Is Emmett Johnson the perfect late-round RB stash?
Yahoo Fantasy's Matt Harmon and Harris Football's Chris Harris discuss the fantasy outlook for the Kansas City backfield ahead of the 2026 season. Check out the full conversation on the "Yahoo Fantasy Forecast" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
I think, given Kenneth Walker being a, a really good player who I've always liked and defended- Mm-hmm when he went too low in drafts in Seattle, he's-- I don't get him, but, like, he's fairly valued as a second rounder.
Don't take him in the first.
But he's so oft injured, it just-- I c- really care about who the second running back is, and the Chiefs are notoriously cagey and don't really tell us things.
But I take Emmitt Johnson in the 14th or 15th round- a lot because he's, you know, he's being cast as, "Oh, cool, he'll be the alternate.
That means he's the third down.
That means he's the passing back."
But not being a real college guy myself, I rely on people like you and other people who actually pay attention to college, and I am led to believe that this was a starting running back who was actually very good and could- Mm-hmm conceivably not just be the typical Chief satellite back that's kind of been annoying for many, many years, that isn't usable himself but siphons away.
There's a chance that if the Chiefs offense is maybe back on track and better than it's been maybe the last year and a half or so, maybe there gets to be a second running back that you can use as a flex, and that's why I'm, I'm stashing Emmitt Johnson and just taking a look at him the first couple weeks.
And then probably dropping him 'cause that's what you usually do with these late round picks.
But, you know, the, the kid winning the job was a notable thing for me.
Yeah, it is really notable because everything that the Chiefs have, not just-- I mean, I, I'm with you on, on a lot of this.
I don't really care about what they say.
I care about what they tell us without Like, their actions speak louder than their words.
And- Right everything about Kansas City's actions this off-season say, like, "What we believe is wrong with our offense is that our run game stinks."
And the numbers agree with them.
They're the 32nd ranked team in explosive run rate over the last two years by a healthy dose
