Who Should I Start? Emmett Johnson or Riley Nowakowski

Monday, August 31, 5:50 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson ran hard in three preseason contests, averaging 4.7 yards per carry while bringing in six of his seven targets, showing enough for the team to comfortably move on from veteran Emari Demercado, who was just signed to a one-year deal in free agency. The Chiefs kept only three running backs on their initial 53-man roster, hinting at a potential three-down role for Kenneth Walker III and one of the league's most valuable insurance roles for Johnson. Brashard Smith adds versatility and special teams prowess, but Johnson figures to serve as the team's primary change-of-pace back and is capable of handling a bell cow role if needed after seeing more than 300 opportunities in his final year at Nebraska, turning in one of the most productive seasons of any back in the nation. While Walker's projected usage is likely to limit the rookie's standalone value, Johnson has quickly become one of the most important handcuffs in fantasy and is worthy of a late-round selection in deeper leagues.