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Is running back Rochson Johnson injured or healthy? Should you draft the rookie RB in fantasy leagues this season? Joey Pollizze provides a fantasy football injury update on Rochson Johnson.
The Chicago Bears selected running back Roschon Johnson in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Johnson was the backup to now Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson at the University of Texas for the past three seasons. So, the stats behind the Bears' rookie in college might not be totally impressive.
Johnson ran for just 554 yards on 93 carries with five touchdowns in his senior season. With the Bears moving on from David Montgomery this offseason, the team views the rookie as a possible replacement for the veteran. The running back, though, did not participate in Chicago's practice on Tuesday.
Is Johnson injured or healthy? Should you draft him in fantasy? Let's dive in.
Is Roschon Johnson Injured Or Healthy?
Johnson appears to be nursing an injury after missing practice on Tuesday. The Bears did not disclose what type of injury the rookie is dealing with. Head coach Matt Eberflus also said he was working with trainers on the side.
It's not uncommon to see the Bears be coy and not expand on Johnson's injury. Eberflus and the team did the same thing last season unless the injury was serious. All we know is that the rookie missed practice on Tuesday and is currently day-to-day.
There's no reason to panic about Johnson missing practice this early during training camp, either. We likely won't hear what kept him out unless the injury turns serious. So, sometimes maybe no news is good news. Hopefully, the rookie ball carrier can get back on the field soon.
Roschon Johnson 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
Johnson finds himself in an interesting running back room in 2023, one that might be hard to trust in fantasy football. The rookie will join Khalil Herbert and newcomer D'Onta Foreman in the Bears' backfield. Who gets the majority of touches remains a mystery, but the coaching staff loves the rookie running back from Texas.
Even though rookies are always exciting to draft in fantasy -- despite being inconsistent -- Johnson should probably stay on the waiver wire in most leagues in 2023. There's just too much competition for carries this season in Chicago with Herbert and Foreman.
Both Foreman (914 yards with Carolina) and Herbert (5.7 yards per carry) were solid in 2022 and will likely be the team's main ball carriers this season. If one of them gets hurt, Johnson will have more room to shine. But for now, the rookie could be the odd man out in his rookie year.
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