When you think of a rookie RB this season to recommend for dynasty leagues, the first couple of names stick out are Todd Gurley and Melvin Gordon III. While these are two popular and certainly valuable RBs, I'd like to highlight another RB who isn't getting as much attention as he should.

That is the Miami Hurricane's all team rushing yards leader, Duke Johnson, who was drafted in the 3rd round (4th RB drafted) by the Cleveland Browns last season. Let's take a look at his fantasy football profile, with a focus on dynasty leagues.

Editor’s Note: RotoBaller's NFL Premium Subscriptions are your secret weapon. Sign up now and get access to our in-house developed tools including the DFS matchups tool, lineup sleepers/streamers tool, live expert Q&A chats, DFS lineups picks newsletter, ADP draft sleepers tool & much more. 

• Dynasty fantasy football articles
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings
• 2025 rookie fantasy football articles
• 2025 rookie fantasy football rankings

Duke Johnson's Fantasy Profile

In Johnson's 3 year college career at Miami he totaled 3519 rushing yards (6.7 YPC) scoring 26 TDs. Last season was by far his most productive college season but he only faced 2 top 20 teams in rushing defense. So will those numbers carry over and will he be productive in the NFL?  Lets look at some of his skills that excite me.

Throughout his college tape Johnson showed his exceptional vision skills and finding rushing lanes. Here's an example:

As you can see Johnson patiently waited for his lead blocker to create a lane and immediately took it when it opened up. This is a very important skill to have by not only attacking the open gaps but also being patient for plays to develop.

Another skill that I like about Johnson a lot is his receiving abilities. In fact the Browns have likened Johnson to Giovani Bernard who had 226 touches as a rookie in 2013 for the Bengals...hello PPR leagues! Here is an example of his receiving abilities versus Virginia at the later part of last season:

As you can see on this play the defender is draped all over Johnson and yet he was still able to catch the ball, highlighting his reliable hands and Johnson's lack of fair to catch the ball in tight windows.

While these two skills are very valuable Johnson needs to work on some parts to his game. One part that concerns me the most is his fumbling issues. In the last 2 seasons in college he had 6 fumbles. Here is an example where Johnson needs to protect the football:

In this particular play he got spun around and faced the defender who immediately punched the football out of his hands. I can guarantee playing in the NFL he'll face numerous players attempting to do the same thing. Head coach Mike Pettine showed last season that if you can't protect the football he'll sit you and look for other RB options. Johnson must work on this to complete his game and keep getting opportunities.

Duke Johnson's Redraft Value

When Johnson was drafted there were questions on when and how much touches he would get this season.  Now that Terrance West has been traded to the Titans, Johnson is in the position to have much more opportunities than expected this year. Currently, Isaiah Crowell is the lead back, so don't expect Johnson to be a 3-down back unless Crowell gets injured or does not play well. However, Crowell too has fumbling concerns as he had 3 of them last year on 148 touches. If you are in a PPR league Johnson is definitely worth drafting as they expect to use him on passing plays initially, even saying they want to use him like Giovani Bernard is used on the Bengals. His current ADP is 107 (STD), 101 (PPR) which is coincidentally near Crowell's draft value. If I had to choose who to draft I would go Johnson every time.

Duke Johnson's Dynasty Value

If Johnson is able to address his fumbling issues and remains healthy (already two injury concerns [hamstring & concussion] this season) then he could be the future starter for the Browns. Johnson has an OC in Brad Childress that runs the offense in a stretch/zone-scheme which is perfectly aligned with his talents. Scouts at the combine stated that his NFL comparison would be Justin Forsett. As we all know Forsett had a coming out party last season due in part to the offense was suited to his talents (plus a great OL). I anticipate that Johnson will become the lead back for the Browns in the future and perhaps this season at some point. His versatility makes him a great dynasty option, since it's unlikely for him to become anything less than a strong passing down back, and it's still very likely that he becomes a three down option in the future.

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]