Minutes before it became public knowledge that Josh Jacobs would be placed on the Commissioner's Exempt List -- a place in roster limbo for players most commonly under investigation for serious crimes -- the Green Bay Packers made a deal. They dealt a sixth round draft pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers for running back Kaleb Johnson.
This is important insurance for the Packers. Jacobs was charged with two misdemeanors, battery and destruction of property, stemming from an alleged domestic violence situation. He could miss an extended stretch due to NFL discipline.
His top backup the last two seasons, Emanuel Wilson, is now a Seattle Seahawk. His projected top backup for 2026 is MarShawn Lloyd, who was a third-round draft pick in 2024 but has played
only 10 regular season snaps due to injury.
Green Bay needed runners. They found a player who led the Big Ten in rushing yards in 2024 and was a third-round pick in 2025. He's got more opportunity in Wisconsin than he had in Pittsburgh. So what is his fantasy football outlook after his change of scenery?
Should you draft Kaleb Johnson in your fantasy league?
How bad did things get for Johnson? Despite needing reps, he only had two handoffs across three preseason games that came before halftime. He was stuck behind Lew Nichols, Eli Heidenreich, and Travis Homer in the preseason, making him the Steelers' RB6. Even though he was facing off against fourth-string defenses, he still managed only 55 yards on 17 carries (3.2 per touch).
Certainly a lack of elite blocking didn't help, but this isn't an isolated incident. Johnson averaged 2.5 yards per carry as a rookie across 10 games. He had only two targets in 51 offensive snaps and caught one for nine yards.
NFL Pro has him at -0.4 rush yards over expected (RYOE) per carry inside the tackles and -0.9 RYOE on runs to the outside. He may get some 10-touch games in Green Bay. History suggests he's going to turn that into about 31 yards and plenty of regret that you started him over... well, almost anyone else worth rostering.
Opportunity is knocking for the young back. Anyone who drafted him last August is acutely aware of his inability to answer the door. If you're in an incredibly deep league, he might be worth a late, late round flier. Otherwise, keep him on the waiver wire until he proves he can be a positive force and roll with another young, high-upside back like Dylan Sampson or Jonah Coleman instead.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Is new Packers RB Kaleb Johnson worth drafting in fantasy?
