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

Monday, November 10, 3:12 PM

San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. saw a limited workload in Sunday's matchup against the Rams, but was highly efficient in the loss. On the field for only 14 offensive snaps, Robinson took eight carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Over the past two weeks, he has turned 13 carries into 94 yards and two scores. While not seeing nearly enough usage to be a reliable fantasy asset, Robinson remains one of the most important insurance backs in the league. Should Christian McCaffrey miss time or cede any work down the stretch, Robinson has proven more than capable in Kyle Shanahan's running back-friendly offense. Robinson should be rostered in all leagues for the league-winning upside he represents, but he's also proven that he has just enough standalone value to be plugged into the flex in a pinch.

Friday, November 7, 7:59 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson was going as a late-round flier with upside in fantasy drafts this fall, but he was quickly sent to the waiver wire. The 22-year-old third-rounder out of Iowa has been a distant third on Pittsburgh's RB depth chart behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell this year, and he didn't help himself with a costly special-teams blunder early in the season. So far through his first five NFL games, Johnson has handled only 15 rushing attempts for 40 yards (2.7 yards per carry) while catching one of his two targets for nine yards. He played five offensive snaps in last week's win over the Indianapolis Colts, which was actually an improvement after not playing at all the previous two games. It will take an injury to Warren or Gainwell for Johnson to get more involved, which means he's only stash-worthy in fantasy football in dynasty/keeper leagues.