The Arizona Cardinals are in need of a new No. 2 running back after Chris Johnson was placed on I.R. with a groin injury. While David Johnson is the featured back in this offense, Chris was getting significant playing time this season, and whoever emerges as the backup now will likely follow suit.
The likely candidate is Andre Ellington, who should have a bigger role in this offense going forward. It was just two years ago when Ellington was the featured back on this team, not to mention one of the best dual-threat runners in the NFL.
It wasn’t that long ago that Ellington was averaging 60-plus targets in his first two seasons, but he fell behind in the rotation since David broke out in 2015. It’s possible Chris’ injury allows Ellington to regain some of that fantasy magic.
Fantasy Impact: Yahoo! ranks Ellington as the 52nd-best running back for Week 5. He is going against a 49ers defense allowing the sixth-most points to running backs over the last three games.
Still, keep Ellington on the bench until he shows he can produce this year.