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PFF top 5 fantasy RBs (1 Viewer)

Bracie Smathers

Bracie Smathers

Footballguy
Not the order I would expect and I would include AdP but I don't have any major issues with the names here.

If you disagree, who would you have and it would be interesting to see lists of your top-12 at this time.

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Who are your top 5 fantasy RBs? Here are PFF staff ranks:

1)Le'Veon Bell

2)David Johnson

3)Todd Gurley

4)Ezekiel Elliott

5)Devonta Freeman
===========================

My top 5 and top 12 at this time.

1)  Todd Gurley - 

I think he takes over as the top fantasy RB this year.

2)  Adrian Peterson - 

Continues to deliver like a green-grocer.

3)  Devonta Freeman -

I like Tevan Coleman so it took me awhile to warm up to Freeman but I have to go with him till he proves he can't carry the load.

4)  David Johnson -

He did so much with little opportunity.  The upside is huge.

5)  Le'Veon Bell -

Not as high on him as others.

7)  Ezekiel Elliott -

He 'could' immediately turn into one of the top fantasy backs.

8)  Doug Martin -

Can he stay healthy?  If so, then he's a lock for a top-10 finish in 2016 IMHO.

9)  CJ Anderson -

Again, can he stay healthy?  

10)  Lamar Miller -

He's got a chance to start with little competition.

11)  Thomas Rawls -

Provided he is healthy, he would rank higher but even if he is still working out some kinks early in the year, I think he takes over as the workhorse RB at some point and produces top fantasy numbers.

12)  DeMarco Murray -

He is better than what he showed in Philly.  The downhill blocking scheme is suited for his style of play.  I like what they added to the O-line and feel they are going to run him a ton and sprinkle in the rookie to give Murray a breather.  They are paying him and made the trade so I think they want to give him every opportunity to justify the trade and contract as they groom the rookie for the future.

 
Wouldn't put Freeman in my top 5.

Here's my top 5:

LeVeon Bell

Todd Gurley

Adrian Peterson

David Johnson

Ezekiel Elliott

 
In Order(subject to change)

1) David Johnson

2) Todd Gurley

3) Leveon Bell

4) AP

5) Devontae Freeman

 
With C Johnson and A Ellington back, what percentage of snaps do you see D Johnson getting?   Small body of work mostly done after both of other backs went down,  I'm not a buyer that low. 

 
TripItUp said:
In Order(subject to change)

1) David Johnson

2) Todd Gurley

3) Leveon Bell

4) AP

5) Devontae Freeman
Click to expand...
Just going to throw this out there . . .

I believe last year you were not sold on CJ Anderson because he wasn't proven enough to be a high first round fantasy pick, even though in his last 8 games the season before he put up 1057 yards and 10 TD.

But this year, you are clearly sold on Johnson, who put up 893 yards and 7 TD in his last 8 games (post season included) last year. How is he any more proven than Anderson was? What makes you so sure he is going to both be a bell cow and as successful? Does Chris Johnson just watch from the sideline all season?

 
stlrams said:
With C Johnson and A Ellington back, what percentage of snaps do you see D Johnson getting?   Small body of work mostly done after both of other backs went down,  I'm not a buyer that low. 
Click to expand...
CJ and Ellington will play when David needs a breather.

 
Adrian Peterson
Todd Gurley
Ezekial Eliiot
LeVeon Bell
David Johnson
Lamar Miller
Mark Ingram
LeSean McCoy
Devonta Freeman
Jay Ajayi
Jamal Charles
Giovanni Bernard

Doug Martin or Matt Forte could get in there over Bernard I suppose.

 
Anarchy99 said:
Just going to throw this out there . . .

I believe last year you were not sold on CJ Anderson because he wasn't proven enough to be a high first round fantasy pick, even though in his last 8 games the season before he put up 1057 yards and 10 TD.

But this year, you are clearly sold on Johnson, who put up 893 yards and 7 TD in his last 8 games (post season included) last year. How is he any more proven than Anderson was? What makes you so sure he is going to both be a bell cow and as successful? Does Chris Johnson just watch from the sideline all season?
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Two major reasons:

1) eye test, more natural ability

2) receiving yards

 
It's interesting, I thought I'd be all alone ranking Johnson #1 but I saw in the FF Index that our good buddy Bob Henry also has Johnson as his #1.

 
Well, guess I'll be having Lamar Miller this year, as apparently I'm the only person with him as a top-5 RB. 

 
Worried about David Johnson as a lot people that watched the tape thought he was pretty subpar running inside. I need to look closer, but I don't think I can invest that highly in a guy with such a small sample size.

 
Methinks Chris Johnson is going to get a lot more snaps than DJ Owners might think.

When I do my tiers/buckets, I do them 'in the moment', and don't include Players with issues that currently might cause them to miss games. Due to this, at this time I'm not including Bell. If I were to include him, I would include him in the 'default' group, as I feel that the Steelers have no questions about DeAngelo Williams' ability, and will carve out a role for him in the offense simply because he's capable of being productive, and to reduce wear and tear on Bell.

I'm also not including Rawls (injury/NFL Draft), Charles (injury/RB options), Forte (Fitzgerald)

For a 12 Team League that starts 1RB, by default, there have to be 12 RB1's in theory, but not necessarily in practice, in my Top Tier, I only include what I call 'true' RB1's, and place a gap between them and 'default' RB1's that will generate stats I'd expect from an RB2 under optimal circumstances.

Tier 1 (in no particular order) Adrian Peterson, Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliot, Lamar Miller, Mark Ingram, Carlos Hyde, CJ Anderson

Tier 2 (in no particular order)

Devonta Freeman (Coleman is too talented to keep off the field, and 2016 Sanu is better than 2015 White, and Falcons are going to get more production from TE's.

David Johnson (see above)

Gio Bernard (New OC favors a more dynamic RB in the Marshall Faulk-style, but Hill will still demand touches)

Eddie Lacy (Starks)

Tier 3 - there are a handful of backs including those I'm currently not including that could either occupy this spot (RB12), or bump some of the tier 2 guys down to Tier 3. If I absolutely HAD to pick one of them based on the above criteria, it would be Jay Ajayi.

 
In ppr definitely going:

  1. Leveon Bell
  2. David Johnson 
  3. Todd Gurley
  4. Adrian Peterson
  5. Ezekiel Elliott
  6. Dion Lewis 
  7. Doug Martin
  8. Danny Woodhead
  9. Matt Forte
  10. Mark Ingram
 
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TripItUp said:
Two major reasons:

1) eye test, more natural ability

2) receiving yards
Click to expand...
1) ok, can't argue that

2) CJ was a significant part of the Broncos passing game in 2014. During the stretch where he took over as the primary RB, he averaged 5 targets a game and 35 receiving yards. That's not the 6.5 and 46 yards DJ got, but it's elite. Seems odd to have such vastly different takes (#1 overall to an avoid candidate) over a difference of 170 yards. 

I just worry how sustainable those numbers will be for David Johnson. 

 
D Johnson - No way I invest that high of pick on a guy with roughly 7 games playing experience (insert CJ Anderson here) with 2 quality veteran RB on the roster.

 
1. David Johnson-Right talent, right offense, right offensive-minded coach, and we saw it in action.

2.Todd Gurley-Would be #1 if I trusted Fisher more, the Rams were better, or both.

3. Adrian Peterson-Just simply gets it done on a team that is willing to use him.

4. LeVeon Bell-I hate to predict injuries but he and/or Big Ben WILL miss time this year and DWIL showed he earned the trust of the team last year.

5. Shady McCoy or Jamaal Charles or Eddie Lacy (depending on scoring format)-Two great vets that were hurt last year but are productive and on teams that would like nothing more than run the offense through them. Lacy on a recommitment, contract year on a Packers team that knows they underachieved last year and are led by Rodgers.  I'll take my chances at another 1200-1300/10 type of season.

Notable omissions:  Freeman (he's not going to carry 325+ and have that type of month again. 

                                Martin-Has every ability but I don't trust the Bucs to commit AND for Martin to stay healthy.

                                Zeke-Reasons are many but trust me if Romo and Dez are healthy, Zeke simply WILL not be a yardage AND TD hog and if they aren't and the Coboys season is down the drain, there is no reason to run Zeke into the ground.

 
stlrams said:
D Johnson - No way I invest that high of pick on a guy with roughly 7 games playing experience (insert CJ Anderson here) with 2 quality veteran RB on the roster.
Click to expand...
I don't understand this type of thinking because this is normally the exact type of reasoning that people usually use to OVER hype a player.  When DeMarco Murray had that great 6-7 games in year one, people were like "top 5 in dynasty!" And he had one good and one monster year while still in Dallas.

Or, a guy like OBJ.  Played most of the season, not just 8-9 games but few people were saying because he "only" played "x" games that was a problem.  He had veteran counterparts.  What's the difference? We see it all the time: A guy shows a flash at the end o f one season and solidly emerges next.  JJ Watt, Allen Hurns, Antonio Brown, Thomas Rawls, etc..

Freaking Thomas Rawls.  How can this guy play essentially the same amount, be less fantasy valuable, but still be in the same boat?  I mena, on any give year, what's the difference (in points) between a top 6-8 Rb and a top 3-5? It's not so different as to universally list one as the next big thing and the other as "I don't trust him". 

Not trying to pick on your post and it iS a bit different that you are saying you don't like him at #1 but it seems a lttle short sighted to say "no way" when the reality every year is that guys like this DO emerge and what we saw of DJ is that he is absolutely the guy that unless an absolute LOCK is sitting there and is safe, you're rolling dice to a certain degree and Johnson has shown he could easily put up 350+ in PPR fantasy next year.  That's difference-making.

 
Shutout said:
1. David Johnson-Right talent, right offense, right offensive-minded coach, and we saw it in action.

2.Todd Gurley-Would be #1 if I trusted Fisher more, the Rams were better, or both.

3. Adrian Peterson-Just simply gets it done on a team that is willing to use him.

4. LeVeon Bell-I hate to predict injuries but he and/or Big Ben WILL miss time this year and DWIL showed he earned the trust of the team last year.

5. Shady McCoy or Jamaal Charles or Eddie Lacy (depending on scoring format)-Two great vets that were hurt last year but are productive and on teams that would like nothing more than run the offense through them. Lacy on a recommitment, contract year on a Packers team that knows they underachieved last year and are led by Rodgers.  I'll take my chances at another 1200-1300/10 type of season.

Notable omissions:  Freeman (he's not going to carry 325+ and have that type of month again. 

                                Martin-Has every ability but I don't trust the Bucs to commit AND for Martin to stay healthy.

                                Zeke-Reasons are many but trust me if Romo and Dez are healthy, Zeke simply WILL not be a yardage AND TD hog and if they aren't and the Coboys season is down the drain, there is no reason to run Zeke into the ground.
Click to expand...
it's hard to put Mccoy/Charles that high given their high inj rate.  If they could stay relatively healthy they would both be top 5 backs but that's a given one is getting hammy, other poss acl tear.   Let's hope it's different this year.. 

 
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Run It Up said:
How high do you have Gurley and Zeke?
Click to expand...
Right now, my top tier would be Bell, Peterson and Gurley,  Gurley was primary back for 12 games vs DJ 7.  Plus Gurley doesn't have a quality back-up so he should be on the field most of the game.   If CJ and Ellington healthy, DJ not playing 3rd and long snaps and resting certain series so maximum one should expect is 60% of plays.  Would have to see splits in preseason games with McFadden and Zeke,  Guessing Dallas would take it slow for Elliott and might not become starter until game 4-5 therefore he belongs somewhere in RB 12-14 range.   

 
buck naked said:
How can you confidently rate him this high coming off an ACL? 

I've not heard any news how his rehab is going.
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His rehab is over, he's been practicing in full for a while now.

I'm hesitant or I would have rated him higher

 
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The top rbs rarely repeat from year to year.  Even the very good ones rarely have more than 3 or 4 rb1 seasons in their career whether because of injury, ineffectiveness, competition, team pronlems, whatever.  All you can do is guess which ones are most likely to be there if they stay healthy.

What makes a top rb?

1) is he an elite player asked to carry the offense? Peterson and gurley are for sure.  Bell and freeman are not.  Sure, theyre both a huge part of their offenses, but this category is for the guys who do it without help, and ben/brown and ryan/julio are a lot more help than peterson or gurley have.  The vikings and rams flow through their running backs.

2) does he get high quality touches?  In ppr leagues this almost has to mean hes the primary receiving back. It usually also means hes the primary goal line back, although there are exceptions like when lacy was top five with kuhn vulturing.  Even in non ppr, receiving is more valuable than running, because one catch for 8 yards is twice as valuable as one rush for four and often means fewer and smaller guys tackling you or even going out of bounds.

3) will he get the volume of touches?  How many rush attempts and rb receptions and goal lone carries will the team get, and what proportion of each will each guy get?   If a guy got a big proportion of these touches last year, did anything change?  Freeman, for example, should still get the majority of the rb receptions, but the total number may go down because they added wrs.  He got most of the goal line carries, but that might go down because coleman gets some.  Even if the team considers him their star, his fantasy value should regress from losing some of his highest quality touches.

4) does he rely on big plays? Chris johnson is the classic example.  How does he go from 2000 yards to barely over 1000 in a short time?  A big part of yards per touch comes from volume of touches times frequency of big plays.  A guy who breaks a 60 yard play every 50 touches in his career might break 8 long runs one year and 2 the next.  If a guy breaks a lot in year x, he probably wont break as many in year x plus one.  This isnt the gamblers fallacy, its also health, how people defend him, a surprise play call that only works once, etc.  Jeremy hill broke a lot of big plays during his rookie hot streak.  Its hard to sustain.

5) does he have a quality player behind him who demands carries? Ask chris johnson owners about having david johnson behind him.  Ask mccoy owners about karlos williams.  Its not just the vulturing, its the risk that they get a mild injury theyd normally play through and the coach decides that 100 percent of the other guy is better than 80 percent of you.  Beware guys who win a close battle to start or incumbents with one or more attractive rookies behind them.

6) will he stay healthy. You cant predict injuries, but you can project whether a guy will get shelved quickly if he gets hurt.  Demarco murray could have trouble here.

Thats not an end all, be all list.  Guys can have great years by breaking big plays, and you cant predict that.  Guys can get injured.  Cant predict it.  

But some players who meet more of those criteria than youd expect:

Carlos hyde

Dion lewis

Ryan mathews

Jay ajayi (warming up to the idea that hes their number one)

Guys who might be overrated because they outperformed expectations last year 

Freeman (who i like, but not at his current price)

Melvin gordon (youre not going to get the catches and might not get the touchdowns)

Demarco murray (hes got talent behind him and might not get the tds)

Rawls (prosise will get a lot of the good receiving work and wilson vultures tds)

 
Shutout said:
I don't understand this type of thinking because this is normally the exact type of reasoning that people usually use to OVER hype a player.  When DeMarco Murray had that great 6-7 games in year one, people were like "top 5 in dynasty!" And he had one good and one monster year while still in Dallas.

Or, a guy like OBJ.  Played most of the season, not just 8-9 games but few people were saying because he "only" played "x" games that was a problem.  He had veteran counterparts.  What's the difference? We see it all the time: A guy shows a flash at the end o f one season and solidly emerges next.  JJ Watt, Allen Hurns, Antonio Brown, Thomas Rawls, etc..

Freaking Thomas Rawls.  How can this guy play essentially the same amount, be less fantasy valuable, but still be in the same boat?  I mena, on any give year, what's the difference (in points) between a top 6-8 Rb and a top 3-5? It's not so different as to universally list one as the next big thing and the other as "I don't trust him". 

Not trying to pick on your post and it iS a bit different that you are saying you don't like him at #1 but it seems a lttle short sighted to say "no way" when the reality every year is that guys like this DO emerge and what we saw of DJ is that he is absolutely the guy that unless an absolute LOCK is sitting there and is safe, you're rolling dice to a certain degree and Johnson has shown he could easily put up 350+ in PPR fantasy next year.  That's difference-making.
Click to expand...
For me, your top draft pick should be the best can't miss guy.  Therefore, I much rather take a top tier RB or stud WR over a RB with question marks.  Later rounds are for gambling....

 
PPR redraft:

  1. Gurley
  2. Bell
  3. Elliott
  4. Rawls
  5. Miller
  6. Ingram
  7. Peterson
  8. Martin
  9. Charles
  10. Johnson
Comments on some players:

  • Rawls: Latest word is he will be ready for training camp. Assuming he is healthy and 100%, I expect his season to be similar to Lynch's seasons from 2011-2014.
  • Ingram: I think many don't realize how well he played before he got hurt last season. He averaged more ppg than AP.
  • Peterson: He will be 31.5 when the season starts, and I expect to see regression in his performance this season. The OL will also likely have different starters at 4 positions, so it could take some time for them to gel.
  • Johnson: I am skeptical that he will dominate the workload if the other RBs on the roster stay healthy, and I also doubt he will reach double digit TDs again.
  • Freeman: I expect Freeman's workload to be reduced substantially, and I doubt he will reach double digit TDs again.
 
I'm of the opinion only a handful of rbs are even first round worthy but if we're talking about the top 10, most of them won't be first rounders.

 
Ilov80s said:
Worried about David Johnson as a lot people that watched the tape thought he was pretty subpar running inside. I need to look closer, but I don't think I can invest that highly in a guy with such a small sample size.
Click to expand...
I am one of those people.

It is still a work in progress, but I saw enough improvement that I am pretty excited about him.

LeVeon Bell looked like more of a plodder in College and as a rookie before he put it all together. Some guys get a lot better after being in the NFL a year.

 
Surprised to see all the Freeman love. I guess you guys didn't pay attention to the 2nd half of the season.

From Week 9 on:

113 carries, 347 yds, 3.07 YPC, 2 rushing TDs

33 catches, 225 yards, 2 TD catches

Tevin Coleman over the same stretch:

46 carries, 212 yds, 4.61 YPC, 0 rushing TDs

Freeman in PPR finished with 320.9 points. From Week 9 on, he only had 114.7 and was RB12. He was averaging 25.8ppg in Weeks 1-8 and 16.4 through Weeks 9-17. Is that someone you want as a Top 5 RB?

 
I like looking at these boards more to find out who others like that Im not a big fan of. I play in a lot of auction and like to bid up players I don't like. Now it does bite you at times but having someone pay big for David Johnson to me is a big win. 

 
MattFancy said:
Surprised to see all the Freeman love. I guess you guys didn't pay attention to the 2nd half of the season.

From Week 9 on:

113 carries, 347 yds, 3.07 YPC, 2 rushing TDs

33 catches, 225 yards, 2 TD catches

Tevin Coleman over the same stretch:

46 carries, 212 yds, 4.61 YPC, 0 rushing TDs

Freeman in PPR finished with 320.9 points. From Week 9 on, he only had 114.7 and was RB12. He was averaging 25.8ppg in Weeks 1-8 and 16.4 through Weeks 9-17. Is that someone you want as a Top 5 RB?
Click to expand...
Other than fact the first 8 weeks count two we are talking about the best fantasy RB's.

I've covered this numerous times this off-season but from week 9 on, when everyone seems to think he was so terrible, Freeman was the #7 RB in PPG. That's with a few tougher matchups and getting knocked out of game very early with a concussion. Remove the concussion game where he only got around 4 points before exiting and his average PPG from week 9 till end of season would have been just over 18 a game, second best in the NFL to DWILL who is not even a starter.

So that's why the love.

 
Ilov80s said:
Worried about David Johnson as a lot people that watched the tape thought he was pretty subpar running inside. I need to look closer, but I don't think I can invest that highly in a guy with such a small sample size.
Click to expand...
Just a piece of the puzzle, probably won't change any minds but DJ was a very good runner in college.

My biggest concern when it comes to DJ is the mileage he's already accrued.

 
For me I can't put Zeke in the top 5 without him even taking a snap. I can't put David Johnson there either because of the competition he has behind him, and I never trust anything Arians says. I also feel like Jamaal is in the same boat as Leveon as far as injuries. I squeezed in Eddie Lacy as long he isn't Fat Ed. I left out Freeman because I don't think he repeats with Tevin on the back burner. 

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Leveon Bell

3. Todd Gurley

4. Jamaal Charles

5. Eddie Lacy (in shape)

 
Only a couple guys mentioned Hyde, but I think he's being severely undervalued this year. I understand he has issues with health, but if he stays healthy, I could see him having a huge year. He has no one behind him, and Chip Kelly's lead back should see a ton of touches. I'm pretty psyched about him.

 
Non-PPR Redraft

Tier 1: Elliot, Bell, Miller, Gurley, Peterson, Johnson

Tier 2: Martin, Charles, Freeman, Forte

Tier 3: Rawls, McCoy, Ingram, Lacy

Tier 4: C.J. Anderson, Mathews, Ajayi, Stewart, Hyde, Bernard, Gore

I don't think there is a RB on the list that is without questions, so I tend to go with upside to determine rank.  

 
Run It Up said:
His rehab is over, he's been practicing in full for a while now.

I'm hesitant or I would have rated him higher
Click to expand...
What exactly do you mean by "practicing in full"? IIRC, he started running without a brace and participated in some RB drills, but I don't believe he did any of the light contact or on-field team drills. Certainly it's a good sign that he can get out and run and cut, but it's still a little early to know how he would do with full contact or in game situations. But it sounds like he should be able to start the regular season on time.

 
Anarchy99 said:
What exactly do you mean by "practicing in full"? IIRC, he started running without a brace and participated in some RB drills, but I don't believe he did any of the light contact or on-field team drills. Certainly it's a good sign that he can get out and run and cut, but it's still a little early to know how he would do with full contact or in game situations. But it sounds like he should be able to start the regular season on time.
Click to expand...
 This was  the first result of a cursory search, but I know I've read he has been practicing in full. They were holding him and Gronk back but I had read more than once both are full go already. Might have been premature.

Link

 
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My early ppr rankings (based on early projections so risk not considered yet):


1


Le'Veon Bell


2


David Johnson


3


Lamar Miller


4


Jamaal Charles


5


Todd Gurley


6


Davonta Freeman


7


Eddie Lacy


8


Mark Ingram


9


Adrian Peterson


10


Ezekiel Elliot


 
kutta said:
Only a couple guys mentioned Hyde, but I think he's being severely undervalued this year. I understand he has issues with health, but if he stays healthy, I could see him having a huge year. He has no one behind him, and Chip Kelly's lead back should see a ton of touches. I'm pretty psyched about him.
Click to expand...
I like Hyde at his current ADP.

 
Shutout said:
I don't understand this type of thinking because this is normally the exact type of reasoning that people usually use to OVER hype a player.  When DeMarco Murray had that great 6-7 games in year one, people were like "top 5 in dynasty!" And he had one good and one monster year while still in Dallas.

Or, a guy like OBJ.  Played most of the season, not just 8-9 games but few people were saying because he "only" played "x" games that was a problem.  He had veteran counterparts.  What's the difference? We see it all the time: A guy shows a flash at the end o f one season and solidly emerges next.  JJ Watt, Allen Hurns, Antonio Brown, Thomas Rawls, etc..

Freaking Thomas Rawls.  How can this guy play essentially the same amount, be less fantasy valuable, but still be in the same boat?  I mena, on any give year, what's the difference (in points) between a top 6-8 Rb and a top 3-5? It's not so different as to universally list one as the next big thing and the other as "I don't trust him". 

Not trying to pick on your post and it iS a bit different that you are saying you don't like him at #1 but it seems a lttle short sighted to say "no way" when the reality every year is that guys like this DO emerge and what we saw of DJ is that he is absolutely the guy that unless an absolute LOCK is sitting there and is safe, you're rolling dice to a certain degree and Johnson has shown he could easily put up 350+ in PPR fantasy next year.  That's difference-making.
Click to expand...
This is an excellent point and quite honestly made me look up Rawls ADP not Johnson's.

My problem with Johnson is CJ. After a stellar career in TEN, misplaced in NYJ, he was a top five back when he got injured. 814 yards in 9 starts is nothing to shake a stick at. In fact, he did better than David.

When he took over he had two good games, one excellent one against a bad Philly D and then four bad games in a row. 

9 for 39, 11 for 25, 15 for 35, 15 for 60...these are not numbers of ooh let's get all excited about a running back.

Most importantly, they are not numbers that are going to keep Arians from putting CJ in. 

I jump to Kenny Britt getting a zillion yards against a bad Philly pass D and us over-ranking him the following year. Not sure why it just smells similar.

I am OK with any back struggling against Seattle or Carolina and that's 2 of his 4. They beat Green Bay 38-8 and he only got 9 for 39. Isn't that the perfect setting for a back to get carries? Even if at minimum running down the clock? I don't like that Arians didn't choose to give him a lot of carries that game.

Most of all, at a minimum CJ is a glorious tease with his ability to go the distance. 9 starts and 6 runs of 20 yards or more, that 62 yard run against the Ravens....there's still some in the tank.

Another note is the Titans (and Jets) put maybe too much effort to get CJ involved in the passing game. You get his speed outside and let him go. He was a star so he got tons of attention and it wasn't overly successful.

He only played seven third downs for the Cardinals last year. He IS a catch and run threat and if he's a backup then that could very well be his role. 

All these David predictions offer CJ nothing. I'm not buying that. If someone wants to give CJ a role and project, I'll listen but he's not going to end 2016 with 40 carries for 100 yards and 10 catches. He gets a piece of the pie. 

There's love for David from the Cardinals staff but there's also this:

" “You always have to worry about that balance and one guy getting upset,” offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin said about a talented backfield that includes David Johnson. “But I think one of the reasons that Chris came back … it’s a bigger goal in mind. Those guys have had individual glory before. You think about down the road, about hoisting the Lombardi and putting your fingerprints all over it.” "

That is not a coordinator calling 97% of run plays for David. Why would he worry about balance and one guy getting upset?

CJ's doing something other than watching from the sidelines. FF folks have went too far loving David's prospects for 2016. Time to back up and re-think things

 
There's a lot of love in here for Elliot, Gurley, and David. Is Melvin Gordon just toast then?

He fell out of favor that fast?

 
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