Fantasy Upside Johnson split duties last season with Duke Johnson. It's not clear how much David will share this year, but it's not looking great as he approaches 30 years old in December. The Texans look like they want a running back-by-committee approach with the signings of Ingram, Lindsay, and -- to a lesser extent -- Rex Burkhead eating into the workload.
Fantasy Downside
Ingram played in just 11 games last season, earning a career-low 299 yards and two TDs in 72 carries as the Ravens moved on. Lindsay remains a dynamic runner out of the backfield who is coming off a down season due to injury after earning back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to open his career. All three players are used to working in committee backfields -- much like fantasy managers are familiar with dealing with them. Approach with caution and set expectations for Johnson accordingly.
2021 Bottom Line
The Texans acquired David Johnson last year in the blockbuster trade that sent DeAndre Hopkins to Arizona. The Texans then spent this offseason bringing in additional big-name backfield help. Houston's new brass added veteran Mark Ingram and perennially underrated Phillip Lindsay to the backfield. Johnson is the only holdover from the old regime and new Texans coach David Culley likely will want to do things his way. To try to look at the bright side, at least Johnson has rediscovered some of his old form. When a dislocated wrist prematurely ended his 2017 season, he never looked the same over two more seasons with the Cardinals. But in his first season in Houston, Johnson actually managed to set a career high with 4.7 yards per attempt. In 12 games, he finished with 691 rushing yards and six touchdowns. There's some limited PPR upside here, too, as Johnson was targeted 46 times a year ago and finished with two receiving scores.
