2008 Fantasy Football Player Profile-Rudi Johnson

RB Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals

2007 Stats: 497 rushing yards, 110 receiving yards, 4 total TDs
Projected 2008 Stats: 1065 rushing yards, 129 receiving yards, 10 total TDs
Projected Fantasy Round: 2nd Round
Running backs to be picked ahead of Rudi Johnson: LaDainian Tomlinson, Adrian Peterson, Joseph Addai, etc.

Fantasy Outlook:

Why you should draft Rudi Johnson: Prior to last year’s injury-plagued season, Johnson had three straight years of at least 1300 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He was also able to rush for at least 80 yards in three games in 2007.

Why you may want to stay away from drafting Rudi Johnson: Last season, Johnson was only able to rush for triple figures once, and he had had eight games (out of 11) where he failed to register a rushing touchdown.  In addition, he is a one dimensional running back as he has never finished a season with more than 146 receiving yards, and he has missed 17 games in his six year career. 

Bottom Line: Johnson is a productive runner when he is healthy, but he adds next to nothing in the receiving game.  Consequently, Johnson should be viewed as a No.2 running back in fantasy.