Arizona Cardinals - Fantasy News

Fantasy Options for David Johnson in Week 2

by Adam Markowitz

9/11/17

NFL

Arizona Cardinals

David Johnson

It was a tough Week 1 for fantasy players who bought into some of the biggest players in fantasy football. In particular, it was a hard week at the very top of the running back food chain. David Johnson and Le'Veon Bell were matched up against each other in our Dober Quick Play fantasy contests, and both had Projected Fantasy Points among the highest non-quarterbacks in the NFL at 18.5 and 19.5 DFPs, respectively.

The two of them combined for just 16.30 DFPs.

In all likelihood, Bell will knock off some of the rust that he showed after sitting out the entire offseason and preseason and will return to his top-flight status at some point.

Johnson, though, might be a different story.

Arizona's top running back suffered a wrist injury on a catch in the third quarter of the Cardinals' 35-23 loss in Detroit. He stayed in the game and fumbled on his very next touch. Following the fumble, he never returned, giving way to Kerwynn Williams.

With Johnson's status for Week 2 up in the air, we'll present a few other fantasy football running back options that might prove to be viable replacements.

Kerwynn Williams (7.70 DFP in Week 1)

Why not start with the man who could replace Williams in Arizona? With Chris Johnson getting cut and Andre Ellington clearly having fallen out of favor, Williams stands to be the beneficiary in the desert if Johnson can't play in Week 2. No matter who the top running back has been for Bruce Arians over the course of his tenure with the Cardinals, that man has been a top fantasy football option. So why not Williams?

Though he isn't nearly the pass-catcher as Johnson, he's been quite good when he's been forced into playing a big role in this Arizona offense. Last year in Week 17 against the Rams, Williams ran the ball 12 times for 60 yards and a touchdown, good for 12.0 DFP. Back in 2014, he had three of his four games accumulate at least 6.7 DFP.

Given this backfield to himself, Williams could be a stud next week against an Indianapolis defense that had all sorts of problems keeping Todd Gurley from stuffing the fantasy stat sheet in Week 1.

James White (8.3 DFP in Week 1)

We know that it's always risky backing any Patriots running back in any given game, but this matchup with the Saints in Week 2 figures to be one full of opportunities for all of New England's top fantasy stars. New Orleans yielded a generous 22.5 standard fantasy points per game (non-PPR) to running backs last year, the third-most in the NFL. So even if Mike Gillislee does go stealing all of the touchdowns like he did in Week 1, there still could be plenty of love for White in the end.

White is a pass-catcher by nature, and that makes him a much safer play against New Orleans, especially if this game turns into a shootout as many will expect it to become. If he manages to take in 10 carries as he did against the Chiefs and remains a viable option in the short passing game, he could be in for a double-digit Dober fantasy game even if he doesn't find the end zone.

Marshawn Lynch (9.7 DFP in Week 1)

"Beast Mode" is back, and he certainly looks the part of a dominant running back once again. We know that Lynch is going to be a bit more of an expensive option in relation to these other two backs we've listed, but we would be really surprised if he doesn't end up scoring at least one touchdown against the lowly Jets in Week 2.

Lynch is the clear power back in an offense that is going to average north of 25 points per game in all likelihood, and the expectation will be there that this offense will put at least three touchdowns, if not more, on the board against New York.

Sure, Lynch isn't a pass-catcher like White and won't stuff the stat sheet all across the board, but 100-plus yards and two touchdowns is certainly a realistic possibility in Week 2.