Fantasy Football Blasphemy: Should You Be Drafting Chris Johnson?

It sounds almost evil to say.

Don't draft Chris Johnson? Are you trying to lose me my league?

I'm here to offer a bit of warning. There's no doubt Johnson has elite skills, and is a special talent. However, there is a lot to worry about that is occurring this offseason. 

Many are reporting that Chris Johnson's holdout is going to get nasty.

We're talking Darrelle Revis nasty. We're talking missing games nasty. Titans brass is taking a hard-lined approach to Johnson, saying they won't talk contract until he reports to training camp. Johnson meanwhile says he has no intent of reporting to camp until he's got a new deal.

If I told you right now that Chris Johnson were going to be out one, two, maybe six games would you take him in the same draft slot? I certainly hope not.

Johnson's current ADP in standard leagues on ESPN is third. For a player that might miss some games, his stock should be significantly damaged. The other backs going around him are currently Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster and Jamaal Charles, each of which has great upside and are very consistent running backs.

What makes me even more nervous about Johnson is how he regressed last year. He looked to hit the home run every single play, trying to cut back more often than not. Instead of using his immense speed and elusiveness to grab a couple extra yards he often lost a couple. The run blocking went from great to bad, and was one of the big reasons why Johnson's productivity fell off.

Matt Hasselback is a slight upgrade over Kerry Collins. Either way, the Titans passing game probably won't be striking fear into the hearts of anyone. Out of every running back in the top five or six, Johnson has by far the worst offense surrounding him.

I'm not a downer on Johnson, his skills speak for themselves. But will you see me taking him in the top five this draft? No. The value and the risk are not worth it. If he falls into the late first round? Well I'm a little bit more flexible than the Titans. Chris and I can talk things out.