Page updated
← All windowsSunday Night · Week 2
Giddens is inactive, so McGowan is the last back standing
Write-up updated Sun, Sep 20, 8:10 PM EDT.
Why this pick · the matrix
Evidence: medium. Stash priority: 66/100. Scores are rankings, not probabilities.
Rostered in 1% of ESPN leagues when this board was built. Your league may differ; if he is taken, check the rest of the stable for a lower-rostered back.
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | No stats available before this game week | ||||||
Last 1 games with stats for IND: 0 carries and 1 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 19 | 98 | 4 | 3 | 23 | 2 |
| 2025 | 17 | 323 | 1585 | 55 | 46 | 378 | 20 |
Last 1 games with stats for IND: 19 carries and 4 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
- NFL Week 2 inactives: Players ruled out for Sunday's 14 games
- Colts release Week 2 inactives for SNF vs. Chiefs
Re-checked the official Week 2 inactives about 10 minutes before the 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff: RB DJ Giddens (knee) is out, while Jonathan Taylor and rookie Seth McGowan are dressed (NFL.com tracker updated 9/20 23:00 UTC; NBC Sports 9/20 22:56 UTC). Nothing changed since the earlier check, so McGowan is the only other back available tonight and would take the early-down work if Taylor could not finish. Fact vs. projection: McGowan held the No. 2 job in Week 1 but logged 0 carries and 1 catch, so a lead workload is projected from depth, not observed. He is free almost everywhere; only an in-game Taylor injury makes him matter. Longer term, Giddens has the more complete three-down skill set and no return timetable has been reported beyond tonight's inactive tag, so he stays the better dynasty handcuff while McGowan is a redraft-only, this-week pickup.
Backfield news: Indianapolis' pregame inactives for Sunday night vs. Kansas City rule out RB DJ Giddens with a knee issue; he had been added to the injury report Thursday (9/17) and listed questionable (9/18). Jonathan Taylor and rookie Seth McGowan are the only active backs. Taylor carries no injury designation of his own. No dated report sets a timetable for Giddens' return beyond this game.
Scouting: Seventh-round rookie who holds the No. 2 job ahead of Giddens and kept it through Week 1, but he remains essentially unused behind Taylor's workload. He would be first up if Giddens' knee sits him, though Indianapolis would more likely spread a committee than hand him a lead role.
Starter injury history: 2024: a high ankle sprain (Week 4 vs. PIT) cost him games; he missed at least three games in each season from 2022 through 2024. 2025: played the full 17-game slate above a 70% snap share in all but one game, with 20 total TD. 2026: handled a full Week 1 workload against Baltimore and carries no designation on Indianapolis' Week 2 injury report (dated 9/18).
Johnson is the confirmed RB2 and he is active tonight
Write-up updated Sun, Sep 20, 8:10 PM EDT.
Rest of the stableBrashard Smith (RB3), Ben VanSumeren (FB1)ExpandCollapse
Brashard SmithRB3receiving1% rostered · free long shotMaterial change: despite preseason flashes, Smith played just three snaps in Week 1, all on special teams, with the rookie Johnson ahead of him. Reporting in September described him as a gadget back lacking the size to be trusted in pass protection. Deep-bench only unless two backs ahead of him are unavailable.
Injury history: No reported injury absences since entering the league in 2025. He has played little, so the clean record is weak evidence either way.
48score
Ben VanSumerenFB1fullback0% rostered · free long shotFourth-year converted linebacker signed to Kansas City's initial 16-man practice squad on Sept. 1, 2026 - a notable add given Andy Reid's long use of fullbacks. Blocking and special-teams role only; he carries no meaningful carry or handcuff value.
Injury history: No injury history researched for this profile; the absence of reports does not establish health.
31score
Why this pick · the matrix
Evidence: medium. Stash priority: 65/100. Scores are rankings, not probabilities.
Rostered in 16% of ESPN leagues when this board was built. Your league may differ; if he is taken, check the rest of the stable for a lower-rostered back.
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 8 | 24 | 2 | 2 | 44 | 0 |
| 2025 | No stats available before this game week | ||||||
Last 1 games with stats for KC: 8 carries and 2 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 23 | 173 | 6 | 3 | 18 | 2 |
| 2025 | 17 | 221 | 1027 | 36 | 31 | 282 | 5 |
Last 1 games with stats for KC: 23 carries and 6 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
- NFL Week 2 inactives: Players ruled out for Sunday's 14 games
- Chiefs Snap Count Analysis vs. Broncos: How Did KC Distribute Snaps in Opener?
Reopened the official inactives about 10 minutes before kickoff: Kansas City's Week 2 list (Simmons, Conner, Wiley, Nussmeier, Eason, Pounds, Pyburn) has no running back, so Kenneth Walker III, Emmett Johnson and Brashard Smith are all active (NFL.com tracker updated 9/20 23:00 UTC). Week 1 set the order: Walker 47 snaps (68%), 23 carries, 173 yards; Johnson 25 snaps (36%), 8 carries plus 2 catches for 44 yards; Smith three snaps, all special teams (SI, 9/15). Fact vs. projection: Johnson is the confirmed No. 2 and would lead a Walker-less backfield, but no dated report defines a carry split and Smith is the passing-down alternative, so a workhorse role is an inference and confidence stays capped. Johnson should still be on the wire in most leagues and is worth holding against Walker's ankle history; Smith is free almost everywhere and matters only in a true committee.
Backfield news: No Chiefs running back is on the Week 2 inactive list for Sunday night at Indianapolis, so Walker, Johnson and Smith are all available. Walker handled a full three-down workload in the opener (23 carries, 173 yards) with Johnson as the clear change-of-pace back and Smith limited to special teams. Neither Walker nor Johnson carries an injury designation this week, and no coach comment has defined a backup carry split.
Scouting: Confirmed as the clear No. 2 in Week 1: 25 snaps (36%), 8 carries for 24 yards and 2 catches for 44 yards, with Brashard Smith reduced to special teams. The snap share was inflated by a 31-10 blowout, but the receiving usage is real and he is the first man up if Walker's ankle history resurfaces.
Starter injury history: 2024 (SEA): roughly six games missed to ankle, calf and oblique issues. 2025 (KC): played all 17. Aug. 2026: minor ankle irritation attributed to his shoe, which Andy Reid said was not a concern; no games missed so far in 2026. Roughly 10 games missed in four seasons to recurring lower-body issues.