Who Should I Start? Brashard Smith or Jonah Coleman


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
2.4 5.1 0.0 0.9 6.2 0.0

Brashard Smith News

Brashard Smith Outshined in Preseason Opener

Sunday, August 16, 6:02 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Brashard Smith drew the start in Saturday's preseason opener against the Rams, but in his battle to earn the primary backup role behind Kenneth Walker III, the points in his favor end right about there. Smith carried the ball eight times for 21 yards and brought in both of his targets for an additional 12 yards, but he was outshined by rookie Emmett Johnson, who looked explosive in gaining 59 yards on his 12 carries. Johnson also added three catches for ten yards and ran in a four-yard touchdown that was nullified by a holding penalty. As a rookie in 2025, Smith was unable to carve out a meaningful role in a backfield led by Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, finishing the year with 323 yards and one touchdown on 79 total opportunities. With a significantly higher talent level in the room for 2026, he could struggle to find regular work and is not likely to make any fantasy impact without a notable injury ahead of him.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
2.1 8.8 0.1 0.5 3.4 0.0

Jonah Coleman News

Jonah Coleman Continues to Trend Up, Drawing Rave Reviews

Monday, August 17, 4:18 PM

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman has continued to receive praise from head coach Sean Payton, according to Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post. Payton said that there was a point where he realized he had seen enough from Coleman during practice to know that he's going to be an impact player in the NFL. "I didn't need to see additional evidence of what I've been seeing for three weeks," Payton said. That's a pretty glowing review for the rookie ball-carrier. Even though he's third on the depth chart behind JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey, it sounds like he should have a significant role this year, perhaps as early as Week 1. He's a glaring trade target in dynasty leagues before his price adjusts, and he might even be worth selecting in the later rounds of redraft leagues. RotoBaller's latest fantasy rankings have Coleman as the RB29 in dynasty leagues and the RB52 in redraft leagues.


Brashard Smith vs. Jonah Coleman

Still trying to decide between Smith and Coleman? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Brashard Smith is projected to score 2.4 points this week while Jonah Coleman is projected to score 2.1 points.