The Chicago Bears have been a work in progress this year on offense. One big reason for that has been the musical chairs occurring in the backfield, as they haven’t been able to settle on a consistent lead running back throughout the year.
After seeming to take over the lead role this past week, how aggressively should you target Roschon Johnson on your fantasy football waiver wire in Week 16?
Should Roschon Johnson Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 16?
The Bears’ backfield has been tough to predict every week. At the start of the year, Khalil Herbert was thought to be the guy for Chicago. However, he has dealt with injury issues all year and just hasn’t been able to get it going.
D’Onta Foreman has been productive for the Bears, but the lightning in the bottle has faded. In the loss to the Cleveland Browns last week, he had six carries for -6 yards. The best running back for the Bears last week was Johnson, who had 36 rushing yards and four catches for 24 yards. One of his biggest strengths is the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.
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With that in mind, should fantasy managers be adding him off the waiver wire? In short, I am not big on bringing in new guys at this point in the year, especially for teams that are currently in your fantasy playoffs. There is a reason why you are a playoff team — you have made some good moves throughout the year to make it this far.
However, this is a little different because I think that Johnson has an opportunity in Week 16 to have a monstrous outing for fantasy against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cardinals enter this game with the second-worst rushing defense in the NFL (139.6 yards), and this feels like one of those games between two bad teams that could turn into a shootout.
Obviously, if you tell me that you like your roster and going to stick with your team, I wouldn’t object at all. But, let me tell you this, I think Johnson has a chance to have a huge Week 16 and be a guy that truly changes fantasy seasons.
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He can make plays both running the ball as well as catching the ball out of the backfield. In this particular matchup, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see Johnson end the week as a top 24 RB and be a fine start for fantasy managers.
If you’re in a pinch and you need a fill-in RB due to injuries, Johnson’s widely available and could be a sneaky play. The best part is that you’re unlikely to need to break the bank from a FAAB standpoint to go add him, too.
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