It’s not great news, but it could be worse.
49ers running back Elijah Mitchell is likely to have sprained his MCL again in Sunday’s 13-0 win over the New Orleans Saints, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan. It is, however, not the same MCL that kept Mitchell out for eight games early in the season, and is not expected to be as serious of an injury.
He is, however, expected to miss multiple weeks.
Additionally, Spencer Burford has an ankle sprain, Christian McCaffrey has knee irritation and Deebo Samuel sustained a quad contusion.
With Mitchell out, Jordan Mason will step up as the second-string running back, as he did in the second half on Sunday.
Though he’s only played in three games, Mitchell is averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season, and averaged 4.7 yards per carry last year. Christian McCaffrey is averaging 4.4 since joining SF.