Keaton Mitchell

Mitchell should be good to go for Week 10’s Monday Night Football game against the Ravens. He and Omarion Hampton seemingly put a little distance between Kimani Vidal in the second half last week, though Mitchell only makes for a shaky bench stash.

Mitchell regularly rotated in and out as a member of the Chargers’ three-player backfield rotation, though he and Omarion Hampton remained far more involved than Kimani Vidal did in the second half. He looks spry as a rusher and receiver, ripping off double-digit gains in both facets of the game. Unfortunately, Mitchell’s biggest contribution was a fumble in enemy territory, which the Texans recovered inside the red zone. Mitchell is just a floor-based FLEX against his former Ravens team next week.

Mitchell, as usual, was third in rushing attempts, behind Omarion Hampton (9) and Kimani Vidal (8). His three targets led the backfield but didn’t amount to much. With the Bolts’ backfield being split three ways, Mitchell is going to struggle to get anything going without an explosive play or two. He should remain on most waiver wires ahead of Week 9.

Mitchell did not catch his only target on the day. He was third among Bolts running backs in pass routes, behind Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal. The sad state of the Chargers offense and injuries to the team’s offensive line make it nearly impossible for Mitchell to post fantasy relevant numbers for now. The Chargers are on bye in Week 7.

The only positive here was that Mitchell was somewhat involved in the pass game, but it was all of the check-down variety. The injuries to the Los Angeles offensive line just won’t open many holes right now, and even if Mitchell has looked more spry than Omarion Hampton, there’s more risk than reward having him in a lineup right now.

Mitchell, Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal were both equally involved in the rushing attack, and that’s not really a compliment to anyone in this group.

He practiced all three days this week, upgrading to full on Friday, and should be a lower-end FLEX option against a tough Seahawks run defense. The good news for Mitchell is that the proof-of-concept of “the Chargers can’t run block so they should just use someone fast” worked in Week 3. He should see a reasonable amount of touches in Week 4.

The Chargers’ speedy RB2 was seen wearing a walking boot after practice on Wednesday, but that didn’t keep him from practicing today. Mitchell scored a touchdown on a red zone carry last week and could continue rotating in against the Seahawks this week. He should be rostered in 12-team leagues.

He was eventually added to the injury report as “limited” with an ankle issue. Per Rhim, Mitchell told reporters in the locker room he was okay. Mitchell was not initially on the injury report. This obviously flared up during practice but he didn’t have it looked at until after the report was posted. We will get more clarity on the situation tomorrow. Mitchell’s role grew in Week 3 with 11 touches, but a foot or ankle injury would likely limit any further progress.

Mitchell’s touchdown was on a “pass” from Justin Hebert that was really a jet sweep where Herbert let go of the ball, and Mitchell rushed it in off the edge. Regardless, it was a nice run by Mitchell, who made Deone Walker miss in the backfield and is a clear example that the Chargers want to get him the ball in space. Mitchell did see about half as many carries as Omarion Hampton, but he played just three fewer snaps and ran a route on nine more dropbacks. Considering he was also seeing some work in the red zone, Mitchell needs to be rostered in all formats right now.

The Chargers deployed Mitchell sparingly once again. He touched the ball four times in his LA debut last week and that number only improved to six this time around. Omarion Hampton logged 23 carries and two catches today. On the other hand, Hampton coughed up a game-losing fumble, so the Chargers may want to see more from Mitchell next week versus the Bills. He is buried in the RB5/6 ranks for now, but fantasy managers can hold onto him for at least one more week.

Omarion Hampton led the LA backfield with ten carries. Hampton scored a short rushing touchdown and lost a fumble in the first half. Mitchell logged 13 pass routes and one target against the Cardinals while Hampton ran 17 routes and was not targeted. Mitchell’s Week 1 involvement could lead to some fantasy usefulness at some point this season. For now he’ll remain a big-play reliant flex play in deeper formats.

Mitchell, a limited participant in practice for much of the week, will suit up for the Bolts’ season opener against Arizona. He should see a handful of designed touches in Mike McDaniel’s offense while Omarion Hampton functions as the team’s lead back and Kimani Vidal mixes in here and there. Mitchell can be used as a second flex option for now. Chargers declared S RJ Mickens, CB Deane Leonard, OL Logan Taylor, OL Alex Harkey, and OL Trevor Penning inactive for their season opener.

It’s been more than three weeks since Mitchell strained his hamstring in the Chargers’ preseason game against the 49ers. Mitchell upgraded to full participation on Friday after two limited sessions to begin the week. He should be fully recovered and ready for rotational duties against a beatable Cardinals defense. Consider him a volatile RB4/FLEX, potentially aided by increased passing game usage.

If active, Mitchell will be an RB4. The Chargers’ talented running back group goes three-deep, so there is no reason to rush the speedy player back. That said, consecutive limited sessions put Mitchell on track to face the Cardinals on Sunday.

Mitchell went down with the hamstring injury late in camp but returned to practice earlier this week. The team will likely keep his workload light in practice and on Sunday. Omarion Hampton remains the clear lead back in LA, with Mitchell mixing in for some designed touches. He will be an RB4 for his first game as a Charger.

Mitchell missed the last six practices due to an undisclosed injury but was on the field Monday participating in drills. The Chargers don’t need to disclose any specifics regarding Mitchell’s injury until Wednesday, when they release their first official injury report of the season, but his return on Monday is an encouraging sign. Mitchell is expected to work into the mix with Omarion Hampton, who will serve as the unquestioned RB1 for the Chargers this season. Whether or not Mitchell sees enough work to be fantasy viable is to be determined, but there’s some belief he could see some work in the passing game, which could establish a decent floor for him in half and full-PPR leagues. Mitchell is an intriguing stash in fantasy leagues, but managers shouldn’t be rushing to put him in their starting lineups just yet.

Popper makes clear that RB Omarion Hampton will be an offensive centerpiece, but Mitchell should have his own helpful role as well. Mitchell will be involved in the passing game, at times lining up outside and getting involved “vertically” as a receiver. Mitchell will need to maximize his touches if he is going to warrant FLEX treatment as Hampton’s sidekick, and his health remains a question at the moment, as he deals with an undisclosed injury. On the plus side, Popper did not mention the ailment at all, which could be taken as a positive.

Mitchell has been out of action for more than a week after experiencing a “minor setback” for an undisclosed injury. This could be a situation where we’re all left in the dark until the team is required to disclose injuries in the week leading up to Week 1, leaving fantasy managers to plan for contingencies. Any missed time from Mitchell would be a measurable boost to the weekly expectations of Omarion Hampton.

This comes on the heels of a missed session on Sunday for the fourth-year back. The team has yet to release a complete injury update for Mitchell after failing to disclose an injury status the previous day, leaving fantasy managers stuck in limbo with less than three weeks until the start of the regular season. “We sustained a mild setback with Keaton, but realistically, that’s a position that you’re always wanting to have three, and I like what our young guys are doing to press into that group,” McDaniel said Monday. It is difficult to read too far into McDaniel’s remarks without further context, keeping Mitchell a strong streaming option in shallow leagues, for the time being.