The San Francisco 49ers are preparing for their Week 16 matchup against the Tennessee Titans on Thursday Night Football. One of the big storylines to watch for the 49es was the health of running back Elijah Mitchell, who has been dealing with a nagging knee injury that has cost him three games. Mitchell's fantasy football managers won't be pleased after the recent update on Mitchell from ESPN's Adam Schefter.

That's a tough blow for the 49ers and Elijah Mitchell's fantasy football managers. Mitchell last practiced ahead of Week 12, a trend that continued as he failed to take the practice field again for San Francisco this week.

Fantasy managers that were hoping to have Mitchell available for their championship round are disappointed. However, the fact that the 49ers halfback was ruled out early allows managers to make other arrangements and not have to worry about relying on a potentially limited Mitchell on a snap count.

Mitchell's absence will once again open things up for backups Jeff Wilson Jr. and Trey Sermon, who was recently designated to return off of the IR. It's looking like Wilson will get another 20-plus touch workload after a 100-yard effort last week.

The Titans have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to running backs, though Wilson's projected workload sans Mitchell makes him a must-start running back for fantasy football. If Mitchell's fantasy managers can somehow still snag Wilson off of waivers, they should absolutely do so.

It's tough news that the 49ers will be without Elijah Mitchell once again, though both San Fransisco and Mitchell's fantasy football managers are capable of navigating the week without him.