Who Should I Start? Cam Akers or Elijah Mitchell

Wednesday, March 13, 4:55 PM

The Minnesota Vikings declined to offer a restricted free-agent tender to running back Cam Akers (Achilles), meaning he is a free agent and can negotiate freely with any team. The former second-round pick was an exciting prospect out of Florida State in 2020 but after two Achilles tears in four years in the NFL, his career has struggled to get off the ground. Akers was traded to the Vikings from the Los Angeles Rams early in the 2023 campaign and rushed 38 times for 138 yards and one touchdown before suffering a major Achilles injury. The 24-year-old might get a chance to play elsewhere, but it'll likely be on a cheap, one-year deal. For now, he remains far from the fantasy radar. The majority of skill players do not recover well from an Achilles tear, never mind two.

Friday, January 19, 11:05 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell will back up starter Christian McCaffrey in Saturday night's Divisional Round tilt versus the Green Bay Packers. Mitchell finished the regular season with a career-low 3.7 yards per attempt and two touchdowns, almost exclusively as McCaffrey's injury and garbage-time replacement. Conceivably, DFS players willing to gamble on those scenarios occurring on Saturday could find a healthy return on minimal investment but otherwise, Mitchell should not be considered for fantasy lineups.