The Chiefs selected Johnson in the fifth round of the NFL Draft from Nebraska, and he will compete for a backup role behind Kenneth Walker III this season. If Johnson is No. 2 on the depth chart in Kansas City, then he'll be worth a late-round flier in redraft leagues. He's worth a second-round pick in rookie-only drafts for Dynasty leagues. Johnson will compete with Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado for the backup role behind Walker, and Johnson makes the most sense as the handcuff option for the Chiefs. In 2025 at Nebraska, Johnson had 251 carries for 1,451 yards, 12 touchdowns and 46 catches for 370 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. Johnson likely won't do much as long as Walker is healthy, but he does have Fantasy value if he's second on the depth chart. Keep an eye on what happens in training camp, and Johnson could be a quality stash candidate if he's ahead of Smith and Demarcado to open the year.
Fantasy News
Chiefs' Emmett Johnson: Productive with nine touches Friday
Rotowire
Johnson rushed seven times for 39 yards and brought in both targets for 15 yards in the Chiefs' 9-9 preseason tie with the Seahawks on Friday.
The rookie fifth-round pick put together a strong finish to an encouraging preseason, one where he rushed 26 times for 123 yards and a touchdown and added a 6-35-0 line on seven targets. Johnson's primary competition for a depth role, Brashard Smith, had a productive 16-carry, 72-yard effort in his own right Friday, so it remains to be seen where each will slot on the depth chart behind the top duo of Kenneth Walker (ankle) and Emari Demercado.
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Chiefs' Emmett Johnson: Logs 69 yards in preseason loss
Rotowire
Johnson turned 12 carries into 59 yards and caught all three of his targets for 10 yards during the Chiefs' 20-12 loss to the Rams in Saturday's preseason game.
Johnson led all running backs in both carries and rushing yards and finished second in receiving yards at the position behind Brashard Smith (12). Following Saturday's game, Johnson drew praise from head coach Andy Reid, who noted the rookie fifth-rounder "ran hard and aggressively... he's one of the positives coming out of this," per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com. Johnson is currently listed as the Chiefs' RB3 ahead of Smith and behind Kenneth Walker and Emari Demercado, but more performances like Saturday's could push Johnson ahead of Demercado for the No. 2 role by the start of the regular season. The Chiefs' next preseason game takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 against the Buccaneers.
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Chiefs' Emmett Johnson: Draws LeSean McCoy comp from Reid
Rotowire
Johnson is competing with Brashard Smith and Emari Demercado for slotting on Kansas City's running back depth chart behind Kenneth Walker, Grant Gordon of NFL.com reports.
The Chiefs almost completely remade their backfield compared to last season, letting Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco walk while retaining the 2025 seventh-round pick Smith, and signing Walker and Demercado before drafting Johnson in the fifth round. Kansas City also signed undrafted free agents Jaydn Ott and EJ Smith. Demercado and Brashard Smith both seem best suited for change-of-pace roles on passing downs, so Johnson could have a clear lane to getting the second-most carries behind Walker. Head coach Andy Reid compared Johnson's skill set to that of former NFL running back LeSean McCoy, who exceeded 1,000 regular-season rushing yards on six occasions.
