Post Fantasy Insanity columnist Drew Loftis and Scott Engel, representing the Fantasy Sports TV Network (FNTSY), debate:
Which RB sleeper is the more rocking DJ: Cleveland’s Duke Johnson or Arizona’s David Johnson?
DREW: When you’re “sleeper deep” in your draft, that’s when you need to target primarily upside, and I’ll take the more explosive Duke — who is on a team with a strong O-line and uninspiring talents ahead of him on the depth chart in Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West, neither of whom should be as difficult to overtake as Andre Ellington in Arizona.
SCOTT: It’s hard to be explosive when you are on the sidelines as much as Duke Johnson has been this preseason. He has already dealt with hamstring and concussion issues. That has cut into his progress early in his pro career and frustrated the coaching staff. You need to get reps to make a real impact when you are a rookie. Duke’s initial growth potential has been stunted twice. Meanwhile, David Johnson made a solid impression later in the preseason and can have a clearer path to a starting job with only the unreliable, injury-risk Ellington ahead of him on the depth chart. Duke has to get into playing form while the other two returnees still get opportunities to at least make it a committee.
DREW: Muddying the Arizona waters is the acquisition of Chris Johnson. CJ may not have much left in the tank, but if the team felt confident in the other backfield options, including David Johnson, they likely wouldn’t have signed him. Plus, there’s still Kerwynn Williams, Stepfan Taylor and others on the roster who could block or delay David’s path to the field. Duke has less clutter in front of him.
SCOTT: The only thing Chris Johnson leaves mud on is this column if you waste space mentioning his name. There is no way he will threaten David Johnson’s spot on the depth chart. It’s a wonder he got signed at all. Those other RBs you mention already became afterthoughts when David Johnson was drafted, they picked him so they no longer had to turn to desperation options when Ellington went down. Chris Johnson is only there in case of depth needed behind Ellington and David Johnson. So they don’t have to hopefully turn to one of those stopgaps if injuries strike again. The only RB talented enough to stave off David Johnson is Ellington, and he could end up sharing carries with him anyway. What is it with you and mediocre players anyway, Drew? Last week you’re trying to sell us Ted Ginn, and now Chris Johnson?!!!!!
DREW: Don’t get hung up on the names and look closer at the situations. Like Ginn, CJ is not an impact fantasy player, but his presence could affect the value of others, like David Johnson. They didn’t sign CJ as a goof. That’s not to say any of the aforementioned in the Zona backfield battle are better than David, only that he could have a harder time getting steady playing time. Remember, too, the Cardinals likely will be in a playoff race, thus more likely to lean on more experienced players in big games. Cleveland, on the other hand, likely will be out of the race early, giving them more motivation to play young players, with an eye on the future. These are two players, both with high upside, but Duke has a better chance of getting to show it this season.
SCOTT: You have to focus on the names, because those are the names of guys who are not going to be relevant. David Johnson is already realistically ahead of everyone else in the Arizona backfield except Ellington. Chris Johnson is a waste of roster space and the others are not going to be used for experience when they were parts of the reason why Arizona had to draft David Johnson in the first place. If they were truly useful, there would not have been roster changes at RB. The Browns offense is full of bad and mediocre names, stifling Duke Johnson’s promise. They won’t get into scoring position as often as Arizona and they lack other notable playmakers to shift focus away from Duke once he starts to garner respect. If an Ellington injury happens, David Johnson has no true threat to his outlook in a better offense.
Pick up The Post on Sunday before the NFL season kicks off for more fantasy tips from Drew and Scott, and watch Scott on FNTSY on Cablevision Ch. 238 and tune in to “RotoExperts in the Morning” weekdays from 6-10 a.m. on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio.