Duke Johnson (RB, CLE) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Duke Johnson was a very hot name coming into 2015, however the first few Browns games have really cooled off the fire surrounding him. Isaiah Crowell has gotten the first crack at the running back job with Johnson dealing with a hamstring injury during training camp, and then sustaining a concussion in late August during the preseason. Yes, Johnson has been active for all three of their games, but it didn't help his snap count or chemistry to be out for those periods as a rookie.

While Crowell hasn't done anything crazy, Johnson hasn't helped his case at all. In Week 1 he averaged 3.1 YPC. Week 2 saw him bump that up to 3.6 YPC. In Week 3 against the Raiders, he only had four rushes...for three yards. There is silver lining here, I promise. While the first two weeks saw Johnson register zero catches, in Week 3 he finished with six receptions for 32 yards. Still not overwhelming, but one has to feel encouraged (especially in PPR leagues) that they finally used him in the passing game.

The bottom line is that the Browns are going to be less intriguing as a whole with Josh McCown at the helm rather than Johnny Manziel. Not that Manziel is amazing, but a quarterback like him is a lot more difficult to scheme against, whereas McCown is pretty one dimensional. The Browns' offensive line isn't going to carve a clear path for anyone, but it really hurts when defenses can creep into the box. Not to mention that Crowell appears to have a solid grip on the red zone snaps. If you're in a PPR league, you can hold onto or pick up Duke and hope that they utilize his skill set in the passing game. Anything else though, don't expect much.