Who Should I Start? Elijah Mitchell or Keaton Mitchell

Friday, September 5, 7:20 PM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Elijah Mitchell is a healthy inactive for the Week 1 regular-season opener on Friday night in Brazil against the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN. It's bad news for Mitchell heading into his first year with the Chiefs, as it looks like he's the RB4 to open the year, behind starter Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith. The 27-year-old was getting some first-team reps early in training camp, but that was a long time ago in late July. Mitchell signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal with KC in the offseason after spending his first three NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. In his three years in the Bay Area, the former sixth-rounder in 2021 out of Louisiana averaged 4.7 yards per tote on 327 rush attempts for 1,523 yards and nine touchdowns (five in his rookie season).

Saturday, October 4, 11:23 AM

Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell is expected to be active for the first time this season against the Houston Texans. The third-year back has been a healthy scratch through the first four weeks, but he's finally set to make his season debut in Week 5. With Lamar Jackson (hamstring) sidelined, the Ravens are expected to lean heavily on the run game, especially with four running backs now on the active roster. The Texans have allowed the 15th-most fantasy points to running backs, and while Mitchell isn't projected to see a major workload right away, his activation adds excitement to Baltimore's backfield rotation. Fantasy managers should keep an eye on how he's utilized in this new-look offense, as his explosiveness could earn him a more significant role moving forward.