One of the biggest winners of the 2025 NFL draft was running back Roschon Johnson. Despite hardly performing in two years, he currently sits behind D’Andre Swift as the number two running back, and we all know that Swift is typically a committee back, so there is a real role available.
The fantasy football community has caught on, and Johnson has been one of the biggest risers at his position since the draft took place. The fantasy football community can be ahead of trends, and this is worth following as they see Johnson getting legitimate work.
This is fair when you consider the only things stopping him right now are an explosion from a seventh-round rookie or the team signing a player that no team wanted in the summer months. Johnson is now in an offense with a creative playcaller who gets the most out of his running backs. The scheme also tends to have a divide like Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery in Detroit. If Swift takes the Gibbs role, it would leave a strong Montgomery-like role for Johnson.
Roschon Johnson already is at a crossroad with the Chicago Bears
However, this could also be misguided. Johnson has had chances. During his rookie season, it is not like D’Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert were world beaters that were hard to knock out. Neither has had a bigger role since. Last year, he was still second behind Swift, but between being banged up and unreliable, the team just had to lean on Swift more.
If you look historically at running backs who had as many carries as him in the first two years, but as little production, there are few hits. Jaylen Warren is one of the best names to produce after year two in the past ten years.
Will the fantasy gamers be correct that the role is too good for Johnson to mess it up, or will Johnson continue to be a disappointment in year three?