David Johnson Fantasy Outlook Hurt by Uncertain Injury Update Heading Into NFL Week 13 Game vs Rams

David Johnson had an average draft position (ADP) of RB7 this offseason, and he's produced as such when healthy. Through the first six weeks of the season, Johnson had the fifth-most PPR fantasy points among running backs, but his production has since fallen off a cliff due to some mysterious injuries.

He's seemingly been supplanted on the Arizona Cardinals' depth chart by Kenyan Drake, and even in the games that Johnson has been officially listed as active, he hasn't received more than five carries since Week 6. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a concrete update, Johnson won't be a recommended fantasy play in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams.

"It’s been rough. I’ve just got to move past it and make the most of every opportunity.” https://t.co/JAauQ5kEzn
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) November 27, 2019

In fact, there's a chance that Johnson's role becomes even more muddled this week, as Chase Edmonds is set to make his return this weekend as well. With both Drake and Edmonds vying for carries, it'll be tough to trust Johnson, even if he's active again on Sunday.

Unfortunately, Drake and Edmonds could be tough to trust as well. Even accounting for the 285 rushing yards the Baltimore Ravens poured onto the Rams during their Week 12 "Monday Night Football" contest, Los Angeles is still the third-best run defense in the league, per Football Outsiders' DVOA rankings.

This backfield looks like it could be a mess for fantasy purposes down the stretch, and this matchup certainly isn't doing any favors for fantasy owners of any of the Cardinals' trio of running backs.

Cardinals GM Steve Keim, on 98.7-FM, as to if there's enough snaps to go around for RBs David Johnson, Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds: "Who knows? Maybe we'll get all three on the field at one time. ... We'll see if we can go with the Four Horsemen approach."
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) November 27, 2019

Drake is the highest-ranked Arizona running back this week, checking in at RB23 in our Week 13 fantasy football PPR rankings. With their injury statuses still up in the air, neither Johnson nor Edmonds cracks our top-36 RBs, though that could change if a more concrete update is released before Sunday.

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Max Staley is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Max Staley also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username mstaley1212. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.