Fantasy football player profile: Kerryon Johnson

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Kerryon Johnson: DETROIT, MI – OCTOBER 07: Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson (33) runs with the ball during a regular season game between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions on October 7, 2018 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Fantasy Football Player Profile: Kerryon Johnson

Best Case Scenario

Johnson gave an appetizer of just how good he can be in 2018, but 2019 is shaping up to be the main course. The Lions Brough in Darrell Bevell to be the offensive coordinator and that man knows one thing – how to run the football.

From 2012 to 2017 with the Seattle Seahawks, his offenses finished first, second, second, third, 20th and 21st in rushing attempts. That also coincided with four top five finishes in rushing yards in the NFL. Johnson isn’t exactly the second coming of Marshawn Lynch, but Bevell might try to make him just that.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford is over 30 years old. Last year saw the Lions finish 13th in passing attempts per game, the first time in Stafford’s career that they have not been inside the top 10. They traded wide receiver Golden Tate and then brought in Danny Amendola this offseason. Due respect to Amendola, that doesn’t scream the Lions revamped the passing attack.

Detroit only ran the ball on 29 percent of the plays last year but that was 19th in the league, not in the bottom 10 for once. Here’s the unheralded move that could really put Johnson over the top – the release of running back Theo Riddick.

Riddick accounted for a 14 percent target share last season and there really isn’t anyone in the backfield to compete for those targets. The Lions singed bowling ball C.J. Anderson this year, but he’s never exceeded 34 receptions.

This offense is geared towards a balanced attack, if nothing else and Johnson is the featured player. The number of players that will see the workload he will are few and far between.

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