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The Duel

David Johnson Injury Update Makes Chase Edmonds Top Fantasy Football Handcuff After Missed Practice

By Jason Schandl

Arizona Cardinals v Cincinnati Bengals
Arizona Cardinals v Cincinnati Bengals /
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David Johnson missed Wednesday's practice for the Arizona Cardinals with the same back injury that limited him in a Week 5 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

If Johnson suits up on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, then he can be relied on as a top RB as usual. If he misses the game or has his workload dialed back, though, then Chase Edmonds' value will get a huge boost.

Identifying true top handcuffs can be difficult, because there's usually no guarantee that a backup will shoulder workhorse volume with the starter out, rather than being part of a committee.

For Edmonds, though, Week 5 was a good indicator that he will be a true lead back if Johnson sits. Johnson played only 70.1 percent of the Cards' offensive snaps, and Edmonds even overlapped with him some, playing 35.1 percent. The other game that saw Johnson fall below 85 percent (Week 2) had Johnson at 60.0 percent and Edmonds at 40.0 percent.

This week's matchup also puts the Cardinals offense in a great spot. The Falcons are one of only nine teams giving up more than 6.0 yards per play to their opponents, and they've conceded the NFL's second most points per game (30.4).

This is going to be a situation to monitor all week, because a missed practice on Thursday or Friday will be a lot more concerning for Johnson than sitting out Wednesday. If Johnson doesn't play, Edmonds suddenly becomes a must-start fantasy option for Week 6, and with the uncertainty around this situation, Edmonds should be a priority waiver add while we wait for more news on Johnson's status.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. 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.