Who Should I Start? Kaelon Black or Jonah Coleman


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
3.6 13.9 0.1 0.9 7.0 0.0

Jonah Coleman News

Managers Should Temper Expectations for Jonah Coleman in Week 1

Saturday, September 12, 9:30 PM

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman was viewed as one of the most intriguing Day 3 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, but fantasy managers should pump the brakes on starting him against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. The Washington product is still No. 3 on the Broncos' depth chart behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. It's extremely rare for three running backs on the same team to carve out fantasy relevance in the same game, especially against a defense like the Chiefs. Given that Dobbins and Harvey are both RB3/flex options for Week 1, Coleman is the odd man out from a fantasy perspective. In fact, Harvey was in a similar situation last year as a Day 3 pick with tremendous upside, and even he didn't start to produce consistent fantasy outputs until Week 8. Coleman is a very trendy name in dynasty leagues, and he's even a solid redraft stash for managers in leagues with 12+ teams. However, those same managers will have to be patient, because he faces an uphill battle to earn significant playing time right away. The RotoBaller experts agree, ranking Coleman as the overall RB62 in PPR leagues for Week 1.


Kaelon Black vs. Jonah Coleman

Still trying to decide between Black and Coleman? 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 Jonah Coleman is projected to score 3.6 points.