Should You Start Khalil Herbert or Roschon Johnson in Fantasy Football Week 3?

The Chicago Bears RB room is still working itself out and is a difficult choice for fantasy football. Who is worth starting vs. the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3?

Are any of them worth it, or is it better to just stay away? While this article will talk about both, for specific starts and sits, see PFN’s Consensus Rankings.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and Start/Sit Optimizer to help you make the right decision.

Khalil Herbert’s Fantasy Outlook This Week

Herbert is the starter for the Bears at the moment. He led Chicago in RB snaps in Week 2 and has had the team lead in opportunities each of the first two weeks. It’s been slim, but he’s seen 24 total opportunities combined so far.

The limited opportunities are at least somewhat tied to the overall offensive struggles, but this matchup is not easy. The Chiefs have been fairly stingy vs. opposing RBs, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to RBs.

Most of the success has come on the ground vs. the Chiefs rather than through the air. They’ve allowed four yards per carry on 41 carries, including a single TD against.

Herbert is the Bears’ preferred ground option, seeing 16 of the 30 total rushing attempts. He’s playing nearly half the Bears snaps as well (59 of 127), including 60% of the snaps Week 2.

His efficiency has dipped, but it’s still early, and the Bears have yet to find their footing. Chicago is also missing the left side of their starting OL, making matters more difficult.

Roschon Johnson’s Fantasy Outlook This Week

Johnson has been trending up to the point where he needs to be rostered in nearly all leagues. He’s only trailing Herbert by eight snaps on the season now, and the game script vs. Kansas City is likely to favor Johnson. He has played more snaps in passing situations than any other Bears RB.

Johnson has played 32 snaps, just out-snapping Herbert by one rep. Per PFF, he’s the highest-rated blocker on the Bears, so he should see plenty of snaps as they figure to trail. He also leads in targets by one (9 to 8) over Herbert, clearly earning Justin Fields’ trust already.

When trailing by 7+ points in 2023:

Snap rate
49% – Roschon Johnson
37% – Khalil Herbert

Bears listed as 12.5-point dogs vs. KC. Is this Roschon Johnson week?

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 22, 2023

One concern is the Chiefs defense, though. Kansas City has allowed just six total targets to RBs for just five catches and 29 scoreless yards. That makes them the second-best team slowing RBs through the air.

This matchup will be difficult for both Johnson and Herbert to succeed in, so what should you do?

Which of the Bears RBs Should You Start?

The best answer is probably neither of them, unfortunately. The game sets up for Johnson to see the majority of snaps as the Bears trail.

That said, passing backs Travis Etienne and Jahmyr Gibbs saw 14 combined targets against other teams and just five total vs. the Chiefs. Herbert has the better opportunity on the ground, but can the Bears keep it close?

MORE: Week 3 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet

The Bears defense is in disarray, with the coordinator resigning this week. Fields is blaming the coaches for holding the ball too long. This sets up for the Chiefs to finally explode offensively and the Bears to implode.

The best guess is that both RBs fall outside the top 30 RBs this week and disappoint managers who start them.