David Johnson could be a steal in fantasy drafts this year
By Cody Rivera
With the Arizona Cardinals adding a fullback to their offense in 2018, look for running back David Johnson to put up some big numbers.
Most of the hardcore fantasy football enthusiasts out there have probably already started thinking about their fantasy drafts coming up in a few months. It’s never too early to start planning ahead, and one guy to keep in mind would be Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson. As he returns to the field in 2018 after an injury last year, Johnson might be poised to have a big campaign.
One reason why that is could be because he will now be working with a fullback in the upcoming 2018 season – a luxury he didn’t have during his first couple of years with the Cardinals, while Bruce Arians was in charge of things.
The Cardinals’ new running backs coach Kirby Wilson has had plenty of experience coaching with a fullback before, and he knows how greatly it will benefit Johnson’s running game.
“What that means when a good fullback takes the field, the tempo, the physicality picks up,” Wilson said, according to an article on ESPN.com. “As a runner, you have to know how to use a person like that. David’s had that some in his past, obviously in college. A fullback brings violence to the game, he brings mayhem, he brings destruction, and those are the things that makes a defense a little bit soft over time, if you’ve got a good one. And David will learn to use that type of person again as the system evolves and we get into minicamp, training camp, preseason, etc., and then the regular season. I think it’ll be a good thing for him.”
Johnson has already had success with the Cardinals even while not having the advantage of a fullback. In his last full season in 2016, he rushed for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns, on 293 carries. Adding a fullback to the offense will only help his numbers get even higher.
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So keep Johnson in mind as you prepare for your fantasy football draft. He could end up being a steal that will put up nasty numbers for your team.