Ty Johnson’s name has come up a few times in fantasy circles over the last two years. Can you put any faith in him to lead you to a fantasy title?

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Player Profile

Johnson was a rookie with the Lions in 2019, where he saw 63 carries for 273 yards and 24 receptions for 109 yards. When Kerryon Johnson went on IR in October 2019, Johnson seemed to be the new number one in Detroit. He saw ten carries and four receptions in the game where Kerryon went down, and everyone ran to the waiver wire to get him — only for him to never see double-digit carries again.

There’s just something about Lions running backs that inspire hope and then tear you to shreds.

After not capitalizing on his opportunity in Detroit, the Jets picked up Johnson earlier this season. He hadn’t contributed much in 2020 before this week, as he’d accumulated only eight carries for 60 yards before Week 13.

With La’Mical Perine on injured reserve, Ty Johnson and Josh Adams were the two active running backs behind Frank Gore in the Week 13 contest against the Raiders. After Gore went out with a concussion, Johnson finally stole the show, posting 22 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. He set career highs in all three categories.

Adams was efficient, too, as he posted 74 yards on only eight carries, though he wasn’t entrusted with the same volume that Johnson was.

Johnson has always seen some reasonable passing-game involvement, as he posted 24 receptions last season (compared to 63 carries), and he was tabbed to be the clear third-down back when Kerryon went down, even with J.D. McKissic in the picture. Heading into last week, he had six receptions (compared to eight carries). That’s obviously a very small sample size, but it indicates that Johnson has value as a receiver.

State of the Offense

Well, it’s the Jets. They’re 0-12, possibly tanking on purpose, and everyone targets them when streaming defenses/special teams. They also score the fewest points per game (15). Surprisingly enough, the Jets have actually scored 27 or 28 points in three of their last four games, showing that they may have some fantasy value after all.

I still think Sam Darnold has the tools to be at least a starting quarterback in the NFL. He’s just, you know, on the Jets. He very well may be auditioning for his next team if the plan is for the Jets to take Trevor Lawrence first overall, so expect him to play with something to prove.

Most importantly, Johnson’s value is tied directly to the health of Frank Gore and La’Mical Perine. The Jets will probably insist on using Gore when he’s healthy, for some reason, so don’t expect Johnson to simply have a lock on this job. They will also want Perine to get some work since they spent a fourth-round draft pick on him, though he should be out for a couple more weeks.

Johnson’s Outlook

The Jets play the Seahawks, Rams, and Browns over the next three weeks. Those teams share a combined record of 25-11 and are all considered to have strong offenses. That’s good news for Jets fantasy players, as they’ll be forced to throw to keep up (probably unsuccessfully).

Johnson’s ability as a pass-catcher should put him in an interesting spot over the next three weeks, as he will absolutely be viewed as the receiving back if Gore and Perine are out. Josh Adams last saw significant action in 2018, and he recorded seven receptions in 14 games that season. If they’re throwing, Johnson will be involved.

If Gore and/or Perine are active, I would need a strong indication to start Johnson in a series of crucial fantasy matchups. If they’re out, I think he should be a decent FLEX option, though starting anyone on the Jets always gives me pause for obvious reasons.

Can you bring yourself to start the third-string running back on the worst team in the NFL during the fantasy playoffs?

Well, that’s a question you’ll have to answer.

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Donald Gibson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Donald, check out his archive and follow him @DonaldGibsonFF