Kerryon Johnson Injury Update Delivers Optimistic Boost for Week 16 Fantasy Outlook in Matchup With Broncos

After missing eight weeks and spending some time on IR, Kerryon Johnson is expected to make his 2019 season return for the Detroit Lions this Sunday, who shouldn't hesitate to make use of his talent in Week 16's game against the Denver Broncos.

Johnson suffered a meniscus tear during a game against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 7, and he has been on the IR since. Even though the Lions are 3-10-1, Johnson is now expected to play a big role in Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Kerryon Johnson Fantasy Outlook

In the five games prior to his injury, Johnson had averaged 13.2 PPR points and 11.4 standard points per game, finding the end zone three times. In his stead, Bo Scarbrough has taken up the workload, averaging 18.0 carries and 75.2 yards in the last four games.

However, Scarbrough is himself listed as questionable due to a rib injury. It appears that Scarbrough and Johnson will split time in the backfield, with some minor contributions from J.D. McKissic and Wes Hills.

While the Lions are facing a Broncos' team that's allowing 113.6 rushing yards per game, the situation is difficult to project. While Johnson could get significant carries, his role isn't completely secure and he's likely to have some rust after missing eight weeks with a major injury.

Meanwhile, Hills vultured two touchdowns last week and saw 10 carries, further complicating matters for this Week 16 outlook in the Detroit backfield. In the passing game, McKissic has caught all nine of his targets in the past three weeks and appears to be the primary receiving back for third-string QB David Blough.

Overall, no Lions running back appears on our Week 16 PPR or standard rankings. Johnson shouldn't be considered much more than an RB3 or FLEX play for this week.

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Tristan Jung is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Tristan Jung also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username tristan1117. 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.