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Fantasy football waiver wire pickups analysis for Kaleb Johnson, Keaton Mitchell, Woody Marks in Week 1 (2026). Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
Running back handcuffs can provide outsized contingent upside in fantasy football leagues when their starter goes down with an injury. They can also surprise by siphoning some of the workload of the starter when they're underperforming.
Green Bay Packers running back Kaleb Johnson, Los Angeles Chargers tailback Keaton Mitchell, and Houston Texans RB Woody Marks are three such players that you may consider picking up off waivers ahead of Week 1. Two of them are on new teams, and one of them was a viable fantasy option last season.
That doesn't guarantee anything for this year, but it's at least worth evaluating whether they're deserving of a roster spot. So should you add Johnson, Mitchell, or Marks as waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season? Let's dive in.
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Kaleb Johnson Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 1% of leagues
Johnson was essentially dumped by the team that drafted him in the third round just a year earlier. He was a prospect whose value was inflated in the NFL Draft thanks to playing on a team that opened gigantic holes for him to run through.
My analysis didn't lead me to believe he was a starting-caliber running back. Now that he's with the Packers, though, perhaps a fresh start will give him an opportunity to at least back up the current lead back, MarShawn Lloyd. Lloyd's injury issues may make it difficult for Packers offensive coaches to give him a workhorse role.
Since we saw Kaleb Johnson look bad in his preseason game, it's worth looking at his college tape for all the bad plays I saw. A general lack of athleticism is one thing I dislike about him. We can't brush away the bad reps because of his overall stats. pic.twitter.com/lEHnwTyLlw
— JohnJohn Analysis (@JohnJohnalytics) August 12, 2025
Johnson disappointed in his first season and hardly saw the field. It might be an uphill battle for him to get the RB2 role away from RB Chris Brooks, who had at least minimal productivity when his number was called in 2024. Green Bay's offensive line regressed in 2025, and none of their backs were particularly efficient.
My analysis indicates that it will be difficult for Johnson to get a role meaningful for fantasy football. I'd rather pick up Brooks as his path to receiving work could be clearer. It could be a nasty committee overall. Lloyd has some upside, but the other backs might not.
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Keaton Mitchell Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 5% of leagues
The Los Angeles Chargers will run some sort of backfield split in 2026. Their offensive coordinator, Mike McDaniel, said as much when asked. That doesn't mean any RB other than lead back Omarion Hampton will be relevant in fantasy football on a consistent basis.
But McDaniel gave RB De'Von Achane a meaningful workload in his rookie season. Mitchell might see enough work to be worth drafting in Best Ball leagues, where the inconsistency of his week-to-week performances wouldn't be as negative for your roster.
Keaton Mitchell getting shifty on his way to the end zone 💨
INDvsBAL on @NFLNetwork
Watch live out-of-market preseason games on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Sx1CV98Kgz— NFL (@NFL) August 7, 2025
Mitchell is a far more athletic back than RB Kimani Vidal, who should have a minimal role. It's hard to predict these things, but Mitchell has enough upside to be worth adding in deeper PPR leagues and Best Ball leagues.
It may be frustrating having him on fantasy rosters, though, because if Hampton does go down, we likely see some sort of committee between Mitchell and Vidal. The diminutive Mitchell is not well-suited for short-yardage and goal-line carries.
Add in 14-Team and Best Ball leagues
Woody Marks Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 65% of leagues
Marks is already rostered in a very high proportion of leagues. While many believed that he'd be the Texans lead back for 2026, Houston had other ideas. They signed RB David Montgomery to a two-year, $16.5 million contract ahead of the 2026 season. He'll be the team's lead back.
Marks had a few nice games, but he doesn't have good contact balance and isn't a great option at the goal-line. While he should still be mixed in on some passing downs, the contract they handed Montgomery suggests he'll be the lead back and be a workhorse.
DAVID MONTGOMERY 35-YARD HOUSE CALL
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Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/WhrhQ1Y5nZ— NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2025
My analysis indicates the talent discrepancy is quite large, and that Marks will be an afterthought, fantasy-wise, in this offense. Meanwhile, "Monty" is set up well to score at least 11 rushing touchdowns and eclipse 1,000 yards rushing. He's a great value in the 4th round of fantasy drafts.
Marks is a handcuff with contingent upside in case Monty gets hurt, but not much more than that, in my eyes. He averaged under 3.6 yards per carry his rookie season -- even though Houston's offensive line isn't good, that's just not sustainably good enough production to justify a large rushing role.
Monty isn't the best pass-catcher, though he does have some elusiveness in the open field. Marks' receiving role will likely be slightly diminished by the presence of the new veteran, putting yet another damper on his upside case.
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Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Kaleb Johnson, Keaton Mitchell, Woody Marks. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pickup... all free! Make the right decisions.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus in on specific players - Kaleb Johnson, Keaton Mitchell, Woody Marks. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections and more.
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How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and update it constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players that are ranked.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Kaleb Johnson, Keaton Mitchell, Woody Marks:
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