Jeff Wilson to operate as 49ers’ primary backup

According to Matt Barrows of The Athletic, RB Jeff Wilson is expected to be the San Francisco 49ers’ primary backup running back behind RB Elijah Mitchell.

Fantasy Impact: Kyle Shanahan-led offenses have been confusing for fantasy managers every season, and 2022 isn’t expected to be any different. The 49ers have had a different leading rusher in each of the last five seasons with no repeat offenders, and their backfield is loaded once again. Mitchell ended the season as the team’s lead back, and Barrows expects Wilson to repeat as the primary backup after signing a one-year deal with the 49ers this offseason. Also hanging around on the deep San Francisco RB depth chart are Trey Sermon, JaMycal Hasty and third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price. Davis-Price has missed parts of the offseason with injuries, and Wilson is recovering from his just in time for training camp. According to FantasyPros average draft position, Mitchell is going at RB24, Davis-Price at RB63, Sermon at RB73 and Wilson as RB90 in PPR leagues. With how unpredictable Shanahan’s backfields often are, it’s hard to recommend any non-starter in fantasy leagues from the 49ers, but if Wilson truly is the backup, he provides strong handcuff value in an offense that churns fantasy points out of any running back, especially as the cheapest option for fantasy managers.