FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Kaleb Johnson Showing Signs of Life?

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Mon, Oct 13 2025 4:28 AM UTC

Steelers Rookie RB Kaleb Johnson went 6-15-0. The stat line was uninspiring, but Johnson did receive the same number of carries as backup RB Kenneth Gainwell. Three of Johnson’s carries came in the fourth quarter, but his other three were sprinkled in throughout the first half. He certainly isn’t usable yet, but the Steelers may continue to ramp Johnson up and give him touches.

2025 Fantasy Football Impact

Johnson only played 18.6% of snaps, but did receive a carry on 54.5% of the snaps that he played.

Johnson still isn’t getting the usage or effectiveness to be rostered in redraft leagues, but it does give him some hope to become a stash late in the season.

Jaylen Warren missed the game before the bye week, leading to a tremendous game from Ganwell. But, Warren went right back to the starting RB role. He played 52.5% of snaps, running routes on 48.3% of those snaps. He ended with 63 total yards

Gainwell only played 33.9% of snaps, and had six carries, tying Johnson. Gainwell did catch all 6 of his targets, giving him a solid PPR fantasy day with 36 total yards.

Dynasty Impact

In dynasty, Johnson managers are likely disappointed by the early output. Combined with Warren’s extension, it doesn’t appear Johnson will take over the backfield even next year. But the ramp up in usage should be a good sign that he could still pay off on his high rookie ADP eventually.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.