5 potential NFL breakout players to watch for in Week 3

2. Chris Johnson, New York Jets

The New York Jets expected running back Chris Johnson to be a big pickup, but he hasn’t been able to produce the type of numbers that they were looking for so far. He has seen quite a few of his carries taken by Chris Ivory and a few by Bilal Powell, and hasn’t seen the type of usage that he likely wants. Rex Ryan and company are trying to pace themselves in their use of Johnson in order to keep him as healthy as possible for the latter part of the year.

Johnson has carried the football just 25 times for 89 yards without a touchdown, and has caught six passes for 23 yards and a touchdown. The Jets will begin using Johnson more as the season continues moving forward, and that will begin this week against a fairly weak Chicago Bears’ defense. He has the type of speed that will give the Bears issues, and the Jets are going to use him early and often.

It will be interesting to see whether or not Johnson’s attitude begins getting the best of him in New York. He was not happy with how little he was used by the Tennessee Titans last season, but he is seeing even less action this year. Hopefully things continue going well, and he is able to focus on football rather than getting upset with his playing time.