After Week 1, Kaleb Johnson fantasy football owners aren’t feeling great following his low usage in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense.
While it’s not always smart to overreact to things that happen in Week 1, some red flags around the league are warning fantasy owners for the year to come. Although he had a relatively low average draft position (ADP) in drafts (FantasyPros ranked him as RB29), he was viewed by many as a high upside pick who had very little “bust” potential. After a disastrous start to this season, it is hard to imagine the Kaleb Johnson fantasy outlook gets much lower after his low usage in Week 1.
Kaleb Johnson Fantasy Outlook After Low Week 1 Usage
Gainwell Plays Early-Down Role
Most years, Week 1 is an outlier week that sees a lot of big players struggle and random players put up big points for fantasy. The one constant, though, is that those great players have solid usage rates, which was not the case for Kaleb Johnson. Out of the 56 total snaps the Steelers had on offense, Kaleb Johnson played just two snaps. That was mostly because of how much the Steelers leaned on Kenneth Gainwell in early-down roles. With the Steelers investing in Jaylen Warren, as seen by his recent contract extension, that leaves little room for Johnson to operate.
Gainwell played 29 total snaps, leading the Steelers’ running backs, while Jaylen Warren played 25 snaps. The veteran backs may not be the best running backs in the league, but both have plenty of experience as runners, receivers, and solid pass blockers. With the pair being solid in virtually every aspect of the game, rookie Kaleb Johnson will have to prove himself and prove his value to the team. With a lack of opportunities, he’ll need to really show up in those situations to demand more playing time.
Steelers Are All-In
It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers are “all-in.” It’s also not a secret that players have to earn quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ respect and trust on the field. He calls for nothing but perfection, and anything less puts players in a precarious situation. With both of these things at play for Pittsburgh, they don’t have time for mistakes. Since Gainwell and Warren have proven their worth over the past few years and have been so dependable, neither the Steelers nor Aaron Rodgers will give Johnson touches and/or playing time that he hasn’t earned.
Unfortunately for Johnson, he was probably a net negative for the Steelers. While it was admittedly a small sample size, Johnson had one carry for negative yards and fumbled a kickoff return in his first touch of the game. Neither of those plays nor outcomes will result in much sympathy from the team or Rodgers. It actually wouldn’t be very surprising if his trust and status within the team are even lower than it was before the game, which is saying something.
Kaleb Johnson’s Future Prospects
Everybody with eyes that saw Kaleb Johnson in training camp or college knows he’s an extremely talented player. Johnson has decent speed, good size and there was a reason the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the third round. Clearly, the Steelers see a future with Johnson as their running back and know he can produce for them in the future.
Unfortunately, the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers are full of extremely talented players. While Johnson will eventually carve out a role in this team and likely a solid career, his lack of usage, early struggles, and the trust in players above him in the depth chart have absolutely tanked the outlook for Kaleb Johnson fantasy football owners in redraft leagues.
