Week 15 vs Jaguars
David Johnson is back after missing Week 14 due to COVID (though he was actually removed from the list after just two days) and he'll only have to share work with Royce Freeman, as Rex Burkhead (hip) will not play in Week 15. Johnson gets the Jaguars, whom he had a receiving touchdown against in Week 1. And that was with the Texans having a whole stable of running backs. He'll get plenty more work this week after getting some rest.
Week 13 vs Colts
Even with Phillip Lindsay out of Houston, David Johnson still only saw 12 touches last week against the Jets for 55 total yards and played 13 fewer snaps than Rex Burkhead. So even with fewer players in the picture, it's still a true committee. Both Johnson and Rex Burkhead are deep flex plays as Houston seems content giving both double-digit carries, but Johnson still has the slight edge in PPR. In Week 6 against the Colts, Jonson had just three touches for 21 yards but Houston still had Lindsay and Mark Ingram at the time.
Week 12 vs Jets
The bad news? Houston is still struggling running the football. The good news? The backfield is now less crowded with Phillip Lindsay out of the picture. So David Johnson now stands to see most of the work in the backfield. Rex Burkhead and Scottie Phillips are still around, but Johnson should be the man. And how nice of Houston to give him a little Thanksgiving gift of getting to face the worst defense against opposing running backs. Johnson is back in the flex discussion as Houston is starting to give him more work.
Week 11 vs Titans
Most likely, a lot of you don't even have David Johnson on your rosters anymore anyway. Houston is just getting nothing out of their running backs. But at least Johnson gets a couple of PPR points? Yeah, not much of a sell, I know. There's just nothing really to positively spin at this point. Especially going up against our No. 7 defense against opposing running backs.
Week 9 vs Dolphins
Now that the Rams are out of the way, David Johnson might be able to actually be the lead back again in Houston. But who knows, with the way Houston rotates their running backs. Johnson played just 11 snaps last week, though part of that perhaps was Houston pulling him with the Texans down big in the fourth down and letting Rex Burkhead take the garbage time. This week, the Texans face a fellow bad team in the Miami Dolphins, who are near the bottom of the league against the run. Could Houston actually get something going on offense this week? It will be interesting to watch...if you can.
Week 8 vs Rams
Mark Ingram is back in New Orleans, so David Johnson should take over as RB1 in Houston. He saw the most targets in Week 7 against Arizona, though we all saw Houston did nothing on offense against the Cardinals. And it doesn't get any easier in Week 8 as the Rams come to town. The offense should have a brighter outlook whenever Tyrod Taylor comes back as the starter, which could be as soon as this week. For now, Johnson is a deep flex play.
Week 7 at Cardinals
David Johnson saw pretty much the same amount of field time as Mark Ingram in Week 6, but saw 11 fewer carries. That's been the theme lately with the Texans' running game and, even with all the bye weeks, Johnson is hard to trust against the red-hot Cardinals on the road.
Week 6 vs Colts
David Johnson has been looking a bit healthier and has been getting a little more work in the passing game. He's seen 10 targets in the last two games and had five catches in Week 5. Johnson played five more snaps than Mark Ingram in Week 5, but Ingram still sees most of the early-down work. Johnson still has a bit of PPR value as the main pass-catching back in Houston and Davis Mills actually looked better last week. He may be worth a shot against the Colts with teams on a bye, especially if you have Alvin Kamara or Mike Davis. Johnson may get you a few catches.
Week 5 vs Patriots
Figuring out Houston's running game is like playing roulette. Week 4 saw David Johnson lead the team in snaps with 27, compared to ten for Mark Ingram, eight for Phillip Lindsay and three for Rex Burkhead. However, Ingram and Johnson were nearly identical in the rushing stat sheet (6-24 for Ingram, 5-21 for Johnson). Johnson just cracks out top 50 this week in half-PPR, but do you really want to trust any Texans running back in fantasy? Maybe next week if you need with byes starting. Not this week.
Week 3 vs Panthers
David Johnson saw the most snaps for Texans running backs in Week 2, playing 26 of 61 snaps. He's also arguably the best back Houston has in the passing game. But Johnson has just 14 touches through two weeks to Mark Ingram's 41. He also has the same number of touches this far as Phillip Lindsay. Until we see a change, it's tough to put a lot of stock into Johnson, especially against a very stout Panthers defense.
