Who Should I Start? Kenneth Walker III or Kaleb Johnson

Tuesday, September 16, 9:07 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III acknowledged that Zach Charbonnet is expected to continue splitting the backfield with him. Through two games, Charbonnet has outsnapped Walker (56% to 38%) and handled more carries (27 to 23). Head coach Mike MacDonald reinforced that approach, saying, "We're playing the long game. We want both backs to play the whole year." Walker also stated that he's buying into the committee approach to preserve his health. "I believe we have two great backs." Walker's history of injuries is expanding, as he missed six games in 2024 and multiple others earlier in his career. For fantasy purposes, Walker's upside is capped, and he should be valued as a high-end RB3 rather than his typical high-end RB2 profile.

Tuesday, September 16, 5:58 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson "probably" will lose kickoff-return duties in Week 3 against the New England Patriots after a crucial special-teams gaffe in the Week 2 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. Johnson allowed a kickoff to bounce over his head and into the end zone on Sunday in the fourth quarter because he thought the play would be called dead. But with the NFL's new kickoff rules, it was a live ball, which the Seahawks recovered for a game-changing touchdown. The Steelers will give Johnson a chance to work his way back into the special teams role, but in the short term, he'll be benched. Fantasy managers had high hopes for the 22-year-old during draft season, but Jaylen Warren's demise has been premature, and Kenneth Gainwell has operated as the No. 2. Johnson only played two snaps on offense in Week 2 and has just two carries for a loss of one yard in his first two NFL games. His special-teams gaffe on Sunday certainly didn't help his cause for a bigger role on offense.