Kaleb Johnson Fantasy Stats

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson had an incredibly disheartening rookie season in 2025, tallying just 69 rushing yards and nine receiving yards. He was a healthy scratch seven times, and he didn't register a single return on special teams after Week 2. The Iowa product quickly became a non-factor on the Steelers' roster, which was somewhat surprising since the team drafted him in the third round of last year's draft. Johnson's outlook with the Steelers could be dissipating as quickly as it was ignited. Between his subpar 2025 season and the arrival of a new coaching staff that has no pre-existing ties to him, Johnson seems like he could be the odd man out in Pittsburgh's backfield next year. The Steelers signed Rico Dowdle to pair with Jaylen Warren, so at best, Johnson will be the team's No. 3 running back. It's only been a year, but he's already droppable in most dynasty leagues.

A third-round selection out of the University of Iowa in the 2025 NFL Draft, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson appeared to have an opportunity to play a significant role in his team's backfield as a rookie. Instead, the 22-year-old spent the 2025 season buried on the Steelers' depth chart and barely got a chance to take the field. Across 10 games played, Johnson recorded just 78 yards from scrimmage on 29 touches. Veteran Pittsburgh running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell dominated the team's backfield work throughout the year, as each back topped 180 touches and 1,000 yards from scrimmage. Gainwell is set to hit unrestricted free agency this spring, which could eliminate one obstacle from Johnson's pathway to playing time. However, even if the Steelers do not bring Gainwell back, Johnson did little as a rookie to convince Pittsburgh that it should not bring in another veteran to complement Warren in 2026. Johnson is still very young, and he could work his way back into the team's plans with a full offseason of development. However, his fantasy stock in dynasty formats has taken a major hit after his underwhelming rookie campaign.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson (coach's decision) and wide receiver Roman Wilson (coach's decision) are both healthy scratches for Sunday's Week 16 contest against the Detroit Lions. Johnson is inactive for the very first time in his rookie campaign. The 22-year-old played just 3% of the snaps last Monday versus Miami, and he has just 28 carries, 69 rushing yards, one catch, and nine receiving yards so far this year. Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell are the Steelers' only active running backs on Sunday. Meanwhile, Wilson is inactive for the third game in a row. He has 12 catches, 166 yards, and two touchdowns in his second NFL campaign, and he hasn't caught a pass since Week 11. At the wide receiver position, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek are active, offering additional depth behind DK Metcalf, Calvin Austin III, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson continues to be one of the most disappointing rookies from the 2025 draft class. The 22-year-old Iowa product played a marginal role once again last week, amassing two carries for four rushing yards on a 3% snap share in the Steelers' win over the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. In total this year, he has 28 carries, 69 rushing yards, one catch, and nine receiving yards. He hasn't earned more than six touches in a single game, and he has played more than 12% of the offensive snaps in just two contests. It's not like Johnson has been relegated to special teams, either. He has just 11 special teams snaps this year and hasn't handled a single kick or punt return since a Week 2 blunder in the end zone that directly resulted in an opponent touchdown. Johnson and his fantasy managers are certainly ready to close the book on the 2025 season and turn the page to next year. With Kenneth Gainwell set to hit free agency in March, Johnson could have a chance to carve out a fantasy-relevant role behind Jaylen Warren in 2026.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson won't be on the fantasy radar for this weekend's clash with the visiting Buffalo Bills. The former third-round pick has had a quiet rookie season, amassing 58 yards on 22 carries across seven appearances. At the beginning of the campaign, Johnson appeared to be on his way to playing a sizable snap share in a backfield ripe for the taking. That didn't come to fruition, though, as teammates Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell have formed a formidable duo for the Steelers. Furthermore, opportunities in Pittsburgh are hard to come by, considering the team boasts the third-slowest pace of play (56.7 plays per game). As it stands, the University of Iowa alum is a talented athlete, but his path to playing time -- at least in 2025 -- is less clear than we'd like for fantasy. Either way, he's still a nice stash in dynasty leagues.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson has seen a minimal role in the offense during his rookie season. However, Johnson could see an increased role this week. Lead back Jaylen Warren (ankle) is currently uncertain to suit up against the Chicago Bears in Week 12. If he sits, Kenneth Gainwell figures to take over as the lead back with Johnson presumably being the backup. Last week, Johnson rushed the ball five times for 15 yards in the win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Gainwell is the better option between the two right now, but Johnson might have some deep league appeal if Warren is unable to play.

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.

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson recorded his second straight game without a carry in Week 8. The 22-year-old appears to be completely buried on the Steelers' depth chart at running back behind veterans Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. Johnson has logged just 36 rushing yards on 14 attempts so far in his rookie season. Beyond his lack of touches, Johnson has not played an offensive snap in either of Pittsburgh's last two games. Unless there's an injury to one or both of Warren and Gainwell, Johnson should remain off the radar of redraft fantasy managers.

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie running back Kaleb Johnson had his best chance yet for a breakout game in Week 4 with Steelers RB1 Jaylen Warren (knee) sidelined by a knee injury. However, Johnson remained stuck behind veteran back Kenneth Gainwell, who logged 134 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns on 25 total touches against the Minnesota Vikings. Johnson had just six carries for 22 yards, and has recorded just eight carries for 21 yards on the season. Pittsburgh has a bye in Week 5, and Warren may be ready to return in Week 6 for the Steelers' matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Even if Warren remains out, there's little reason to think Johnson would be set to jump Gainwell on the running back depth chart in Pittsburgh. The 22-year-old rookie maintains fantasy appeal in dynasty leagues, but he's tough to roster with any confidence in redraft formats.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson could see more involvement in the offense during Sunday's game against the Minnesota Vikings. Lead back Jaylen Warren (knee) has been ruled out for this game. That being said, Kenneth Gainwell, Johnson, and possibly Trey Sermon see bigger roles. Johnson has only seen two carries through the first three weeks of the season. However, the Steelers invested a third-round pick on Johnson, so he should start to see an increased role at some point. This seems like a prime opportunity for the Steelers to see what they have in the rookie back. Johnson is too risky to start in fantasy leagues, but is someone to keep an eye on for this early game in Dublin.