Duke Johnson was featured in the passing game Week 4

Each week, we will be breaking down one player’s performance for the week and the implications it may have for owners in dynasty leagues. This week, we will be discussing Cleveland Browns running back Duke Johnson.

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When the Cleveland Browns selected Miami running back Duke Johnson in the third round this year, many eyebrows were raised. After all, the team had just invested a third-round pick in Terrance West the year prior while also signing talented undrafted free agent Isaiah Crowell.

Doing well by fantasy owners the world over, the team decided to make things clearer by trading away the underperforming West to the Tennessee Titans shortly before Week 1 this year. With that transaction, it became obvious that Crowell would be the between-the-tackles runner while the rookie Johnson handled the majority of passing-down work.

Or, so it seemed.

Through the first two weeks of the season, Johnson was held to all of zero catches despite playing 57 snaps on offense. He finally caught some traction in Week 3 of the season, but it wasn’t until this past weekend against the San Diego Chargers that he was finally involved enough to make fantasy owners turn their heads. His eight carries for 31 yards certainly weren’t noteworthy, but his nine receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown were. Both the receptions and yards led the team in Week 4 and were enough to warrant making him a priority add in any PPR redraft leagues where he isn’t already owned. But what of his dynasty value?

Johnson’s long-term value is directly tied to the amount of snaps he receives, and by that standard he is certainly trending upwards. Through four games, the rookie has seen 135 snaps on offense, which is 19 more than “lead back” Crowell’s 116. As he becomes more familiar with life in the NFL, that snap disparity should only continue to grow.

And he isn’t just being fed snaps undeservedly. According to Pro Football Focus he currently owns a better passing and rushing grade than Crowell. Overall, he has a +1.0 to Crowell’s -0.3. While the passing grade isn’t surprising, the rushing grade is, as Crowell is billed as the better between-the-tackles runner. Ultimately, it wouldn’t be all that shocking to see Johnson supplant Crowell as the lead runner as soon as Week 7 or 8 of this year. If that happens, he would instantly become a viable RB2 in all formats.

But, for the sake of playing devil’s advocate, suppose the Browns stubbornly decide to keep Crowell as their primary runner? In that instance, it would still be safe to call Johnson a RB2 in PPR leagues. The Browns continue to mire in mediocrity, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. More likely than not, they will be playing from behind in games, which means abandoning runs on early downs in favor of the passing game, Johnson’s specialty.

It is hard to envision Johnson’s floor as anything lower than that of a quality RB2 option in the long run. Given his youth, talent and opportunity, it is easy to see why Johnson was taken in the first round of many rookie dynasty drafts this year. He appears poised to reward those dynasty owners who took a chance on him.

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Alex Onushco is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Alex, you can view his archive or follow him @DynastyAl_DFW.