RADIO
Duke Johnson 2019 Outlook: Elevated To Lead Back Role After Injury
6 years agoHouston Texans running back Duke Johnson has established himself as one of the top pass-catching backs in the league over the first four years of his career. Last offseason, he was rewarded with a new contract extension for his excellent 2017 season in which he caught 74 passes. Then, the Browns went on to mostly ignore Johnson during the 2018 season, as he garnered a career-low 62 targets and 47 receptions. The Browns traded Johnson to the Texans ahead of their first preseason game, paving the way for an increased workload for the talented back. Johnson's 2019 outlook was already looking up before starter Lamar Miller tore his ACL during the Texans' third preseason game. That leaves Johnson as the lead back for a Texans team that has a rather thin running back corps behind him. Houston's cutdown-day acquisition of Carlos Hyde does little to impact Johnson's outlook. The Texans are Hyde's fourth team in the past year and he shouldn't do much other than handle a few early-down carries and operate as depth for the team. The Texans offense should be amongst the best in the league this season and Johnson could post career highs across the board on his new team. With Miller out of the way, Johnson can be drafted as early as the fifth round in fantasy drafts.
