X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Disaster Recovery Week 2: Not My DJ

David Johnson, the number one pick in many leagues, is saddled with the NFL's worst offense this year. Can it get better? RotoBaller's Steve Rebeiro examines.

Welcome to Disaster Recovery, where each week I'll examine why your studs played like duds.

This isn't a place to find out why you should have benched a player for somebody on your bench. Disaster Recovery is to examine the guys who you didn't think twice about benching, and deciding if you should be panicking at all about their value moving forward.

This season we'll be covering one dud per week. There will be two major qualifiers: the player must have performed well below expectations without an injury, and the player must be considered a must-start in most formats.

Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.

 

Rankings System

I'll also be implementing a new panic meter ranking system this week. It goes as follows:

  1. This week was a fluke. Don't panic!
  2. I still have full faith in this player, but there are some red flags. Be cautiously optimistic moving forward.
  3. There are genuine concerns here. Consider selling on name value, but don't panic too much unless you receive an offer you can't refuse.
  4. This player will not be the player you expected him to be. Regardless, his value may be too low to trade, and his ceiling is going to be better than anything you can get in return. Panic, but hold tight.
  5. Absolutely abandon ship. We're not coming back from this.

For Week 2, we have the pleasure of talking about a player who's basically coming off the worst game of his career. David Johnson, welcome to dudleyville.

 

David is no longer Goliath?

David Johnson in Week 2 vs Los Angeles Rams: 48 yards on 13 carries, one reception for three yards on two targets. Let's dig into this performance.

The Good

He's healthy!

The Bad

Everything else. Johnson couldn't even eclipse his measly Week 1 touch total of 14. While his 3.7 yards per rush isn't the end of the world, it's a far-cry from what we expected Johnson to produce this year. He received absolutely no work in the passing game, catching one of his two targets. It was his worst pass catching day since Week 5 of his rookie season. Johnson played six snaps in that game, scored two touchdowns, and didn't receive any targets. If we only count games in which Johnson started and finished the game, this was the worst fantasy outing of his career.

The Ugly

The Cardinals offense. My god. I've been a Rams fan since I was a kid. I've watched a ton of terrible offenses put up terrible performances. This might have been worse than all of them.

Sam Bradford came out with something to prove against his former team, and boy did he prove absolutely nothing. Bradford completed 17 or 27 passes for 90 yards with an interception. His leading receiver had 28 yards. He couldn't even check down to David Johnson properly.

Bradford is not entirely at fault here. The coaching decisions were incredibly uninspired. The Cardinals knew they'd have a tough day ahead of them and it's like they didn't even try to do something different against the Rams. Arizona didn't pass midfield until the final thirty seconds of the game. Johnson saved his day last week with a late-game score, but the Cardinals couldn't even get past midfield on Sunday, let alone find the end zone.

 

Has the Roadrunner Become the Coyote?

David Johnson is used to bursting through holes and running wild. Now, he's crashing into walls. Can this problem be solved this season?

Failure to Launch

The good news for David Johnson is that it can't really get any worse. 50 total yards seems about right for his absolute fantasy floor. The Cardinals won't be playing the Rams every week. But how much faith can we have that it will get better?

The Cardinals are brutal. Absolutely brutal. They currently have the NFL's worst offense. Arizona is last in the league in the following categories: points, yards, offensive snaps, time of possession, 3rd down completion percentage, and first downs.  They're the only team in the league that hasn't had 100 offensive snaps, the only team averaging under 200 yards per game, and the only team averaging under 10 first downs per game. They've scored six points this season! Luckily for us, Johnson has scored all of them.

Johnson shoulders a small bit of the blame for this, as does every player on an offense this bad, but it mostly falls on the glass shoulders of Sam Bradford and on the coaching staff.

Déjà Vu?

Haven't we seen this before? A consensus top five pick having an atrocious year due to the putrid offensive system he's stuck playing in?

It happened to last season's fantasy MVP Todd Gurley in 2016. Gurley's volume never wavered throughout the season. He averaged 20 touches a game. Not ideal for your star player, but enough to work with. The problem was there was nothing else to work with on the entire offense. Without any semblance of a passing attack to complement the second-year back, defenses swarmed the box on every possession and gave Gurley no room to breathe. His highest rushing total on the season was 85 yards, and he only found the end zone six times.

The point of bringing up Todd Gurley is this: we expected that, at some point, it had to get better. Gurley was way too talented to drown the whole season, and we thought at some point the Rams would find a way to let him swim. They never did. Gurley stumbled towards the finish line. It wasn't until we saw an offensive overhaul that he returned to the player we all thought it was.

That's the ultimate concern for Johnson. Maybe it won't get better? Sure, it won't get worse, but does it really have to get better? Arizona has a lot of similarities with the 2016 Rams: bad coaching, bad quarterbacking, a lack of quality receivers (Larry Fitzgerald is obviously much better than anything the Rams had, but he's out there by himself), and an offensive line that leaves a lot to be desired. Even if you can look at this Rams game and call it another game against the league's best defense, you can't say the same thing about the loss to Washington in Week 1. The red flags are adding up for the red birds.

Panic Meter: 4/5

We can safely say that David Johnson will not produce 2016 David Johnson numbers in this system. Unless Josh Rosen takes over the job and produces like Deshaun Watson did last year, there just isn't enough going for this offense for it to happen. But that doesn't mean we should quit on DJ just yet.

Look, if you can't get a first round talent for Johnson right now, your teams ceiling is simply higher with him on the squad. We've seen players bounce back from two bad weeks before. Johnson is likely a better player than most of those players. He's a dual-threat back and will be relied on to help ease in the Cardinals rookie quarterback when he takes over the job. His usage should only go up from here.

Johnson will likely struggle against a tough Bears defense next week. There's a good chance we see Josh Rosen in Week 4 against a stumbling Seahawks team. Back-to-back division matchups in Week 4 and Week 5 will be key for Johnson moving forward. If the Cardinals can produce some resemblance of a competent offense in these games, DJ should at worst be a high-end RB2 for most of the season. At best, his volume and production will leave him as a middle-tier RB1.

The Cardinals need to find a way to get Johnson going to have a chance to win a single game this year. This seems like a given at this point. Unfortunately, it starts with having some success in the passing game. The next three games will prove is this is possible. If the Week 5 Cardinals are as bad as the Week 2 Cardinals, we'll have a major problem. For now, Johnson owners should stand pat. There isn't a player you can trade DJ for that will give your team a better chance at a title this year.

What To Watch For

Watch for things like red zone touches and total offensive snaps in the coming weeks. The Cardinals have had 53 and 45 snaps respectively, and have had one (!!!!!!!!) red zone possession all season. There's an outside chance that Johnson becomes touchdown dependent, which is freighting. The truth is that the Cardinals simply need to get to the red zone more often so that Johnson will be able to rack up yards on those drives. Ideally, he can get back to 100 total yards per game territory with a nice touchdown upside. Ideally...

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Hit In Pinky In All-Star Game, X-Rays Negative
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF