Who Should I Start? Tyrone Tracy Jr. or Kaleb Johnson

Saturday, November 8, 10:14 AM

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. remains the team's starter heading into Week 10 against the Chicago Bears, offensive coordinator Mike Kafka told members of the media. When asked about Tracy and Devin Singletary handling a roughly equal snap share last week, Kafka explained that snaps are allocated based on the flow of the game, and factors include players who are running well and whether a running back taps their helmet to come out of the game. He said that it's difficult to track running back snaps when a drive is moving quickly, and it's easier to monitor per quarter or per half. All of these comments seem to indicate that while Tracy will earn the start in Week 10, New York's backfield structure is dynamic. We could see Tracy lead the backfield in some weeks, Singletary in some weeks, and an even split from time to time. For now, Tracy remains the preferred Giants running back in fantasy football, ranking as a high-end RB3 against a solid Bears run defense.

Friday, November 7, 7:59 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson was going as a late-round flier with upside in fantasy drafts this fall, but he was quickly sent to the waiver wire. The 22-year-old third-rounder out of Iowa has been a distant third on Pittsburgh's RB depth chart behind Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell this year, and he didn't help himself with a costly special-teams blunder early in the season. So far through his first five NFL games, Johnson has handled only 15 rushing attempts for 40 yards (2.7 yards per carry) while catching one of his two targets for nine yards. He played five offensive snaps in last week's win over the Indianapolis Colts, which was actually an improvement after not playing at all the previous two games. It will take an injury to Warren or Gainwell for Johnson to get more involved, which means he's only stash-worthy in fantasy football in dynasty/keeper leagues.