Who Should I Start? Kaelon Black or Mike Washington Jr.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Kaelon Black News
Saturday, May 2, 11:43 AM
After recording 1,040 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on 186 carries across 16 games for the University of Indiana in 2025, running back Kaelon Black was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Black's path to immediate playing time is blocked off by all-world 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey, who has led the NFL in touches in two out of the last three seasons. However, McCaffrey has also played seven games or fewer in three out of his last five campaigns. Black likely enters his rookie season in a battle with Jordan James and Isaac Guerendo for the RB2 role in San Francisco. Both James and Guerendo offer some upside, but neither has proven worthy of a consistent role at the NFL level. If Black emerges as the 49ers' lead backup in training camp, his upside as a handcuff option would be through the roof. Additionally, with McCaffrey entering his age-30 season, Black could be a key part of San Francisco's future at the running back position. His dynasty stock is rising following the NFL Draft.
Week 1 Projections
| Fant. Pts. |
Rush. Yds. |
Rush TD |
Rec. | Rec. Yds. |
Rec TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Mike Washington Jr. News
Tuesday, June 2, 12:28 PM
After recording 1,296 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns on 195 touches across 12 games at the University of Arkansas in 2025, running back Mike Washington Jr. was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Even after a relatively disappointing rookie season, 2025 number six overall pick Ashton Jeanty remains firmly atop the Raiders running back depth chart going into 2026. However, Washington Jr. could be the favorite for the RB2 role in a backfield that also contains Dylan Laube, Chris Collier, and Roman Hemby. Jeanty has the skill set of a three-down workhorse and logged 321 touches across 17 games in 2025, so there may not end up being much fantasy-relevant playing time behind him in Las Vegas. At the same time, Jeanty averaged a highly inefficient 3.7 yards per carry last season, and the Raiders could be looking to keep him fresher by spreading out their backfield touches a bit more. Washington Jr. could be a solid buy-low target for dynasty managers heading into 2026, given the opportunity available to him in Las Vegas.
Kaelon Black vs. Mike Washington Jr.
Still trying to decide between Black and Washington Jr.? 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 0.0 points this week while Mike Washington Jr. is projected to score 0.0 points.
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