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Is Jaylen Warren or Kaleb Johnson the RB1 for the Steelers? Should you draft Warren or Johnson in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Joey's expert draft analysis and advice.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' running back room will look a bit different from last year. Najee Harris is no longer with the team, and the Steelers added two running backs this offseason. They signed Kenneth Gainwell to a cheap one-year deal and then selected Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Those two running backs will now join Jaylen Warren to form this backfield group in 2025. While Gainwell is expected to start the season as the RB3, the competition for the RB1 spot between Warren and Johnson continues to heat up.
But is Warren or Johnson the RB1 for the Steelers this upcoming season? Which running back should fantasy managers be looking to target in 2025 fantasy football drafts? Let's dive in and find out.
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Jaylen Warren Fantasy Football Outlook
Warren will enter the season as the longest-tenured Steelers running back. He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, but has been a steady force in this Pittsburgh offense over the past few years. The 26-year-old has totaled at least 800 yards from scrimmage in each of the past two seasons, including a 210-touch, 1,154-yard campaign in 2023.
That breakout campaign saw Warren emerge as a solid RB2 option for fantasy managers. He finished as the RB22 in PPR formats and averaged 11.6 PPR fantasy points per game. The biggest reason for his RB2 fantasy finish that year had to do with his usage in the passing game. The Oklahoma State product caught 61 passes for 370 yards during that season.
However, Warren wasn't as involved on offense this past year. His numbers across the board were down, as he averaged a career-low 4.26 yards per carry to go with 158 touches and 821 yards from scrimmage. With Harris handling most of the running back work throughout the 2024 season, the former undrafted running back didn't see a ton of opportunities each game.
This season should be a different story, though. Harris' departure opens up roughly 300 touches in this backfield, and Warren should be the biggest beneficiary of that. So, we could realistically see the soon-to-be fourth-year running back go from 150-200 touches to more like 250 touches, especially given his potential in the receiving game.
Warren finished fifth in receptions (61), 13th in receiving yards (370), and 17th in fantasy points per opportunity (0.88) among all running backs in 2023. He then finished 13th in target share (11.9%), 13th in yards per reception (8.2), and 19th in receiving yards (310) across 15 games last year. That makes him a sneaky target in the later rounds of your drafts.
The Steelers ran the ball at the fifth-highest clip last season, and we all know that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves to lean on the run in his scheme. So, it's fair to assume that Warren will be heavily involved in both the running and passing game. He also has the inside track on the starting job over Johnson.
Mike Tomlin says Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Jonnu Smith, Pat Freiermuth, Isaac Seumalo, Jaylen Warren, Darius Slay, JPJ, Jalen Ramsey, DeShon Elliott, Patrick Queen, Cam Heyward, T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, and Chris Boswell will all NOT play on Saturday.
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) August 7, 2025
Warren has been working with the first-team offense for most of training camp and will sit out Saturday's preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars with the rest of the starters. That puts him in a great spot to be a solid flex play each week of the fantasy season, considering he could total upward of 50 catches this season.
Kaleb Johnson Fantasy Football Outlook
The Steelers were always going to take a running back early in the 2025 NFL Draft. They let Harris walk in the offseason and didn't sign any big-name running backs in free agency. So, when Pittsburgh was on the clock in the third round, the team selected Johnson with the 83rd overall pick. The Iowa product was the sixth running back taken in the draft following an incredible final college season.
Johnson ran for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns for the Hawkeyes and added 22 catches for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the passing game. His best rushing performance of the year came earlier in the season in a conference game against Minnesota. In that contest, the Iowa running back ran for a career-high 206 yards and three touchdowns.
This is also the same running back who put together a strong true freshman season in 2022. He led the Hawkeyes with 779 rush yards and had a 200-yard rushing performance against Purdue in just his ninth career college game. So, the Steelers are getting a bruiser-type running back who has the potential to be the RB1 in this offense.
However, it is somewhat unlikely that Johnson will be the team's RB1 to start his career. Warren has been taking most of the first-team reps this offseason, and rookies are usually eased into their respective offenses in their first professional season. That means there's a strong chance that the 21-year-old will begin the season as Pittsburgh's RB2.
Despite probably starting the season in that RB2 role, that doesn't mean Johnson won't eventually overtake Warren for that starting job. He has been taking some reps with the first-team offense and figures to be the team's short-yardage back. The rookie comes in at 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, compared to Warren's 5-foot-8 frame and Gainwell's 5-foot-9 build.
Kaleb Johnson fantasy stock 📈
(via @TonyPauline) pic.twitter.com/LpDjb1Oc8c
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) August 5, 2025
That gives Johnson an excellent opportunity to begin the year as the team's goal-line back. With that in mind, the rookie could be a sneaky pick in the middle-to-late rounds of drafts. He should receive more touches as the year goes on, and Warren has always taken a backseat in Pittsburgh's run game over the years.
Therefore, Johnson could see upward of 200 carries as a rookie. If that's the case, we could expect him to total over 800 yards and eight touchdowns on the year. That's good enough to make him a weekly flex play with RB2 upside.
Who Should You Draft in Fantasy Football?
Both Johnson and Warren are being drafted very close to one another. The rookie currently has an 80.4 ADP, while the three-year veteran has a 92.5 ADP. The closeness of their ADPs likely suggests that we don't know how this backfield will exactly play out in 2025. One thing we do know, though, is that both running backs will be involved in some capacity.
That makes both Steelers backs worth a look in most leagues. However, if you had to choose only one running back to take in this offense, Warren might be the better overall selection due to his potential involvement in the passing game.
Given the lack of receiving options in Pittsburgh's offense, there is a chance that Warren continues to be a significant factor in the receiving game. Don't forget, it was just two years ago that he totaled 61 catches with the Steelers. He should also remain involved in the running game, meaning a 200-touch season could be on the horizon. That could help him be a reliable flex option for fantasy managers.
Kaleb Johnson very complimentary of Jaylen Warren’s willingness to mentor him in all phases, specifically pass protection.
They’ve been putting in additional work after practice as well. pic.twitter.com/DYsbzLrPMU
— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) August 3, 2025
Both Steelers running backs could turn out to be value picks. Johnson will likely see more opportunities as the season goes on, and Warren has the receiving upside to stay fantasy-relevant in PPR formats.
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