Roundtable Week 7: Rams and 49ers Backfields

Photo: Jeffrey Becker, USA Today Sports

Welcome to Week 7 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.

This week's roundtable features these four topics:

• Rams and 49ers Backfields (see below)
• Second-Half Surge
• Dynasty Buy, Sell, or Hold?
• What's More Likely?

Let's roll.

Rams and 49ers Backfields

Matt Waldman: Consider these runners who may contribute significantly this weekend.

• Elijah Mitchell
• Jordan Mason
• Tyrion Davis-Price
• Zach Evans
• Royce Freeman

Answer the following:

• Pick the two you'd start in re-draft if you had to choose from this list.
• Pick the two you'd stash on a dynasty roster if you had the room/luxury.

Tell us where you stand.

Christian Williams: Elijah Mitchell and Jordan Mason are the two runners with an opportunity I'd start in redraft leagues this weekend. While it seems counterintuitive to take two guys on the same team when options such as Zach Evans and Royce Freeman exist, the 49ers draw Minnesota in Week 7.

Minnesota stacks up well against running backs in fantasy points allowed, but their last performance against an elite rushing offense came in Week 2 when D'Andre Swift torched them for 175 yards and a touchdown. Since then, they've seen Joshua Kelley, the combination of Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders, Isiah Pacheco, and D'Onta Foreman.

The 49ers rushing attack ranks third in the NFL in yards per game, and their defense should allow for a controlled game script. While it's unlikely that Mason and Mitchell each hit as fantasy performers this week, betting on them is safer and juiced with more upside than betting on a piece of the Rams' potential duo.

From a dynasty perspective, I'd stash Mason and Zach Evans. Evans has talent but struggled with attitude and effort concerns throughout college and into his rookie year. With the right mindset and opportunity, Evans has an incredibly high ceiling and should already be stashed in dynasty leagues.