There are those among us who like to squat on backup running backs, waiting for an injury to turn a lightly used backup into a premium asset. And it looks the wait is over for those who’ve been holding Emmett Johnson. Kansas City says Kenneth Walker won’t be playing at Atlanta.
That makes Johnson a starter for one of league’s top half-dozen teams, and the results could be really nice.
Now, there’s a talent dropoff. Walker is averaging 108 rushing yards per game, with the wheels to rip off long runs. Johnson is a rookie who’s carried 26 times for 111 yards in his brief career. But Johnson has been coming on of late, with 6 catches for 34 yards last week and 5 catches for 128 yards at Denver the previous week, with a 73-yard touchdown.
Part of the success in KC comes from the OL, and it’s still in place. So I would expect Johnsoni is in the mix for top-10 numbers among running backs. And with Walker having never been a durable guy, I would think Johnson probably will be starting again before the year is through.
The other running back out there who looks like an injury waiting to happen is Jahmyr Gibbs. He’s a great player, but they seem to be running him into the group, with him averaging 26 touches per game. So those who are kicking themselves for not picking Emmett Johnson should perhaps be thinking about stashing away Sione Vaki.
Briefly running the numbers on these kind of backs, however, the stats suggest the injuries aren’t as common as guys like me would have you believe.
Since 2001, 51 running backs have averaged at least 24 touches in the first eight games of the season. (Gibbs is in this group, but Walker is not.) Of those previous 50, only five missed 3-plus games, and only another five missed two games. So that’s only 10 of 50 (20 percent) who missed at least two games. Another 11 missed one game (some sitting out the final week), leaving us with about 60 percent who didn’t get hurt.
In the chart below, guys missing at least three games are tagged with dots. (There’s an “MG” column in there – it shows missed games.) Players are ordered by how heavily they were used in the first half of the season.
| OVERWORKED RUNNING BACKS SINCE 2002 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | MG | Run | Rec | TD | TD | PPR | Rk |
| 2002 | Priest Holmes, K.C. | 2 | 1,615 | 672 | 2,287 | 24 | 442.7 | 1 |
| 2021 | • Derrick Henry, Ten. | 9 | 937 | 154 | 1,091 | 10 | 193.4 | 22 |
| 2014 | DeMarco Murray, Dall. | 0 | 1,845 | 416 | 2,261 | 13 | 361.1 | 2 |
| 2004 | Clinton Portis, Was. | 1 | 1,315 | 235 | 1,550 | 7 | 241.8 | 9 |
| 2006 | Larry Johnson, K.C. | 0 | 1,789 | 410 | 2,199 | 19 | 374.9 | 3 |
| 2003 | Ricky Williams, Mia. | 0 | 1,372 | 351 | 1,723 | 10 | 282.3 | 9 |
| 2002 | LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. | 0 | 1,683 | 489 | 2,172 | 15 | 386.2 | 2 |
| 2005 | Edgerrin James, Ind. | 1 | 1,506 | 337 | 1,843 | 14 | 312.3 | 5 |
| 2004 | • Priest Holmes, K.C. | 8 | 892 | 187 | 1,079 | 15 | 216.9 | 18 |
| 2004 | Curtis Martin, NYJ | 0 | 1,697 | 245 | 1,942 | 14 | 319.2 | 5 |
| 2006 | Edgerrin James, Ari. | 0 | 1,159 | 217 | 1,376 | 6 | 211.6 | 17 |
| 2026 | Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2006 | Steven Jackson, St.L. | 0 | 1,528 | 806 | 2,334 | 16 | 419.4 | 2 |
| 2017 | • Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 6 | 983 | 269 | 1,252 | 9 | 205.2 | 12 |
| 2009 | • Cedric Benson, Cin. | 3 | 1,251 | 111 | 1,362 | 6 | 189.2 | 20 |
| 2019 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 0 | 1,387 | 1,005 | 2,392 | 19 | 471.2 | 1 |
| 2003 | Ahman Green, G.B. | 0 | 1,883 | 367 | 2,250 | 20 | 395.0 | 3 |
| 2010 | Adrian Peterson, Min. | 1 | 1,298 | 341 | 1,639 | 13 | 277.9 | 5 |
| 2006 | LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. | 0 | 1,815 | 508 | 2,323 | 31 | 483.3 | 1 |
| 2002 | Marshall Faulk, St.L. | 2 | 953 | 537 | 1,490 | 10 | 289.0 | 10 |
| 2006 | Chester Taylor, Min. | 1 | 1,216 | 288 | 1,504 | 6 | 228.4 | 14 |
| 2004 | Edgerrin James, Ind. | 0 | 1,548 | 483 | 2,031 | 9 | 310.1 | 6 |
| 2012 | Arian Foster, Hou. | 0 | 1,424 | 217 | 1,641 | 17 | 306.1 | 3 |
| 2006 | Tiki Barber, NYG | 0 | 1,662 | 465 | 2,127 | 5 | 300.7 | 6 |
| 2003 | LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. | 0 | 1,645 | 725 | 2,370 | 17 | 444.1 | 2 |
| 2003 | Tiki Barber, NYG | 0 | 1,216 | 461 | 1,677 | 3 | 256.7 | 11 |
| 2010 | • Frank Gore, S.F. | 5 | 853 | 452 | 1,305 | 5 | 206.5 | 17 |
| 2003 | Stephen Davis, Car. | 2 | 1,444 | 159 | 1,603 | 8 | 222.3 | 15 |
| 2002 | Deuce McAllister, N.O. | 1 | 1,388 | 352 | 1,740 | 16 | 317.0 | 8 |
| 2005 | Willis McGahee, Buff. | 0 | 1,247 | 178 | 1,425 | 5 | 200.5 | 16 |
| 2003 | Jamal Lewis, Balt. | 0 | 2,066 | 205 | 2,271 | 14 | 337.1 | 4 |
| 2018 | Todd Gurley, LAR | 2 | 1,251 | 580 | 1,831 | 21 | 374.1 | 3 |
| 2007 | Willie Parker, Pitt. | 1 | 1,316 | 164 | 1,480 | 2 | 183.0 | 20 |
| 2010 | Chris Johnson, Ten. | 0 | 1,364 | 245 | 1,609 | 12 | 276.9 | 6 |
| 2008 | Matt Forte, Chi. | 0 | 1,238 | 477 | 1,715 | 12 | 306.5 | 2 |
| 2003 | Priest Holmes, K.C. | 0 | 1,420 | 690 | 2,110 | 27 | 447.0 | 1 |
| 2019 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 1 | 1,152 | 522 | 1,674 | 3 | 261.4 | 7 |
| 2008 | Clinton Portis, Was. | 0 | 1,487 | 218 | 1,705 | 9 | 252.5 | 10 |
| 2003 | Deuce McAllister, N.O. | 0 | 1,641 | 516 | 2,157 | 8 | 332.7 | 5 |
| 2002 | Ricky Williams, Mia. | 0 | 1,853 | 363 | 2,216 | 17 | 370.6 | 3 |
| 2022 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 1 | 1,538 | 398 | 1,936 | 13 | 308.8 | 4 |
| 2025 | Christian McCaffrey, S.F. | 0 | 1,202 | 924 | 2,126 | 17 | 416.6 | 1 |
| 2005 | LaMont Jordan, Oak. | 2 | 1,025 | 563 | 1,588 | 11 | 296.8 | 6 |
| 2013 | Jamaal Charles, K.C. | 1 | 1,287 | 693 | 1,980 | 19 | 382.0 | 1 |
| 2004 | Tiki Barber, NYG | 0 | 1,518 | 578 | 2,096 | 15 | 351.6 | 1 |
| 2016 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 1 | 1,631 | 363 | 1,994 | 16 | 327.4 | 2 |
| 2015 | Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 1 | 1,056 | 578 | 1,634 | 14 | 320.4 | 1 |
| 2020 | Derrick Henry, Ten. | 0 | 2,027 | 114 | 2,141 | 17 | 337.1 | 3 |
| 2005 | LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. | 0 | 1,462 | 370 | 1,832 | 20 | 368.6 | 2 |
| 2002 | Jamal Lewis, Balt. | 0 | 1,327 | 442 | 1,769 | 7 | 265.9 | 13 |
—Ian Allan

