Emanuel Wilson — 2026 Fantasy Outlook

After barely factoring into the Packers’ offense as a rookie (14/85 rushing with four catches for 23 yards), Wilson stepped up as Green Bay's RB2 in 2024. He was productive with the ball in his hands (103 carries for 502 yards and four touchdowns at 4.9 per carry, but he rarely broke anything explosive, with just one rush exceeding 20 yards. The Packers targeted him 14 times through the air, resulting in 11 catches for 48 yards and a score. He saved his best work for the end of the season, scoring three of his four touchdowns over the final three games (11/52/1, 6/29/1, and 14/73/1).

Wilson's road to the NFL ran through two HBCU programs. At Johnson C. Smith University, he carried the ball 159 times for 1,040 yards and 13 touchdowns, adding 13 catches for 86 yards, before transferring to Fort Valley State, where Wilson posted more impressive stats in 2022 (209 carries for 1,371 yards and 17 touchdowns, with 24 catches for 239 yards and two more scores). He's a thick, physical back at 5'11" and 225 pounds, but his straight-line speed (around 4.60) came in below the NFL average for the position.

Green Bay gave Wilson a career-high 140 touches last season, leading to 595 combined yards with three touchdowns and 15 catches. He failed to gain over 20 yards on any of his 125 carries, leading to a sharp step back in his yards per rush (4.0 – 4.9 in 2024). Wilson was a beast in one game (28/107/2 with two catches for 18 yards) when he drew a start with Josh Jacobs' injured.