Greetings from the broom closet! My name is Intern Kevin, and if you haven’t read my articles before, you’re in for a treat. The Three and Out was founded for the sole reason of changing public perception. Today is going to be an easy one, but one that is debated throughout the fantasy world. Today, I am going to tell you why it is a good idea to draft a running back that in his last 21 games has only had two games where he accumulated under 100 all-purpose yards. I am going to tell you why choosing a man who ran the ball almost 300 times last season, is a good man to put stock into. But the “experts” disagree…
and even some of my followers do not believe in the powers of David Johnson:
Is David Johnson worth the #1 overall pick next season? Reply for a chance to be featured on the next Three and Out!
— Intern Kevin (@InternRSJ) July 7, 2017
When draft day comes up, you will want to trade up to No. 1 and select The Human Cheat Code: David Johnson.
Lets do the damn thing.
The Three and Out
1. His rushing stats are incredible
David Johnson is a tank. Coming out of Northern Iowa, David Johnson was no household name. His quickness, agility, and vision were all in doubt. Drafted in the third round, Johnson was supposed be the backup to the backup on a stacked Cardinals team…
And then this happened:
He broke out during his rookie season and followed it up with an amazing sophomore campaign; he put up stats that make doubters lose sleep. But if you followed our fantasy stock formula last pre-season, you wouldn’t have been surprised by his excellent 2017 season. He ran the ball nearly 300 times while putting up over 1,200 yards, along with 16 touchdowns. He ran twice as many touchdowns last season than Le’Veon Bell has EVER ran in a season.
OH BUT…BUT… LE’VEON HAS ONLY HAD ONE FULL SEASON, HE COU- SHUT UP.
I am tired of hearing what Le’Veon could do with a full season. When a player is drafted No. 1, he has to be the man you can hitch your wagon to. Someone who can prove to put up the stats and stay on the field. Johnson is a monster of a man with touchdowns and yards dripping out of his veins. By passing up on him, you are passing up on a LOCK of 300 carries and 1,200 rushing yards. But that’s not even the end of it, that’s only when you’re just handing him the ball…
2. He catches the ball better than most wide receivers.
Lets start a nice little list here of players that David Johnson had more receptions than in ’16:
- Pierre Garcon
- Emmanuel Sanders
- DeAndre Hopkins
- Brandin Cooks
- Terrelle Pryor Sr.
- LE’VEON BELL
- Jordan Matthews
- Willie Snead…
Do I really need to keep going? And remember, this is a player who is still learning the art of receiving. Only two years ago, it was said in his combine analysis that:
“He doesn’t run routes well enough and isn’t sudden enough to be a wide receiver, so he might have to be a third-down back with kick-return potential.”
He is two years removed from this “analysis,” so his skill and technique can only go up from here. He caught 80, eighty, E-I-G-H-T-Y balls last season. And these catches were not just tiny gains, as he averaged just over 10 yards per catch. He had more catches than Jeremy Maclin had targets! He is also utilized, ranking in the top 25 for player targets. So this man who is one of the best runners, is a top 20 receiver, and is utilized in all aspects of the game… What am I missing here?
CARSON PALMER IS GETTING OLDER! HA! GOT YOU THERE KEVIN! SUCK IT!
Well that leads me into another point…
3. All of this hoopla about the Cardinals team overall is stupid
Every single person that I talk to that believes Bell should be picked over DJ has the same argument:
- The Cardinals are a bad team, and players on bad teams don’t do well fantasy wise.
- Palmer is getting older so he is worse.
But the thing is… The Cardinals are not that bad.
The 2016 Cardinals defense allowed the second least amount of yards in the league and was middle of the pack in points allowed. If the defense can keep up this pace, it will open up the same opportunities for Johnson as they did last season. A good defense creates the possibility of carrying the ball 25+ times per game. The Cardinals will not be in a rush to get points because their opponent will not be putting up massive points, giving Johnson ample opportunity to carry the ball. Which is good, right? Because their offense, which is led by Palmer, stinks… right?
Wrong.
The 2016 Arizona Carinals offense ranked as such:
9th in total yards, 6th in points and 9th in passing yards
That’s right, Carson Palmer was in the top 10 in passing yards last season. He beat out Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, and even our Lord and Savior, Tom Brady. Does this sound like the regression that you keep hearing about? The truth is, Palmer’s arm may not be as strong as it used to be, however that does not affect David Johnson. There are not many plays written up where DJ is more than 10 yards up the field as a receiving target, which makes him the perfect candidate for quick dump passes for a quarterback who may catch a case of the noodle arm.
The Cardinals are not a bad team. If I were to worry about a team’s fantasy impact on a player, maybe I would worry about a team with a rapist of a quarterback who wasn’t sure if he wanted to play this season. Maybe I would worry about losing scoring opportunities if my team had the best wide receiver in the league catching touchdowns left and right. Maybe I would worry about a returning stud coming back to my team whose skills are off the charts and has something to prove… yet I digress.
David Johnson is a lock at No. 1 and a steal at No. 2. If you can pull some draft day magic and find yourself on the clock with DJ as an option, take him. Sure things do not come around often in fantasy football, and David Johnson is as close to it as it gets.
What the people have to say:
My favorite part about writing fantasy football is that there is a different answer no matter where you look. And the best part is, all you have to do is look at my columns to find the right answer. However, putting the vote out to you guys has been fantastic and this poll got the most interaction yet, so here is what you had to say:
https://twitter.com/CouchRR/status/883322912584937474
You literally can’t be any more right. Give this man a listen on his podcast, too, has some great material.
Anybody running and receiving for 1,000 yards each is #1. But more importantly, HE CAN JUMP OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF A POOL. What else is there? pic.twitter.com/rtvUcbCgD4
— TFGYFA (@FantasyGuysBSHW) July 7, 2017
David Johnson truly defies the laws of physics. I can’t even float on my damn back and this man is levitating.
https://twitter.com/MikeLee______/status/883336072859713536
Getting an answer out of Mike was damn tough. I had to break it down to black and white, yes and no, and he did it. He gave me a yes.
I don't, recency bias is king. I think Bell deserves it in standard and Antonio Brown in PPR for next season.
— Cody Hamilton (@oregonbeernerd) July 7, 2017
This is another conversation that it got tough to get an answer out of. And then when the answer came, I hated it. If anyone takes AB over either Bell or DJ next season, the entire league wins. Hopefully this article changes your mind, Cody.
https://twitter.com/mikeangeli88/status/883343276195147778
Which is half of what DJ did this past season. Easily better? I think so.
No. DJ is still a good pick, but with Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald aging, as well as a shuffling o-line, hard to argue vs. Bell, Zeke.
— Cole Topham (@HamAnalysis) July 7, 2017
I am very surprised to see if this article does anything for you. Snack Time Fantasy is one of the great accounts to follow, so everyone make sure to do so.
https://twitter.com/WriteWhatuLove/status/883348631562190851
The injury thing is something that owners just can’t really worry about. Freak accidents can happen to anyone, so no need to get caught up on it.
https://twitter.com/KingGreen0812/status/883354679069089792
https://twitter.com/TheSackPodcast/status/883408940674850816
And then there are people like this. I beg of you, anyone, please take Zeke first overall. Let me enjoy DJ or Bell at 3. DO IT!
I don't think so https://t.co/xEAEpOgq05
— Best NFL Matchups (@BestNFLMatchups) July 7, 2017
My favorite response is the response of @BestNFLMatchups. He does not talk about why he feels a certain way, just states it and lets everyone go mad in his replies. God Bless you @BestNFLMatchups, and cheers to @climbthepocket.
***
Well that’s it. Time for me to escape back to the broom closet I call home. Please check out The Wolf’s Big Board and follow all of our good friends that we feature here at the Roto Street Journal, as they are all a lot of fun to mess around with. Make sure to follow me @InternRSJ to partake in the next poll and to have your own chance of being on the next THREE AND OUT!
