Can Jaylen Warren Hold Off Kaleb Johnson as the Steelers' Lead RB in Fantasy Football?

There are a handful of teams across the NFL that have questions marks pertaining to the usage of their running backs, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are among that group. Following the departure of Najee Harris in free agency this offseason, the Steelers are turning to Jaylen Warren and rookie third-round pick Kaleb Johnson to provide them with positive production on the ground.

At the moment, it appears Warren is in the driver's seat to begin the 2025 NFL season as Pittsburgh's starting running back. Can Johnson close the gap at any point and overtake Warren throughout the upcoming season?

Let's take a look at Warren's preseason usage and discuss what we should expect from the Steelers' backfield from a fantasy football perspective.

Note: All ADPs (average draft position) used in this article come from FantasyPros' Consensus ADP for half-PPR leagues.

Jaylen Warren's Preseason Usage

Around the beginning of August, I wrote up Warren as a running back to target in fantasy football drafts if you were deploying a "Zero RB" strategy, highlighting his pay raise and the fact he's more trusted in pass protection right now. If Warren's preseason usage -- or lack thereof -- is any indication of what we should expect to begin the 2025 campaign, the versatile back should handle a decent-sized role in a run-centric offense under coordinator Arthur Smith.

Our Jim Sannes mentioned Warren as a winner this preseason in his biggest fantasy football takeaways from Week 2 of the preseason piece due to the fact he had yet to suit up in either of Pittsburgh's first two exhibition games. While Warren was active for the Steelers' preseason finale versus the Carolina Panthers, he played 8 of the 10 early-down snaps, and PFF's Nathan Jahnke noted that he was the first offensive player on the team to be subbed out.

All signs point toward Warren being the preferred starter for the Steelers in Week 1, especially with Johnson spending two preseason games running behind Kenneth Gainwell before getting a few snaps with the starters in Week 3 of the preseason.

Steelers' Backfield Fantasy Football Outlook

Warren is a capable pass-catcher with 127 career receptions across his first three seasons as Pittsburgh's backup, and his receiving ability is extremely valuable playing alongside a 41-year-old Rodgers who was willing to target running backs last season with the New York Jets. Of the 589 targets the skill players on the Jets totaled last season, 115 of them (19.5%) went to running backs, per ProFootballReference.

Additionally, Warren was averaging 5.1 yards per attempt in his career before dealing with multiple injuries last season. Nevertheless, Warren still managed to finish the 16th-most yards after contact per attempt (3.21) among backs with 100-plus attempts in 2024, according to PFF.

As for Johnson, he was one of my favorite running back prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, earning the 13th-most yards per attempt (6.4), 5th-most rushing touchdowns (21), 13th-most missed tackles forced (66), and 6th-most runs of 10-plus yards (43) among college backs with 100-plus attempts a season ago. Given his size and strength at the position, Johnson could certainly carve out a role in short-yardage and/or goal-to-go situations at some point.

With Week 1 right around the corner, Warren is carrying an ADP of 82.3 (RB30) while Johnson is holding an ADP of 71.3 (RB27). Unless something drastically changes before the season kicks off, I'd take Warren with the idea he'll give me a solid floor throughout the year and has upside -- especially early in the season -- if he holds onto the early-down role.

On the other hand, Johnson is a running back I'd target if I'm comfortable waiting for him to potentially earn more snaps in the latter part of the 2025 campaign and/or become the Steelers' go-to option near the goal line. Being that Rodgers and Smith can't afford to trot out a rookie back who can't be fully trusted in pass protection yet, it seems unlikely that Johnson usurps Warren as the starter early.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.