Arizona Cardinals game plan could make David Johnson a fantasy football risk

Many fantasy football owners are targeting David Johnson, but this could be a risky pick.

Bruce Arians is making life difficult for fantasy football owners by saying that David Johnson isn’t guaranteed to be the bell-cow. Obviously, Arians doesn’t care about fantasy football and just wants to win games.

The rest of us do care and were hoping to see someone with Johnson’s talent get enough carries to be an elite fantasy football performer.

Johnson burst on the scene late last year when both Andre Ellington and Chris Johnson went down with injuries. His success had as much to do with his usage as it did with his talent. Arizona’s offense shifted from a pass-first team that looked to feature Johnson and the running game.

This could be the case again this year, but Arians plans on going with the hot hand which could change from game to game. His statement wouldn’t be as big of a concern if David Johnson’s backups were lesser talents.

However, both Chris Johnson and Ellington have had their share of success in the NFL. Ellington was at one point a strong fantasy football option thanks to his ability to contribute as a runner and pass catcher.

The fact that the Cardinals have a lot of options in the passing game could also hurt Johnson’s value. Arians loves to open things up and take shots down the field. He’ll make sure to get the ball into the hands of his receivers which include Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown and JJ Nelson.

The one thing that works in David Johnson’s favor is the fact that Chris Johnson and Ellington have had their share of injuries over the past few years. Arizona has also done some good work increasing the talent along the offensive line.

Johnson will be an early pick in fantasy drafts but there’s some uncertainty surrounding his potential production.