Fantasy Upside
In his first 10 NFL games, Kerryon Johnson rushed for over 600 yards and three scores and caught 32 passes for an additional 213 yards. Fully recovered from his knee injury that kept him out of the final six contests of his rookie campaign, he will once again be Detroit’s starting RB. He averaged a healthy 5.4 yards per carry and finally broke the team’s 70-game streak of not having a 100-yard rusher by galloping for 101 yards versus the Patriots in Week 3, the first of two times he eclipsed the century mark.
Fantasy Downside
Coach Matt Patricia said he doesn’t want to overwork Johnson this year, especially coming off a knee injury. The team signed veteran C.J. Anderson, who had a nice late-season and playoff run with the Rams last year. Although Johnson should receive most of the carries, just three times last year did he have at least 15 carries and he was held to less than 50 rushing yards on four occasions.
Bottom Line
The future at RB for the Lions remains to be Johnson. During his first pro season, he displayed a combination of speed to the edge, power and decisiveness, something the team hasn’t experienced for a while. As long as he stays healthy, Johnson should receive between 15-20 touches per game and has a shot at reaching 1,000 yards.