Fantasy Football: The Rise and Fall of Chris Johnson

CJ, Oh CJ, Where art thou CJ?

That is the question Chris Johnson owners have been asking for nearly two years, as he has been nonexistent in every game this season.

To manifest how serious his struggles have been, Falcons QB Matt Ryan has rushed for more yards than Johnson – and has done so with fewer rushing attempts.  Not to mention, his yards per carry is tripled what Johnson’s is.

Three years ago, Johnson was an exclusive member of the 2,000 yard club.  Fast forward to now, and through three games, he has 33 rushing attempts for 45 yards, “good” for 1.4 yards per carry.

For his lack of performance, he has complained about lack of help from his offensive line.  Whether that’s true or not, he should still be able to produce more than he has been.

A shocking statistic is that Johnson has been held under 24 rushing yards in a preposterous eight of his last 19 games.

Quite frankly, I don’t know what to tell owners to do with him.  All that anyone should do is bench him.  In retrospect, he’s been that abysmal to get dumped to the waiver wire or get traded.  The problem is, despite his anemic performances, fans have seen his greatness.  The hope is that because he has proven his ability to be elite, he can eventually find his way again.  A great player doesn’t forget how to be great, unless, he really was a product of his own offensive line.

If there is any hope whatsoever, it’s that Johnson started off with lackluster rushing games last year.  Ironically enough, in Week 4 of last season, he rushed for 101 yards.  Other than that, owners should sit him for the time being.  When Week 10 comes around, maybe it’ll be that time to release him from the dog house.

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