Week 17 vs. Seattle
David Johnson had another nice game last week against the Packers. While he only carried the ball nine times for 39 yards, he managed to score a touchdown and was electric in the passing game. He caught three of the six passes thrown his way and gained 88 yards receiving on the day.
Johnson’s lack of workload was mostly related to the Cardinals completely dominating the Packers on the scoreboard. By the end of the game, Johnson was being rested for Kerwynn Williams. This week, it’s doubtful that Seattle will be so little of a challenge for the Cardinal offense and Johnson should get a full workload. Despite the tough matchup against Seattle’s #3 ranked run defense, Johnson is a strong fantasy option in all league formats. He should be a solid RB1 as he gets a full workload and the Cardinals fight for home-field advantage.
Week 16 vs. Green Bay
David Johnson blew up last week against the Eagles. He carried the ball 29 times for 187 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. He also caught four balls for 42 yards and single-handedly won and destroyed fantasy seasons. Johnson is a big, physical runner who already looks like the long-term solution at the position for Arizona.
This week, expect the Cardinals to lean on their rookie back once again. The Packers rank 22nd in the league in rushing yards allowed, and are tied for 23rd with 11 touchdowns given up on the ground. Johnson should be in for another great day in a must-win situation for the Cardinals and he should be active as a top-5 fantasy option in all leagues.
Week 15 at Philadelphia
David Johnson had another nice game as the starter in Arizona, putting up 123 total yards from scrimmage on 19 carries and five receptions. The Cardinals ended up with a big win against the Vikings, extending their record to 11-2, and the versatile Johnson is a big reason why the offense hasn’t missed a beat since Chris Johnson went out with an injury a couple weeks ago.
This week, the rookie will face a Philadelphia defense that has been horrible this year. Only the Saints have given up more passing touchdowns, and they rank in the bottom five in the league in rushing yards allowed. While they’ve only allowed six rushing touchdowns, Johnson should have no problem putting up great RB2 numbers once again and should be active in all leagues.
Week 14 vs. Minnesota
David Johnson had a nice coming out party in his first NFL start. He led the Cardinals with 22 carries, finishing with 99 yards on the ground and adding 21 yards and a touchdown on two receptions. He was unquestionably the lead back against the Rams and should be poised for continued work in a starring role while Chris Johnson is out at least until playoff time.
This week, Johnson faces a Vikings defense that has only allowed seven rushing touchdowns this year, but is allowing over 115 yards per game to opposing rushers. The team has had some injury issues on the defensive side of the ball, and they were torched by Thomas Rawls and the Seattle offense last week. Expect another full workload from Johnson, and solid RB2 numbers on Thursday night.
Week 13 at St. Louis
David Johnson had eight carries and a pair of receptions for a total of only 29 yards last week against the 49ers, but he did manage to get a touchdown. His usage was up after injuries to both Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington and he’ll look to get more opportunities this week in his first career start.
Against the Rams, Johnson should be able to gain some yards. The Rams have only allowed six rushing touchdowns this year, but they rank 21st in rushing yards allowed per game, and Johnson should get a full workload. Fantasy owners who stashed him should be rewarded this week, and we have him as a strong RB2 start and just outside our top ten backs this week.
Week 12 at San Francisco
David Johnson had a touchdown last week, but only touched the ball four times and gained 26 yards on the day. He remains the third option in the Cardinal backfield, and he was only on the field for 12 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last week. Until he shows that he’s going to get the ball with a little more regularity, he’s too risky to start in any fantasy leagues. He remains a nice dynasty stash however.
Week 11 vs. Cincinnati
David Johnson didn’t carry the ball against the Seahawks last week but caught the only pass that was thrown his way for eight yards. With Andre Ellington healthy, the rookie Johnson has been relegated to the bench for the most part. Don’t expect that to change against the Bengals this week, and Johnson is droppable in most league formats. His value right now is as a dynasty stash.
Week 10 at Seattle
David Johnson had 48 yards against the Brown two weeks ago, but he only touched the ball three times all game. With Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington playing pretty well, it’s unlikely the rookie will get a significant increase in touches anytime soon. He has nice keeper league and dynasty value, but he’s droppable in most fantasy league formats right now.
Week 7 at Cleveland
David Johnson only had three carries and two catches for a total of 24 yards from scrimmage against the Ravens on Monday night. He’s seeing the field, as he’s splitting change-of-pace and third down snaps with Andre Ellington, but he’s just not touching the ball a lot.
Against the Browns this week, there’s some upside to using any of the Cardinals backs, since Cleveland allows 5.1 yards per carry to opposing rushers and is dead-last in rushing yards allowed. Still, it’s hard to trust a guy who only sees the field a third of the time and is in a timeshare for secondary touches. He should stay on the bench.
Week 7 vs. Baltimore
David Johnson got to see the field on nearly a third of the Cardinals snaps last week against Pittsburgh, but he wound up touching the ball just four times for a total of 17 yards. He may continue to have the occasional nice outing, but it’s hard to trust him when most of the carries go to Chris Johnson and he’s sharing spot-duty with Andre Ellington. Johnson still has roster value, but he shouldn’t be in your starting lineup with such an inconsistent workload.
