Who Should I Start? AJ Dillon or Emmett Johnson


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
0.6 2.7 0.0 0.2 1.2 0.0

AJ Dillon News

Panthers Signing AJ Dillon to One-Year Deal

Wednesday, March 18, 9:35 AM

The Carolina Panthers are signing former Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles running back AJ Dillon to an undisclosed one-year deal on Wednesday, sources told Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports. Schultz also mentions that Dillon is in incredible shape. He will help make up for the loss of Rico Dowdle in free agency and will join Chuba Hubbard. The 27-year-old missed all of the 2024 season due to injury and only played in seven games in 2025 in his lone season with the Eagles, seeing just 12 rushing attempts for 60 yards and catching all three of his targets for 21 yards. Dillon isn't guaranteed a key backup role behind Hubbard in Carolina just because he's in good shape. The veteran RB will be battling for playing time this offseason with the likes of Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne. The former second-rounder in 2020 out of Boston College has 4.1 yards per carry in his five NFL seasons to go with 2,488 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 67 games (11 starts).


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.4 15.2 0.1 0.8 5.9 0.0

Emmett Johnson News

Emmett Johnson To Play RB2 Role Against Denver

Saturday, September 12, 11:50 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson will man the RB2 role against the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Johnson has impressed throughout training camp and the preseason and has established himself as the RB2 on the Kansas City depth chart. It remains to be seen how much run he will get behind the presumptive bell-cow Kenneth Walker, but Johnson should be efficient with his opportunities. The rookie back displayed that his tackle-breaking ability has transferred over to the NFL from college as he shed defenders numerous times throughout the preseason. Johnson also showed some of his pass-catching ability, giving even more reason to view him as a desirable handcuff behind Walker. Johnson's opportunities may be few and yards may be hard to come by against the Denver defense on Monday night. The Broncos allowed the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL last season, and that run-stopping ability is likely to carry over to this year. Johnson is ranked RB56 in our RotoBaller Week 1 PPR rankings, making him a very low-end flex option in deep leagues. Fantasy managers should view Johnson as more of a handcuff/bench stash rather than an actual viable starter in his current situation.


AJ Dillon vs. Emmett Johnson

Still trying to decide between Dillon and Johnson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that AJ Dillon is projected to score 0.6 points this week while Emmett Johnson is projected to score 3.4 points.