David Johnson Fantasy Outlook Points to Surprising Upside With Texans

Most analysts believed David Johnson was set for a bounce-back year in 2019. He carried an average draft position (ADP) of RB6 in fantasy football and was the eighth overall player off the board. Unfortunately, Johnson didn't exactly deliver, finishing outside of the top 35 at the position.

Now entering his first year with the Houston Texans, Johnson has yet another chance at a bounce-back season – though that'll be entirely dependent on his health.

In just three years, David Johnson has gone from budding superstar to a blockbuster-trade afterthought. But it's familiar territory for the Texans' new RB, who is out to prove his most recent doubters wrong (via @jeffrichadiha)https://t.co/QMbzAAZbPY pic.twitter.com/gSkJXg5XoP
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) August 4, 2020

David Johnson Fantasy Football Value 2020

After another underwhelming season, the market has cooled considerably on Johnson, who carries an ADP of RB19. Still, there's reason to believe he's capable of a big year.

For one, he was actually pretty effective, at least as a pass-catcher, before injuries derailed his 2019 campaign. From Week 1-6 Johnson averaged 19.5 opportunities (carries plus targets) for 102.2 yards from scrimmage per game, scoring 5 total touchdowns during that span. He was fantasy's RB5 in PPR formats during that stretch.

Injuries then essentially ended his season, as he never saw more than 5 carries in a single game the rest of the way.

Now in Houston, Johnson projects to be the team's clear-cut RB1. He'll be splitting passing-down work with Duke Johnson, but David should be expected to fill the void on the ground left by Carlos Hyde's departure.

Hyde handled 15.3 carries per game, totaling 1,070 rushing yards on the year. Johnson didn't look quite as effective on the ground last year (3.67 yards per carry), but Houston's offensive line should present a solid upgrade over Arizona's.

Texans RB David Johnson is impressed with Deshuan Watson’s knowledge of the offense https://t.co/w4j6eolSya
— The Texans Wire (@TheTexansWire) August 7, 2020

Combining the rushing volume Johnson will see in Houston with his still-elite ability as a receiver makes him an interesting value as an RB2 option. Essentially, if he plays a 16-game season, he's likely to outperform that ranking. But his worrying injury history keeps him ranked lower than he should be.

We have him at RB23 in our 2020 fantasy football rankings.

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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.