David

Johnson

Johnson announcing his retirement is more of a formality than him actually walking away from the game. The do-it-all back who flirted with a 1,000-plus rushing and receiving yard season back in 2016 didn’t play a snap of football in 2023 and spent much of 2022 as a free agent before being signed to the Saints practice squad and suiting up for five games over the final three months of the season. When he was at his peak, Johnson was one of the best running backs in football — both real and fantasy. He was a key part of the disastrous 2020 offseason trade orchestrated by Bill O’Brien that sent DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals and proved to already be past his prime by the time he arrived in Houston as a 29-year-old running back. Johnson retires, having amassed 6,876 yards from scrimmage and 57 total touchdowns.

Johnson operated in a pure change of pace role behind lead back Alvin Kamara, who also struggled with efficiency against a Browns defense that was able to stack the box considering the weather conditions. Johnson remains firmly off the fantasy radar as teams head into championship week.

The one-time star was promoted to replace Mark Ingram as the Saints’ No. 2 six days ago. His second quarter fumble killed a drive inside the Falcons’ 20-yard line. Completely devoid of juice at age 31, Johnson will have no standalone value behind Alvin Kamara going forward, and could get replaced as the fill-in No. 2.

Johnson signed to the Saints’ practice squad on November 16th and suited up for the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Rams. He’s rushed once for negative four yards and added another reception for 11 yards, but could be in for an expanded role with Mark Ingram (MCL) expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. A myriad of injuries and Father Time have slowed Johnson in recent years, as he’s totaled just 915 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 215 carries dating back to 2020. He has little to no fantasy upside at this point in his career.

Johnson could help the Saints on passing downs but has been a relative zero on the ground recently, averaging under 4.0 yards per carry in three of the previous four seasons. Fantasy managers will want to take a “wait and see” approach with Johnson, particularly considering the difficult matchup against a Rams defense that has held opposing running backs to only 21.6 PPR points per game this season. Either way, Johnson’s return to the league makes for a solid feel-good story after failing to latch on in New Orleans during the offseason. The Saints waived tight ends Nick Vannett and J.P. Holtz in an associated move.

The move could mean Mark Ingram, dealing with an MCL sprain he suffered in Week 8, is expected to miss more time. If Johnson in activated for Sundays, he would play well behind Alvin Kamara. Johnson, 30, played in 13 games for the Texans in 2021 and totaled 453 yards, mostly as a pass-catching back.

Johnson participated in Saints’ minicamp on a tryout basis. With Alvin Kamara facing a suspension, it’s not a great sign he didn’t land a deal. The 30-year-old is limited to pass downs at this stage of his career, averaging under 4.0 yards per carry three of the last four seasons.

Johnson would help fill out the Saints’ depth chart. Turning 31 in December, he’s unlikely to have a huge impact this season. Still, his signing would not be ideal for Alvin Kamara. Johnson has almost nothing left in the tank as a rusher. Among running backs with 50+ attempts, he finished RB67 in Pro Football Focus’ elusive rating and RB74 in breakaway percentage. But Johnson still offers something as a receiver, finishing RB25 in yards per route run. Any snaps that Johnson logs for the Saints this year are likely to be heavily tilted toward passing downs, which Kamara would ideally have a total lock on.

There was some hope that Johnson could emerge as a lead back after Phillip Lindsay got released and Mark Ingram went to New Orleans, but the Texans maintained a committee backfield with Johnson and Rex Burkhead. Johnson was fairly involved as a pass-catcher in 2021, partially because the Texans were frequently depleted at the wide receiver position. The aging running back boasts little appeal for 2022.

Houston also activated several others, including G/T Tytus Howard, WR Danny Amendola, CB Lonnie Johnson, TE Antony Auclair, WR Chris Moore, and LB Kevin Pierre-Louis. Johnson played 12 snaps in Week 15 but otherwise has been out since Week 12.