Kalen Ballage

Kalen Ballage

28-Year-Old Running BackRB
 Free Agent  
2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Kalen Ballage in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
$Signed a one-year contract with the Steelers in March of 2021.
Minimal work in finale
RBPittsburgh Steelers
January 10, 2022
Ballage rushed once for zero yards in Sunday's 16-13 OT win over the Ravens.
ANALYSIS
Although Najee Harris sustained an elbow injury on the team's first drive Sunday, Ballage was on the field for just seven offensive snaps. Instead, most of the backfield duties went to Benny Snell before Harris returned to the field. Ballage appeared in every game during the regular season and rushed 12 times for 36 yards while securing two of seven targets for eight yards. He's slated to become an unrestricted free agent during the offseason after signing a one-year deal with the Steelers in March.
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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats
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2021
2020
2019
2018
2021 NFL Game Log
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2020 NFL Game Log
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2019 NFL Game Log
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2018 NFL Game Log
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Receiving Alignment Breakdown
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2024 Kalen Ballage Split Stats
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Measurables Review View College Player Page
How do Kalen Ballage's measurables compare to other running backs?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
* The 40-Yard Dash, and Shuttle Time metrics are from his Pro Day. All others are from the NFL Combine.
Height
6' 2"
 
Weight
231 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash*
4.44 sec
 
Shuttle Time*
4.20 sec
 
Cone Drill
6.91 sec
 
Vertical Jump
33.5 in
 
Broad Jump
122 in
 
Bench Press
15 reps
 
Hand Length
9.50 in
 
Arm Length
32.75 in
 
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kalen Ballage See More
2022 Pittsburgh Steelers Preview: Roster Moves, Depth Chart, Schedule, Storylines and More
July 26, 2022
The Steelers are a team in transition after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. Regardless of who his successor is, the team still has RB Najee Harris, WR Diontae Johnson and TE Pat Freiermuth to lean on.
Gameday Injuries: Super Wild-Card Weekend
January 15, 2022
Juan Carlos Blanco dives into the injury landscape ahead of the NFL's first-ever Super Wild-Card Weekend.
Backfield Breakdown: Week 12 Recap & Week 13 Sleepers
November 29, 2021
Chuba Hubbard didn't get many carries in Sunday's blowout loss, but it looks like he'll have a second run in the lead role with Christian McCaffrey ruled out for the season.
Backfield Breakdown: Week 11 Recap & Week 12 Sleepers
November 22, 2021
AJ Dillon was kept out of the end zone this past Sunday in Minnesota, but his hefty workload hints at big things ahead if Aaron Jones misses additional time with a knee sprain.
Backfield Breakdown: Week 10 Recap & Week 11 Sleepers
November 15, 2021
Jonathan Taylor already eliminated Marlon Mack's role and now has his eyes on Nyheim Hines' share of the workload.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2021
2020
2019
2018
If any player deserves the back-handed compliment of being called a "workout warrior," it's Ballage. Dating to his college days at Arizona State he has looked the part of a lead back, filling out a jersey nicely and testing well off the field, but once the pads go on he mostly fades into the grass. That athletic potential has kept him employed despite a miserable 3.1 YPC in his career, with the Steelers being the fourth team in four years to give him a chance. They certainly aren't putting all their eggs in his basket, though, as first-round pick Najee Harris is ticketed for the lead role, while Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland remain on the roster as backups. Ballage is at least one or two injuries away from regular work.
Despite boasting all the athletic tools desirable in a workhorse running back, including blazing speed and imposing size, Ballage proved to be Miami's least effective backfield weapon in 2019. He averaged an abysmal 1.8 yards on 74 carries and 2.6 yards on 24 targets, the lowest marks of any of the team's running back options. After having failed to look like a competent ballcarrier in his sophomore season, the Dolphins elected to part ways with Ballage midway through training camp.
Stuck behind Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore, Ballage was basically invisible to begin his rookie season, seeing most of his action on special teams and not playing more than eight offensive snaps in a game until Week 15, when Gore got hurt in the first quarter. Ballage immediately seized his opportunity, erupting for 123 yards and a TD on only 12 carries. The Arizona State product fizzled the final two weeks, but that performance was enough for Miami to let Gore walk in free agency and head into 2019 with Ballage poised for a much larger role. Athletically, he has all the tools you want in a feature back, and his wheels in the open field are elite --- on his 75-yard TD run against Minnesota he topped out at 21.87 mph, the seventh-fastest speed recorded in the league last year. Ballage never really put everything together in college, though, and one good week in the pros does not a career make. With Drake at the top of the depth chart, the second-year back's workload is no sure thing, but new offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea's background under Bill Belichick hints at a backfield committee. The team didn't bring in much competition in the draft or free agency, so Ballage should get every opportunity to demonstrate he can handle more snaps, especially after Drake suffered a foot injury in mid-August.
Ballage looks the part of a future NFL feature back before the pads come on. At an imposing 6-1, 228, the Arizona State product ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the combine, and his athleticism was on full display as a junior when he exploded for an FBS single-game record eight TDs against Texas Tech. Despite his gifts, Ballage fell to the fourth round in the 2018 draft due to his inability to put everything together. He doesn't run with as much power as his frame or gym strength would suggest, and despite his impressive straight-line speed he lacks the elusiveness or vision to get into the open field to use it. He does have some skills as a receiver and a return man, and that might be where he makes his mark as a rookie working behind Kenyan Drake. The Dolphins also signed 35-year-old Frank Gore to compete for backup work, but he's unlikely to play beyond 2018.
More Fantasy News
Racks up 21 rushing yards
RBPittsburgh Steelers
November 29, 2021
Ballage recorded three carries for 21 yards while securing one of two targets for six yards in Sunday's 41-10 loss to the Bengals.
ANALYSIS
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Logs three yards in Week 11
RBPittsburgh Steelers
November 22, 2021
Ballage recorded one carry for three yards while failing to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 41-37 loss to the Chargers.
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Totals two yards against Chicago
RBPittsburgh Steelers
November 9, 2021
Ballage secured his lone target for two yards in Monday's 29-27 win over the Bears.
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Minimal role against Browns
RBPittsburgh Steelers
November 1, 2021
Ballage rushed once for minus-3 yards in Sunday's 15-10 win over Cleveland.
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Limited playing time in OT win
RBPittsburgh Steelers
October 18, 2021
Ballage recorded two carries for 15 yards in Sunday's 23-20 overtime win over the Seahawks.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Getting opportunity in XFL
RBFree Agent
February 16, 2023
Ballage, who last played in the NFL with the Steelers in 2021, will have a chance to work his way back to the league if he can maximize his opportunity as a lead back for the XFL's San Antonio Brahmas during the league's upcoming 2023 season.
ANALYSIS
Ballage may be a prototype for the kind of player the league could benefit most -- he just turned 27 and already proved to be a solid complementary option over five seasons after being selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Dolphins. He played in all 17 games with the Steelers as a little-used reserve option behind the likes of Najee Harris and Benny Snell during his most recent NFL season in 2021, and he then participated in multiple workouts for teams in need of running back depth during the 2022 campaign but was never offered a deal.
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