49ers HC Kyle Shanahan told reporters Wednesday that RB Trey Sermon " should be good to go this week" and is hoping RB Elijah Mitchell will be too.

Related Players: Jeff Wilson Jr., JaMycal Hasty

Nothing would make Shanahan happier than four healthy, capable running backs to play Week 17.

Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and Trenton Cannon are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in March. Given how vital that position is, I think the 49ers should re-sign Wilson (no brainer), re-sign Mostert (more expensive, yes, but it’s necessary) and bring in one more additional runner. That would give them: Mostert, Elijah Mitchell, Wilson, Trey Sermon, JaMycal Hasty and _____ to start the offseason.

The author went on to say the 49ers’ motto when it comes to running backs ought to be: We can never have enough. The big fantasy question would be who is the lead back as Mostert, Mitchell and Wilson have all had the role at one time or another.

49ers WR Deebo Samuel (groin) and RB Trey Sermon (ankle) will not play Week 13 at Seattle.

Related Players: Trenton Cannon, Jeff Wilson, Jauan Jennings, Trent Sherfield

Nothing changes from their expected statuses earlier this week.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell is doubtful for Week 11 at the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Related Players: Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson Jr.

Against an inferior opponent, it is best to give Mitchell another week to heal from finger surgery. Look for Wilson to be the lead back Sunday.

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell had a finger fracture. He's going to get it fixed but unclear just yet what his status for this week will be against Jacksonville.

Related players: Jeff Wilson, Trey Sermon

Wagoner went on to say in another tweet that Shanahan said doctors are "pretty optimistic" Mitchell will be OK. And there's a chance Mitchell will be able to practice Wednesday. Wagoner added the team just wants to see how he's doing after getting pin put in finger during procedure. The Niners play the Jags in Week 11, so if they assume they can win the game, maybe sitting Mitchell a week makes some sense. Wilson saw limited snaps behind Mitchell in Week 10 and would likely get a bulk of the work if Mitchell has to miss time. There could even be another Trey Sermon citing if Mitchell is out.

Shanahan said Elijah Mitchell emerged from the game with a rib injury. Said the rookie runner will be limited in practice on Wednesday.

Related players: JaMycal Hasty, Trey Sermon, Jeff Wilson

It seems like Mitchell should be able to play in Week 9 at home against the Cardinals. Hasty got just three carries last week for four yards but reports say Wilson could be back to practice this week as well. The 49ers play a late-afternoon game in Week 9 so owners should probably try to come up with a backup plan just in case Mitchell trends downward this week.

As part of a mailbag question, someone asked what the game plan would look like with Trey Lance under center.

I expect it will be a “Back to the Future”-type situation for Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel, who had rookies at quarterback (Robert Griffin III) and running back (Alfred Morris) when they were assistants in Washington in 2012. That team led the NFL in rushing and went to the playoffs. Morris finished with 1,613 rushing yards and Griffin with 815 yards.

Related players: Elijah Mitchell, Trey Sermon, Jimmy Garoppolo

The story said the one big difference is Lance attempted 318 passes at North Dakota State while Griffin attempted 1,192 throws at Baylor, which points more to a run-heavy attack. Anther issue is Sermon has only been OK as a runner over two games, and even if Mitchell returns from a shoulder injury, he's a rookie as well, so there are a lot of questions with the run game. The Niners do have the luxury of a bye in Week 6.

Kyle Shanahan also hopes that Elijah Mitchell will be able to take the blue no-contact jersey off this week. A speedy RB would be another welcome return for the 49ers.

Related players: Trey Sermon

Sermon has been OK over the last two weeks but the feeling is he didn't take control of the RB1 job. At this point, if anything, the 49ers could really use Mitchell on third down or passing downs. It may take a week or so to figure out how the workload will be split up when Mitchell returns with Sermon, but it looks like Mitchell could be back on track for Week 5. The Niners do have a bye in Week 6.

Trey Sermon had two fewer snaps than he did against Green Bay, but it was clear he was more comfortable and that Shanahan and his assistants trusted him more. Still, the team hasn’t had a true third-down back after JaMycal Hasty went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 2.

For the second straight game, Kyle Juszczyk was the running back of choice on third downs or when the 49ers were in a hurry-up mode. Or the 49ers had a running back split out wide with no one in the backfield in those situations. The last two games have been heavier in three-receiver formations (56 percent of plays) than the first two (32 percent) when the 49ers had their full (or at least fuller) complement of tailbacks.

Related players: Elijah Mitchell

With Mitchell out with a shoulder injury, Sermon ran 19 times for 89 yards on the day. Meanwhile it was Juszczyk who was targeted four times and had four catches for 41 yards. Sermon was targeted once on the day. There will be some workload and role questions in this backfield when Mitchell is able to play again.