Fantasy Football Sleepers 2016: Top 5 Undervalued RBs

Duke Johnson Jr.-Cleveland Browns

The Browns have been talking up both halves of their RB combo, but I like the second-year running back out of Miami, Duke Johnson, to be one of the top 15 RB in the NFL by the end of the season and a solid must-start option in almost every format.  Johnson will be working with a new offense under new Coach Hue Jackson, but Jackson made Gio Bernard a star in Cincinnati so there’s definitely upside if Johnson can emerge as a top option in the offense.

Last season, Johnson got a late start to camp after head and hamstring injuries kept him sidelined early on. He did end up playing all 16 games and actually out-snapped Isaiah Crowell even though Crowell got more touches.  The new Browns’ staff seems to think Johnson is ready for a bigger role this year, and some reports have even used the magical “every-down back” tag that causes fantasy owners to salivate at the possibilities.

Johnson showed he can definitely be a receiving threat last season finishing with 61 catches and 534 yards through the air.  He caught at least four passes in five of the team’s last seven games and had at least 45 all-purpose yards in six of their last ten.

Johnson is currently being rated outside the top-20 RB in many rankings, but I think he’ll end up as a solid RB2 by the end of the preseason.  The timeshare between him and Crowell will make things tricky from week-to-week, but especially in PPR leagues, Johnson is being underrated at this point making him one of my fantasy football 2016 sleepers.

Next: Another tricky timeshare