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Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson is looking to find his footing in the NFL and carve out a role in this backfield.
Johnson was drafted in the fourth round of this year's NFL draft. Despite playing behind stud Bijan Robinson at Texas, he has received plenty of pre-draft and training camp buzz.
Should you buy into the preseason hype and grab Johnson in fantasy football? Let's find out.
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Roschon Johnson's Offensive Role
Alongside the 22-year-old rookie stands Khalil Herbert and D'Onta Foreman in this Bears backfield. Two guys who more or less have been perennial backups but show productive rushing stats and efficiency in limited touches. Herbert finished 2022 fourth in yards per carry while Foreman was 30th out of 75 qualified rushers.
All three of these running backs appear to be useful rushers; however, it is in the receiving game where Johnson can shine. The two veterans, Herbert and Foreman, received 28 and 19 TOTAL TARGETS in the past two seasons, respectively. David Montgomery received 40 targets alone for the Bears in 2022 and is now playing for the Detroit Lions.
In a recent article, Chicago reporter Erik Lambert noted Herbert's lack of receiving and pass-blocking ability. Fortunately for Johnson, he's being heralded as an excellent pass-blocker and smooth receiver. Although Justin Fields is more of a scrambling quarterback than a checkdown one, the third-down role is key to seeing early-season usage, touches, and therefore fantasy points for the Texas product.
Opportunity Matters
By now, everyone knows that NFL quarterbacks are infinitely more valuable to their team's success than running backs. Fields was a prolific passer in college but has struggled with his arm the past two seasons. Chicago realized their lack of receiver talent, so they traded for Chase Claypool and signed fantasy analyst darling D.J. Moore. The front office is telling us they believe in Fields' ability as an all-around quarterback.
Letting Montgomery walk in free agency also signifies they'd like to transition to a slightly heavier passing attack. Johnson finds himself in a favorable position as the best pass-blocking and pass-catching running back, an ideal skill set to protect their franchise quarterback.
As mentioned previously, Fields prefers to scramble rather than checkdown. Still, Montgomery's 11.8% target share finished 13th among running backs in 2022. Chicago's third-down role is fertile, especially in PPR leagues. At his current FFPC ADP of 151, Johnson has the opportunity to secure third-down snaps and carve out a larger role as the season goes on.
He's an auto-draft at ADP in best ball and should be carefully considered as a late-round selection in redraft leagues.
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