Who Should I Start? Isaac Guerendo or Kaleb Johnson

Saturday, September 6, 6:51 AM

Second-year running back Isaac Guerendo opens the season third on the 49ers' depth chart, though he may already see more action than originally anticipated. Christian McCaffrey (calf) popped up on the team's injury report this week and is tagged as questionable for San Francisco's Week 1 matchup against the Seahawks. Guerendo's only route to fantasy relevance relies on CMC sitting. If that does happen, then he can be seen as a deep-league flex candidate. Brian Robinson Jr. will likely draw the start, but Guerendo made his mark in 2024 in similar circumstances and is a potential RB4/5 pending McCaffrey's status.

Friday, September 12, 10:25 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson was hardly involved in his regular-season debut and will likely operate as the team's RB3 again this week against the Seattle Seahawks. Fantasy managers who drafted Johnson with high expectations must exercise patience with the rookie if they plan to keep him rostered. Johnson played just two offensive snaps last week and primarily operated as a kick returner. However, his utilization could see an uptick soon if Kenneth Gainwell continues to struggle with inefficiency as he did in Week 1. For the time being, Johnson is a bench stash with the potential to serve as a complement to Jaylen Warren later in the season. He should not be considered in fantasy lineups on Sunday.