Week 7 vs. Seattle
David Johnson is currently being tested to see if he’s part Monstar, because he is ridiculous. He had three touchdowns last week against the Jets, and gained a total of 138 yards on 22 carries and three receptions. Johnson is third in the league in rushing yards this season and leads the league with eight rushing touchdowns.
This week, he’ll face a tough Seattle defense that ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, but he’s still a must-start in all league formats. Johnson is active in the passing game, gets a full workload on the ground every week, and has a nose for big plays. Only Johnson, Zeke Elliott and LeSean McCoy are averaging 5.0 yards per carry or more with at least 100 attempts this year. He should be started as a RB1 in all leagues.
Week 6 vs. New York Jets
David Johnson is at least 50 percent monster. He had 27 carries and three receptions last week against the 49ers for a total of 185 yards and two touchdowns. The guy is straight killing it this year and is on pace for 2,224 total yards and 16 touchdowns.
This week, he’ll face a struggling Jets defense that gave up nine receptions and 88 receiving yards to Le’Veon Bell last week. Johnson should be used extensively again and should be considered an elite fantasy option every week. He should never leave your lineup.
Week 5 at San Francisco
David Johnson didn’t find the end zone on Sunday, but he got a full workload with 17 carries and four receptions for a total of 124 yards from scrimmage. He leads all running backs with 210 receiving yards so far this season and has been every bit as explosive as advertised. He’s been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing first quarter of the season for the Cardinals.
This week should be another excellent game for Johnson. The 49ers have allowed more rushing yards than any other team in the league this year and gave up 138 yards at 6.0 yards per carry to Ezekiel Elliott last week. Johnson should get another full workload on Thursday night, and he should be active as an elite RB1 in all league formats.
Week 4 vs. Los Angeles
David Johnson hasn’t disappointed as a versatile back in the Arizona offense this season. He was expected to be a top producer, and he’s been solid in every outing thus far, including carrying the ball 19 times and catching three passes last week for a total of 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Johnson is used as the primary back for the Cardinals and his role doesn’t look to be reducing anytime soon.
The Rams were supposed to be pretty good on defense, but they’ve allowed 300 yards and four touchdowns to opposing rushers through three games, both more than the average team. Johnson isn’t the kind of player you’d ever think to sit anyway, but with a decent matchup and another full workload in store for him. He should be active as one of the top RB options in all league formats.
Week 3 at Buffalo
David Johnson didn’t find the end zone against the Bucs last week and he was rested late after the Cardinals built a comfortable lead in what turned out to be a blowout victory. He still ended up with 12 carries and three receptions however for a total of 143 yards, including a 58-yard reception. Johnson should continue to be a versatile threat for Arizona and an elite fantasy option.
This week, he’ll face a reeling Bills team that gave up 100 yards and three rushing touchdowns to Matt Forte last week. The Jets moved the ball at will against Buffalo and the Cardinals should have no problems doing the same. Expect elite numbers from Johnson, as he’s one of the top options in our rankings in all league formats. He’s a must-start every week.
Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay
David Johnson was lights out last week against the Pats last week, putting up 132 total yards on 16 carries and four receptions, including a goal-line touchdown run in the third quarter. Rumors of him sharing carries must have been exaggerated, as Chris Johnson only received one carry and David Johnson was on the field for all but three of the offensive snaps.
Johnson is our top back heading into Week 2 against the Bucs. Tampa did a good job bottling up the Atlanta run game last week, but they were middle-of-the-pack against the run a year ago, and Johnson is the kind of all-purpose threat that should be active in all fantasy leagues each and every week.
Week 1 vs. New England
David Johnson is a talented and versatile back who should be in for a big season after finishing last year off with five impressive outings. He single-handedly won many fantasy leagues with his Week 15 game against the Eagles, when he scored three touchdowns and amassed 229 yards on 29 carries and four receptions.
He starts Week 1 against a Patriots team that was above average against the run last year, giving up just eight rushing touchdowns all season. However, he should be leaned on heavily in this matchup and will likely get touches both in the running and passing game. He’s a big breakout candidate and was drafted in the first round of most drafts, making him a must-start in all league formats.
Fantasy Upside
The Cardinals coaching staff knew it had a strong engine in the garage, but it wasn't until Chris Johnson suffered a season-ending injury in December that the NFL world got to see the full abilities of David Johnson. Johnson saw limited carries through the first 11 games, with his biggest impact coming as a receiver out of the backfield. But once Chris Johnson went down, David Johnson took the reins and was one of the league's most productive backs over the final five games of the regular season, amassing 658 yards from scrimmage (131.6 per game) along with five touchdowns. Of his 581 yards, 442 came in the final five games of the 2015 season. He also added 216 receiving yards over that five-game span.
Fantasy Downside
The Cardinals have three RBs who, when healthy, are capable of starting. Combining second-year stud Johnson, the return of Chris Johnson and a healthy Andre Ellington, HC Bruce Arians has a capable stable of running backs.
2016 Bottom Line
Still, after David Johnson's explosion down the stretch last season, it's clear he'll be the first back to carry the workload. "David's earned the right now to be the bell cow," Arians said. As NFL.com's Chris Wesseling notes, the 24-year-old second-year back has rare skills to be a between-the-tackles runner, speed to get to the edge, vision on the second level and is very good in the passing game. Considering all that, and his anticipated workhorse role, David Johnson will likely cost you a first-round investment come draft day.
NFC Championship at Carolina
David Johnson only had 35 yards on the ground last week against the Packers, but he added six receptions and 43 yards through the air to his totals, solidifying him as a solid fantasy option. Johnson got another full workload and is the clear starter on the team with Chris Johnson still injured and Andre Ellington delegated to a reserve role.
This week, Johnson should get another full workload against Carolina. While the Panthers were fourth in the league this year in rushing yards allowed, they were only average keeping opposing rushers out of the end zone. Teams scored a total of 11 rushing touchdowns against them this season, tied for 17th in the league. Johnson is one of only two backs this week practically guaranteed to receive a full workload, which makes him an elite fantasy option in all league formats.
Week 19 vs. Green Bay
David Johnson struggled with the rest of the Cardinal offense in the last game of the season against Seattle, but that was a game that didn’t really matter for Arizona and he only had 11 carries on the day. Now that the playoffs are here, Johnson should get a full workload and continue his stellar rookie year.
Johnson faces a Green Bay defense that is tied for 26th in the league in allowing 4.5 yards per carry to opposing rushers and is in the bottom half of the league in both yards and touchdowns allowed on the ground. Johnson should thrive at home in this key playoff matchup before facing a tougher task (should Arizona win) against the Panthers or Seahawks in the conference championship. Fantasy owners should take advantage of the matchup now and put Johnson in their lineups this week as the top fantasy option at the running back position.
