Elijah Mitchell, Top Fantasy Waiver-Wire RBs to Add After Raheem Mostert's Injury

Fantasy football managers who have Raheem Mostert on their rosters received some distressing news Monday. Because of that, there's no time like the present to look toward the waiver wire for a replacement.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday that Mostert is going on injured reserve because of torn knee cartilage. The running back revealed Tuesday that he will be undergoing knee surgery, ending his season after just one game. 

Elijah Mitchell took over as San Francisco's primary ball-carrier in Sunday's 41-33 win over the Detroit Lions and ran for 104 yards and one touchdown. After that performance, Mitchell is the most obvious waiver-wire candidate to target.

The Philadelphia Eagles' Kenneth Gainwell, New Orleans Saints' Tony Jones Jr. and Jacksonville Jaguars' Carlos Hyde could be worth looking at as well.

The value of running backs in standard leagues makes it difficult to address the position at any point in the season.

With Mitchell, for example, fantasy managers won't wait around to see how the 49ers backfield evolves in the wake of Mostert's injury. If you aren't near the top of the waiver wire order, then the odds of actually adding the 23-year-old are slim.

For those with a realistic chance of getting Mitchell, he's the obvious No. 1 candidate for managers in need of another running back.

Jones is the best alternative after going for 50 yards on 11 carries in a 38-3 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

His value climbed before kickoff in that game after the Saints released Latavius Murray, thus making the second-year runner the backup behind Alvin Kamara. He should continue to get a healthy number of touches each week.

Gainwell and Hyde are a little more difficult to read.

Gainwell went for 37 yards and one touchdown on the ground while catching two passes for six yards on three targets as the Eagles hammered the Atlanta Falcons 32-6.

The 2021 fifth-round pick had 2,069 yards from scrimmage for Memphis in 2019, so he can be a versatile threat out of Philadelphia's backfield. Unfortunately, he won't get to play against the Falcons, who projected to be one of the NFL's worst teams coming into the year, each week.

Although Gainwell's value is limited as long as Miles Sanders is healthy, he's still one of the better running backs who's likely to be widely available.

Hyde, meanwhile, has eclipsed 1,000 yards on the ground just once since entering the NFL in 2014, and he hasn't been much of a pass-catcher historically. But he got more carries (nine) than any other Jaguars running back in their 37-21 loss to the Houston Texans.

Given his connection to Urban Meyer—he played for Meyer for two seasons at Ohio State—Hyde might have a bigger role in the offense than many expected. If he eats into James Robinson's touches enough, he becomes a low-end streaming option.