This Second-Year Running Back Probably Isn’t the Next David Johnson, but His Rookie Year Comps Still Point to Serious Upside

Corbin Young
March 31, 2025

David Johnson was the best running back in football for a season and a half.

Few RBs possess Johnson’s size and athleticism combined with his receiving talent. But over the years a number of backs have been able to give us David-Johnson-lite production with a much smaller frame and fewer athletic gifts.

It may seem like ages ago when Devin Singletary was last a fantasy-relevant back. But at one point he was among the most coveted fantasy assets at the position, especially after he popped in the running back advanced stats. He never quite delivered on this promise, but Singletary nearly broke out in Year 3 with 197.8 fantasy points (RB19), which came with a career high in opportunities (241). He shared the backfield with Frank Gore and Zack Moss in his first two seasons with the Bills.

If look back further, we find many similar profiles with a lot of fantasy success. Giovani Bernard broke out as a rookie with 224.9 fantasy points and a career-best 240 opportunities. Bernard was a PPR machine who ranked RB16 and RB13 in PPR/G in Years 1 and 2. He totaled the 10th-most receiving EP among running backs in 2013-2014.

Is this 2024 rookie running back headed toward the Singletary and Bernard path, potentially with David Johnson upside? What can we uncover from his rookie season to project his fantasy outlook in Year 2 and beyond?

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Corbin Young

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