Who Should I Start? Brian Robinson Jr. or Kaleb Johnson

Thursday, February 12, 9:02 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. spent all of 2025 as the handcuff behind Christian McCaffrey. Now, he'll hit free agency with an opportunity to find a larger role elsewhere. We can't rule out a return to San Francisco, but given that Robinson is a three-time 700-yard rusher, he'll presumably get offers from teams looking to make him their 1B running back, rather than a true backup. Robinson's lone season on the West Coast resulted in a modest 400 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. From a fantasy perspective, his 2026 outlook will heavily depend on where he ends up. He was a top-30 fantasy running back with the Commanders in both 2023 and 2024, so he could get back onto the weekly flex radar if he splits touches with another running back in an average or above-average offense.

Friday, February 13, 7:42 AM

A third-round selection out of the University of Iowa in the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson appeared to have an opportunity to play a significant role in his team's backfield as a rookie. Instead, the 22-year-old spent the 2025 season buried on the Steelers' depth chart and barely got a chance to take the field. Across 10 games played, Johnson recorded just 78 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. Veteran Pittsburgh running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell dominated the team's backfield work throughout the year, as each back topped 180 touches and 1,000 yards from scrimmage. Gainwell is set to hit unrestricted free agency this spring, which could eliminate one obstacle from Johnson's pathway to playing time. However, even if the Steelers do not bring Gainwell back, Johnson did little as a rookie to convince Pittsburgh that it should not bring in another veteran to complement Warren in 2026. Johnson is still very young, and he could work his way back into the team's plans with a full offseason of development. However, his fantasy stock in dynasty formats has taken a major hit after his underwhelming rookie campaign.