Free-agent running back Chris Johnson announced his retirement from football on his Instagram page on Monday. The 33-year-old was holding out hope to land with a team this year, but it never happened. Johnson earned the nickname CJ2K after rushing for 2,006 yards on the ground with the Titans in 2009, his second year in the NFL. He opened his career with six straight 1,000-yard seasons on the ground, and Johnson was also a force in the passing game. He spent six years with the Titans, one with the Jets and finished out his career with three years in Arizona. Johnson totaled 2,163 carries, 9,651 yards, 55 rushing touchdowns, a 4.5 yard-per-carry average, 307 receptions and nine receiving touchdowns.
The Arizona Cardinals released veteran running back Chris Johnson on Tuesday in order to make room on the roster for recently-acquired running back Adrian Peterson. The Cards cut one 32-year-old veteran in favor of another. Johnson was averaging a terrible 2.5 yards per carry on 45 attempts through four games and wasn't the answer. Not that AP will be behind a bad offensive line, but they're taking their chances. Peterson becomes more intriguing now with more opportunity, but there's no guarantee he'll be any more productive in the desert than he was in New Orleans (27 carries, 81 yards).
Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington Fail To Develop A Rhythm
Arizona Cardinals running backs Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington failed to develop any sort of rhythm in the team's loss to the Eagles. Johnson had nine carries for 21 yards while Ellington only mustered one carry for negative two yards. It is worth mentioning that Ellington had nine receptions for 65 yards, making him a decent PPR play. For the rest of the season, Johnson should not be considered a starting running back for fantasy teams in any formats, while Ellington is the back to own, especially in PPR formats. Ellington has back-to-back weeks with nine receptions, making him a solid PPR flex going forward.
Hard To Trust Chris Johnson Against Eagles Front Seven
Arizona Cardinals lead runner Chris Johnson has found little room to generate yards since he came back to the Cardinals after being released before the season started. Against a very solid Eagles front seven, it is hard to trust Johnson given his lack of projected opportunities as well as the presence of running backs Andre Ellington and Kerwynn Williams in the backfield. Keep Johnson out of your lineups. Ellington is a solid flex option with PPR upside.
Chris Johnson Spears Backfield Charge In Inefficient Outing
Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson finished the day with 13 carries for 32 yards on the ground against a suspect 49ers front seven in Week 4. Andre Ellington also recorded five carries for 18 yards but added to his stat line in the receiving game with nine receptions for 86 yards. This is still a backfield to shy away from, but both Ellington and Johnson should be rostered as depth players for the remainder of the season until David Johnson (wrist) re-enters the fold.
Chris Johnson Hard To Start Despite Intriguing Matchup
Cardinals running back Chris Johnson is expected to have the majority of the carries against the 49ers. However, Johnson has yet to have a successful fantasy outing and should be started with caution by fantasy owners. He will look to split backfield touches with Andre Ellington and Kerwynn Williams, so his workload is also not guaranteed to be large unless the team runs away with the game. With a suspect offensive line, Johnson is nothing more than a low end flex play until he proves otherwise.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians has stated that running back Chris Johnson will remain the starting running back for the foreseeable future. While this is good news for Johnson owners who believe he can improve on his lackluster performances, owning any piece of the Cardinals running game is a seemingly fruitless endeavor due to the team's inability to create room for their running backs to move during the game. Nevertheless, Johnson should be owned because he is still a starting running back on a team and has the highest chance to perform well, given the circumstances. If you're in a deep PPR league, Andre Ellington may be slightly more intriguing.
Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson is supposed to have an increased workload and could step into the workhorse role if the game script favors the team in Week 3 against the Cowboys. However, it might be difficult to find a rhythm against a high-powered Cowboys office led by motivated young stars Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliot as well as elite receiver Dez Bryant. Arizona also has Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington that will be mixed in, so Johnson is a last-ditch option as a flex.
Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians expects Chris Johnson's carries to increase in Week 3. Making his 2017 debut, Johnson had 11 carries in Week 2, soundly out-playing Kerwynn Williams. With star David Johnson out, Arians appears ready to give Chris Johnson more of the workload. Fantasy players should not expect more than an RB3 day, but Johnson is worth scooping up in leagues where he remains unowned.
Arizona Cardinals running back Chris Johnson has a chance to move up the depth chart, according to head coach Bruce Arians. After being brought back to the team following his release, Johnson was the most productive runner against the Colts back in the absence of superstar David Johnson (wrist) in Week 2. Fantasy owners should treat Johnson as an intriguing waiver wire claim, however, his ceiling is leading a committee on a struggling offense, so there should not be too much waiver capital invested in the 31-year-old running back.
