Kerryon Johnson has been one of the most hotly debated players this offseason. While nobody denies the talent that was evident to everyone except for Matt Patricia for most of the season, there was a very real debate over whether or not Johnson would be stuck in what’s called “between the 20’s” purgatory. After a glowing endorsement from the coaches and the cutting of pass catching back Theo Riddick, Johnson’s fantasy outlook is skyrocketing. Running backs coach Kyle Caskey added fuel to the fire when he recently said that he wasn’t going to do anything to “artificially limit Kerryon’s touches this season.”
Johnson was the clear alpha dog running back for the Lions last season. Averaging 5.4 yards per carry on 15 touches a game despite Patricia’s infatuation with blundering battle ram running back LeGarrette Blount. Johnson turned that into 641 yards on only 118 carries, and added 32 receptions for 213 yards. With new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and his history of run-heavy offenses, Johnson is in line to receive a HEFTY workload this season. With many comparisons to running backs like Matt Forte, it’s easy to see why Johnson’s prospects are so exciting.
He did rise to 42 overall our latest Big Board, still slightly below the ECR as we await more clarity on CJ Anderson’s role in Bevell’s run game.
