Chris Johnson: How Does Holdout Affect His Fantasy Value?

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson failed to report to training camp again today, meaning he loses an accrued year towards free agency.

Not that Johnson cares about that right now anyway; he's wanting to get paid more right now.

And I don't blame him. Running backs in the NFL have a very short shelf life, so they need to make as much money as they can in a four- or five-year window.

Johnson has already been dominant for three years, and still has two years left on his rookie deal.

So, if he were to play out that contract, he would have five years of wear-and-tear on his body before he ever gets a big payday.

At that point, teams probably wouldn't be willing to pay super big money to a player who might be nearing the end of his prime.

But, how will this holdout affect his fantasy value this season? Will he still be the dominant force we've all come to know and respect?

Or, will the missed training camp affect his value negatively?

Receiving

CJ2K is a force in the passing game too. But, with a new QB (Matt Hasselbeck) in camp this year, being in training camp becomes important.

Johnson won't have any chemistry with Hasselbeck if and when he gets his new deal and reports to camp.

Therefore, he's probably going to be playing a game of catch-up that will last into the regular season.

So, his receiving numbers will probably be down this season.

But that's not why fantasy owners draft Johnson.

Rushing

Johnson won't be affected at all in terms of rushing.

He knows what he needs to do to get past defenders, and he'll do it just fine.

He'll easily put up over 1,200 yards and should finish somewhere around 10 touchdowns on the ground.

If anything, not going through the grind of training camp will help keep his legs fresh for the regular season.

Injuries

There have already been a rash of injuries in training camps across the NFL this preseason.

Especially problematic has been the outburst of Achilles' injuries.

If Johnson doesn't get to camp and get himself into game shape, he'll be at a very high risk of injury during the 2011 season.

He hasn't had injury problems in the past, but the long layoff drastically increases the risk he faces.

His fantasy owners can't afford a long injury.

Expectations

 By all means, don't shy away from taking Johnson in the top three of your fantasy football draft.

Just understand that he probably won't be as good in the passing game and faces a higher risk of injury in 2011.

But, if you don't take him and have to watch him put up 1,200-plus rushing yards and 10 touchdowns, you are going to kick yourself.