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At this point, the Browns' running back room with D'Ernest Johnson, Nick Chubb, and Kareem Hunt is a national storyline. Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt are sidelined with injuries and D'Ernest Johnson is coming off an explosive performance in primetime against the Denver Broncos. With the situation quite fluid in Cleveland, is it worth picking up Johnson in Fantasy Football?
Is it worth picking up D'Ernest Johnson?
It's a risky proposition. Johnson is typically a third-string running back who may only see one or two touches per game. Meaning, if Chubb or Hunt returns healthy, his production can fall off a cliff in an instant. However, based on what he did to Denver, he could be a 20-point explosion waiting to happen.
With Johnson, there are a few factors to consider. The biggest one is how Chubb and Hunt are doing in their recovery. If one returns, Johnson's future in Fantasy Football may already be over. Hunt is expected to remain out for the foreseeable future. However, Chubb is close to returning as he was at practice on Monday, according to Pro Football Network.
Meaning, he could be back before their Week 8 game. If this happens, Johnson's production will get cut in half in a best-case scenario. In a worst-case scenario, Johnson will be back to spending most of the game on the sideline. Odds are good that D'Ernest Johnson's production will be impacted in the next two weeks. In the best-case scenario, Johnson will get to play a full game against the Steelers.
However, by Week 9, his production will start to trend down. According to CBS Sports, Kareem Hunt could be back by Week 10, which would further cut his touches. Meaning, if one were to pick up Johnson, they would have to know that he's a one or two-week starter.
Before Week 10 gets underway, it may make sense to trade the running back for someone before his touches drop to almost nothing.
Johnson will face the Steelers and Bengals in the next two games. The Steelers have the 12th-best rushing defense in the NFL and the Bengals have the 7th-best. While this may give some pause, they should know that Johnson's breakout game came against the 8th-ranked Denver Broncos. Meaning, Johnson should be productive if he gets the same number of carries.
However, Denver's defense came into Thursday's game with injuries to both starting inside linebackers. Meaning, Denver's ability to stop the run was worse than their ranking suggests. Don't expect the Steelers and Bengals to allow Johnson to be as productive as he was against Denver. That said, he should still be able to get enough production to be useful if Chubb remains injured.
Put simply, one should not stake their team on Johnson. However, if one is looking for a running back to help get through a bye week over the next two weeks, they could do worse than Johnson.
Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 8 TV Schedule
