Who Should I Start? Kaelon Black or Emmett Johnson


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
4.2 19.5 0.1 0.8 6.0 0.0

Kaelon Black News

Kaelon Black a Priority Waiver Wire Target After Impressive Debut

Monday, September 14, 6:29 AM

San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black should be a priority waiver wire target for managers in 12+ team leagues. Black rushed for 65 yards on 14 carries in Week 1, and he also caught one pass for five receiving yards. This was one of the first times during Christian McCaffrey's stint with the 49ers that we saw a backup handle 10+ touches, even though McCaffrey was active. There are a few factors to consider here. First, McCaffrey was returning from an undisclosed injury, so maybe he wasn't 100 percent and the 49ers wanted to use Black to keep him fresh. Second, the 49ers won by 20 points, so it makes a little more sense to integrate the depth players once the game gets out of hand. Still, this was a fascinating development for the 49ers and their rookie running back. At worst, Black is a bench handcuff who would jump to the RB2 tier if McCaffrey gets hurt. At best, Black can have weekly RB3/flex value of his own.


Week 1 Projections

Fant.
Pts.
Rush.
Yds.
Rush
TD
Rec. Rec.
Yds.
Rec
TD
3.4 14.8 0.1 0.8 6.0 0.0

Emmett Johnson News

Emmett Johnson To Play RB2 Role Against Denver

Saturday, September 12, 11:50 AM

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson will man the RB2 role against the Denver Broncos in Week 1. Johnson has impressed throughout training camp and the preseason and has established himself as the RB2 on the Kansas City depth chart. It remains to be seen how much run he will get behind the presumptive bell-cow Kenneth Walker, but Johnson should be efficient with his opportunities. The rookie back displayed that his tackle-breaking ability has transferred over to the NFL from college as he shed defenders numerous times throughout the preseason. Johnson also showed some of his pass-catching ability, giving even more reason to view him as a desirable handcuff behind Walker. Johnson's opportunities may be few and yards may be hard to come by against the Denver defense on Monday night. The Broncos allowed the second-fewest rushing yards in the NFL last season, and that run-stopping ability is likely to carry over to this year. Johnson is ranked RB56 in our RotoBaller Week 1 PPR rankings, making him a very low-end flex option in deep leagues. Fantasy managers should view Johnson as more of a handcuff/bench stash rather than an actual viable starter in his current situation.


Kaelon Black vs. Emmett Johnson

Still trying to decide between Black and Johnson? Check on the latest news to make sure both players are active and healthy. Our PPR projections show that Kaelon Black is projected to score 4.2 points this week while Emmett Johnson is projected to score 3.4 points.