading the backfield. However, the Chiefs' running back dynamic could change in 2026. Both Pacheco and Hunt are free agents this offseason, and it's unclear whether either of them will re-sign. If only one or neither of them returns next season, Smith will have a path to a larger workload. He had a modest 323 scrimmage yards and one touchdown this past year, so he certainly hasn't proven himself ready for a lead-back role. However, he could share the backfield with someone like Pacheco or another mid-range, experienced back. Either way, Smith is absolutely trending upward ahead of the 2026 season. He's an intriguing buy in dynasty leagues, especially if his current fantasy manager has already grown impatient.

Elijah Mitchell vs. Brashard Smith

Still trying to decide between Mitchell and Smith? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Elijah Mitchell is projected to score 0.0 points this week while Brashard Smith is projected to score 1.9 points.