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

Saturday, September 13, 1:14 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. may see an uptick in usage when the team faces the Saints on Sunday. With quarterback Brock Purdy (toe, shoulder) out, wide receiver Jauan Jennings (shoulder) questionable, and tight end George Kittle (hamstring) on injured reserve, San Francisco is short on playmakers. In Week 2, San Francisco may prefer to grind things out on the ground now that Mac Jones is under center. If that's the case, Robinson should mix in regularly in order to avoid overworking Christian McCaffrey (31 touches in Week 1). Robinson projects as an RB4 in Week 2. While he is not a must-start, he is a viable flex in deeper leagues and should be rostered in most leagues.

Tuesday, September 16, 5:58 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson "probably" will lose kickoff-return duties in Week 3 against the New England Patriots after a crucial special-teams gaffe in the Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. Johnson allowed a kickoff to bounce over his head and into the end zone on Sunday in the fourth quarter because he thought the play would be called dead. But with the NFL's new kickoff rules, it was a live ball, which the Seahawks recovered for a game-changing touchdown. The Steelers will give Johnson a chance to work his way back into the special teams role, but in the short term, he'll be benched. Fantasy managers had high hopes for the 22-year-old during draft season, but Jaylen Warren's demise has been premature, and Kenneth Gainwell has operated as the No. 2. Johnson only played two snaps on offense in Week 2 and has just two carries for a loss of one yard in his first two NFL games. His special-teams gaffe on Sunday certainly didn't help his cause for a bigger role on offense.