KeeSean Johnson Fantasy Outlook Improves Following Christian Kirk Injury

The winless Arizona Cardinals suffered a big injury near the end of their Week 4 game against Seattle, with wide receiver Christian Kirk hurting his ankle. While he avoided major injury, Kirk is expected to miss some time, which opens the door for some of the younger players. KeeSean Johnson could stand to benefit the most as a result of that injury.

If Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk has a high ankle sprain and not a fracture, he still could be looking at a six-week recovery period. Good news is some people tend to heal faster than others. Giants running back Saqoun Barkley seems to be recovering quickly from his.
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) October 2, 2019

The sixth-round rookie began the season hot, starting the game and seeing 10 targets in the season opener. However, he has seen only nine targets in the three games since. Last week, Johnson played 57.1 percent of the offensive snaps and 63.4 percent of the passing plays.

ARZ 4-WR set Sunday tentatively expected to be:
* Larry Fitz and Pharoh Cooper in the slots.
* KeeSean Johnson and Trent Sherfield outside. https://t.co/2I7bNFDOT9
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 3, 2019

With Kirk out this week, Johnson should see an increased workload as the outside receiver, which should lead to performances closer to Week 1 than the three following games. He caught just half of his Week 1 targets, but he did turn them into 46 yards. If he can haul in a few more of his targets, that number should go up.

With a good matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals this week, the Cardinals should be more evenly matched and have a chance to find their first win. The upside for Johnson is there, however, he shouldn't be treated as anything higher than a FLEX play until he proves he can capitalize on his target share.

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