Twelve offensive snaps. That is all Emmett Johnson played on Sunday in Denver, a season low. He turned them into 143 scrimmage yards, his first NFL touchdown, and PFF Rookie of the Week honors.
The Chiefs traded up in the fifth round to draft him. Their front office said they were shocked he was still available. Then he spent seven weeks buried behind Kenneth Walker III. On Sunday Walker got 25 touches. Johnson got six.
He made them count. One carry for 15 yards, featuring multiple broken tackles. Five catches on five targets for 128 yards. The touchdown was a 73-yard catch-and-run in the first half: Denver sent pressure, Mahomes lofted it, and Johnson saw nothing but green grass. He added a 38-yard grab just before halftime to set up a last-second field goal and a 44-yard kickoff return in the fourth. 192 all-purpose yards on 12 snaps. A 92.2 PFF grade, the best of any rookie in Week 8.
Before Sunday, Johnson had never topped 35 yards from scrimmage in a game.
THE CLUB ANGLE
25.30 points won the RB Club, the closest finish of the season. Chuba Hubbard finished 0.40 back at 24.90. Jahmyr Gibbs was third at 24.80. Johnson is the fifth different RB Club winner this season.
Here is the part that matters. Johnson is a fifth-round rookie who played 12 snaps on Sunday, buried behind Kenneth Walker III. He just beat the superstars to win the RB Club.
It did more than that. The same NFT, owned by Medium Pimpin, also helped secure third place in the Starting Four at 55.56, with just two players scoring: Cam Ward and Emmett Johnson. One rookie card won a club title and landed on the Starting Four podium in the same week.
WHY THE UNDERDOG?
The stars are still sitting there. Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase, all available in the Marketplace. And yet some users pass on the stars and grab the cheaper players with upside. Riley Leonard, Jalen Milroe, Kyle McCord, Demond Claiborne, all purchased.
Why?
Is it a collector’s strategy, grabbing the rookie card before the breakout?
Is it honest analysis, a bet you believe in and want to be right about? “I told ya so” is great bragging rights.
Or maybe it is fandom, plain and simple.
In the case of Emmett Johnson, it was likely all three. Medium Pimpin is a big Nebraska fan, and Johnson is a former Husker. The card, the bet, and the team all lined up. Then Sunday happened.
A word on what that is worth. The prizes pay in $QBC, and $QBC is small in dollars today. The card behind the NFT is a rookie base card. What you get is the card and the right to compete, and the competition is the point. The prizes grow as the club grows.
WHAT IS NEXT
The Chiefs host the Jets on Sunday. The fantasy outlets call Johnson a boom/bust FLEX play. Nobody is pretending he challenges Walker for RB1 duties anytime soon. But a 12-snap, 143-yard breakout should earn him a few more touches.
Week 8 proved you do not need the biggest names to compete. Sometimes a longshot is all it takes. There are many more NFTs remaining in the Marketplace. Who will be the next Emmett Johnson? Do you know?
One block at a time, we keep the chains moving.