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Injuries present opportunity in both real and fantasy football, and one of the biggest players to go down in Week 1 was Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington, whose non-contact knee injury opens the door for backups Chris Johnson and David Johnson.
Normally whenever “non-contact” and “knee injury” are in the same sentence, the news is catastrophic. But it appears Ellington has dodged a bullet:
Arians: Ellington mild sprain PCL. No timetable. Could be one week, could be three. Not ruled out for Chi.
That’s important to keep in mind when valuing the backup Johnsons, but while Ellington figures to be back sooner rather than later, it’s also important to remember he’s not built like a typical three-down back. He struggled with injuries last year, and SportsInjuryPredictor.com, which uses an algorithm to forecast potential injuries, tagged him as one of the players most at risk entering the season.
No matter how long Ellington is out, it’s worth owning his backup. The only question is, which one?
Chris Johnson
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If you own someone like Ellington, Le’Veon Bell or Arian Foster, and you’re simply looking for an immediate stopgap, the man formerly known as CJ2K is your man. After Ellington went down, it was very clear CJ was the new lead back. He received 10 carries to David Johnson’s zero, and he finished the game with 18 total snaps to David Johnson’s five.
Head coach Bruce Arians backed up that speculation after the game.
“I thought Chris looked good,” he said. “He’ll get more touches and we will feel very confident if he is our lead dog.”
Chris Johnson may no longer be the same explosive player he was in Tennessee, but he looked fairly spry after coming in for Ellington, busting off a couple of nice runs to help Arizona close out the win. Even if his skill set isn’t anything to write home about, getting the majority of carries in an offense that can move the ball as well as the Cardinals makes him at least a flex option.
David Johnson
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The rookie Johnson is by far the more exciting player of the two. That was evident on his first and only touch of his NFL career on Sunday:
In leagues where you have a bench spot and are looking for a player with upside, David Johnson is absolutely worth it. His explosiveness and speed makes him far more enticing than the other Johnson, and his role should only expand as he gets more comfortable in the offense.
Moreover, he’s also a must-own player in PPR leagues. He was touted as an excellent pass-catcher coming out of college, and all five of his snaps Sunday were passing plays where he ran routes. At the very least, he’ll have a significant passing-game role in an offense that should throw more than 30 times per game.
Go with Chris if you need an immediate impact at running back. But in any other situation, grab the dynamic rookie.