ESPN's Nick Wagoner believes Jordan Mason is on his way to earning the 49ers' No. 2 RB job. "He's a much improved pass catcher and route runner and he's flashed some dynamic ability picking up the blitz," Wagoner writes. "Given the injuries elsewhere at the position, Mason is setting up to really solidify a spot behind CMC."
2024 Fantasy Football Impact
It's worth noting that RB Elijah Mitchell is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, but that's certainly not helping his case for that No. 2 RB job. We'll see when he's able to get back on the field and then how he stacks up against Mason.
Mason has been efficient on limited chances through two NFL seasons, averaging a big 5.6 yards per carry on 83 attempts.
There won't be a fantasy-relevant RB in San Francisco behind a healthy Christian McCaffrey. But whoever wins the No. 2 job will be one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy football. McCaffrey is projected to miss 3.0 games this season, per our Injury Predictor, and is currently dealing with a calf injury.
Rankings Movement
We're shifting some work from Mitchell to Mason in our projections. This still feels like a fluid situation, but lean toward Mason over Mitchell for now as the 49ers RB to target late in fantasy drafts.