Jeff Wilson appeared in nine games last season after recovering from a torn meniscus in a knee. When he did play, he didn't look much like the player who led the team in rushing in 2020. Another year removed from that injury, Wilson appeared to be closer to his former self in training camp, though he managed just 22 yards on nine carries after replacing Mitchell at rain-soaked Soldier Field on Sunday.

"We've always been comfortable with Jeff, just because of his experience and what he has done here," Kyle Shanahan said. "We know what we're going to get."

Related players: Elijah Mitchell, Tyrion Davis-Price, Kyle Juszczyk, Jordan Mason, Marlon Mack, Deebo Samuel

What the Niners may not be comfortable with is what's behind Wilson at this point, though. Davis-Price is a rookie who was inactive in Week 1 behind undrafted rookie Mason. Mason played on special teams, however. The team signed Mack but he couldn't make the Texans roster. It's possible Samuel sees an uptick in rushes. The team seems like a Wilson injury away from a big problem at RB.

Due to the sprained MCL that Elijah Mitchell suffered Sunday at Chicago, the sophomore running back is expected to miss about two months.

Related Players: Jeff Wilson, Tyrion Davis-Price, Jordan Mason

The 49ers' yearly injury woes continue right out of the gate, with Mitchell unlikely to return until at least the middle of the season. Behind him in Week 1, Jeff Wilson logged nine rush attempts and ran 17 routes, the fourth most on the team behind Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, and Jauan Jennings. It would appear he is most likely to fill in as the team's RB1.

The 49ers have waived RB Trey Sermon.

Related players: Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson, Tyrion Davis-Price, Kyle Juszczyk

David Lombardi reports if Sermon clears waivers it's possible he'll be back. Following the 9ers RB situation probably made you dizzy this summer. Sermon, at one point, was called the clear RB2 by some who follow the team, but that's no longer is the case. Mitchell will be the lead back and after that a combination of Wilson and the rookie Davis-Price.

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Elijah Mitchell said, via Matt Maiocco of NBCSportsBayArea.com. “This year I am focused on trying to make people miss more instead of just running into everybody. So that’s one thing.”

Related players: Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon, Tyrion Davis-Price

As the story said, Mitchell posted 963 rushing yards despite missing six games due to a variety of injuries that could be attributed to his running style. Mitchell was not shy about contact while he was piling up those yards and he said that one of his goals for the coming season is to do a better job of avoiding the collisions that contributed to his absences last season. Handcuffing Mitchell may not be a bad idea if you own him. Wilson seems to be the logical choice, but both youngsters Sermon and Davis-Price have had nice camps and made the 53-man roster.

49ers are waiving RB JaMycal Hasty, per source.

Related players: Elijah Mitchell, Tyrion Davis-Price, Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon

Hasty last year served as the team's primary third-down back. It speaks volumes for how good of camps backs like Davis-Price and even Sermon have had. Reports are saying Sermon could even be the team's RB2 behind Mitchell.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan seems confident that Mitchell —who had a litany of ailments throughout his rookie season— will be in line to serve as the RB1 when the season kicks off.

Related Players: Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon, Tyrion Davis-Price

Elijah Mitchell missed five games in 2021 due to shoulder, ribs, finger, knee, and concussion issues but continually returned to the lineup to lead the team in backfield touches, finishing the year as the RB12 in half-PPR points per game. As with any team's RB1, we can assume that Mitchell will miss a couple of games throughout the grueling season, but his role in this often-explosive offense is one to take a gamble on in the 6th-or-7th round.

Rookie Davis-Price has time to work his way into that number two slot, but he has some work to do to create separation behind starter Elijah Mitchell.

Related Players: Tyrion Davis-Price, Trey Sermon

The article goes on to say, "the 225-pounder (Davis-Price) has managed to look like a violent runner even in non-padded practices, and the 49ers are eager to see whether that plays out in the...offseason." Jeff Wilson has shown flashes of production with the San Francisco offense in the past but has had a long history with injuries. If Davis-Price can't wrest the RB2 slot away before Week 1, I would expect the switch to come soon after.

Deebo Samuel said his “wide back” role was not a factor in offseason discontent.

Related players: Elijah Mitchell

Samuel said at his presser that he's willing to do whatever it takes, and that his use as a running back wasn't an issue. If that's the case, Samuel could see continued use a running back in the team's offense this season. As we pointed out, Samuel started to see a bigger rushing role in Week 10. From Week 1 to Week 9, he averaged 6.1 catches for 110 yards and 0.50 touchdowns (for 17.6 half-PPR PPG) on 10.0 targets per game. Starting in Week 10, he averaged 3.5 catches for 65 yards and 0.25 touchdowns on 5.0 targets per game. However, he averaged 19.9 half-PPR PPG behind 43 yards rushing and 0.88 rushing touchdowns per game. He averaged 6.6 rushes per game in that span compared to just 0.8 rushes per game from Week 1 to Week 9. He finished as the overall WR3, and would once again be ranked inside the top five if we knew for certain that he was going to see a similar rushing role in 2022, though HC Kyle Shanahan did indicate in February that that would be the case.

For now, at least, [Elijah Mitchell is] the clear RB1.

Related players: Tyrion Davis-Price, Jeff Wilson

Wagoner went on to say in his tweet the 49ers have done a lot of work on the run game, which is often the case early in camp. He said Mitchell is noticeably bulked up a bit from last year to better handle the pounding the job requires and there were no shortage of touches for him early in camp. The knock on Mitchell last year was staying healthy, so don't be surprised if the combo of Davis-Price and Wilson get their chances as well. Still, Mitchell is the team's RB1 and should be a solid RB2 option for your team.

49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo (thumb) is doubtful for Week 17, while RB Elijah Mitchell (knee) is questionable to play against the Houston Texans.

Related Player: Trey Lance

It is Trey Lance time by the bay. His rushing floor makes him an interesting DFS play and iffy season-long start.