We’re approaching the 2025 season. Every year a few players seize on the right opportunity and surprise for fantasy players. The value comes from trying to predict who it will end up being this time of year and stashing them. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking at some 2025 sleeper candidates at each of the key fantasy positions, quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and tight end. Hopefully these are players you can acquire at a value that will propel you to fantasy glory.
Running back can be a tricky position, especially as most teams use some sort of committee approach. What you’re looking for when you approach running back sleepers is opportunity and upside. Sometimes that comes with a change of personnel that opens up carries. Sometimes it comes from a change of scheme or coaches that portends a stronger approach to the rushing game.
It’s the latter case that is in play with Johnson, who begins his third year with the Chicago Bears. The team brought in Ben Johnson to take over the offense. Johnson helmed a robust running game in Detroit, and when the Lions didn’t sign or draft meaningful competition at the position this off-season, it left Roschon Johnson in a position to have a bigger role in year three. Let’s dive in.
The Case for Roschon Johnson
Roschon Johnson was an interesting prospect taken in the Fourth Round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He began his career at Texas as a quarterback but was primarily a rusher during that season before transitioning to running back altogether in his second season. In four years at Texas, he rushed 2,190 yards and 23 touchdowns. That’s not an eye-popping total, but that’s due in part to his competition. He shared a backfield with Bijan Robinson, a top prospect who has been a stalwart in the NFL. That led to Roschon Johnson never getting more than 96 carries in a season as a running back. He made the most of his touches, but it limited his collegiate upside.
Still, there was hope he’d add some pop to a Bears’ backfield that was lacking. He was part of a committee as a rookie and took the No. 2 slot behind D’Andre Swift in 2024. He’ll be the No. 2 behind Swift again in 2025, so why the optimism? The Bears’ 2024 offense wasn’t efficient. The team rushed just 431 times, with 81 of those coming from Caleb Williams. Most of the time, Williams was running for his life. With the Bears often trailing and cycling through playcallers, there wasn’t much opportunity for backs to get touches and create.
Ben Johnson’s rush offense in Detroit was much better. The Lions rushed 534 times, with 435 of those carries coming from the team’s top two backs. While Ben Johnson has said his offense in Chicago won’t be a copy of Detroit, his historical use of rushing and a pair of backs is encouraging to those roster Roschon Johnson in a thin Bears’ running back group.
The Case Against Roschon Johnson
We haven’t seen much from him in his NFL career. As a rookie, Roschon Johnson saw 81 carries that went for 352 yards. It was encouraging given he was in a seeming three-way split at the position. In 2024, he only saw 55 carries, turning into just 150 yards. And that came despite less competition for touches as Khalil Herbert was dealt at the trade deadline. That drop in carries, and massive drop in production, isn’t encouraging, especially for those who thought he had a chance to take a step forward in 2024.
But this is a different Bears team with hopefully a more stable offense, a franchise quarterback in place, and possibly an improved line. Still, Roschon Johnson doesn’t have a history of massive production. As a running back his career high in Texas was 96 carries. And while he was efficient with them in college, it’s unclear what kind of a load he can carry as professional. If his rookie year ends up being about his maximum, that won’t be good enough to be a weekly lineup consideration.
The Bottom Line
The case for Johnson is opportunity and hope. The opportunity should be there, and the hope is that he will step up in year three. The Bears still have Swift, who carried 253 times in 2024 for the Bears. But Johnson has typically used multiple backs, and the depth chart is thin in Chicago. If Johnson can hold off late-round rookie Kyle Monangai, Special Teams ace Travis Homer, and undrafted free agent Ian Wheeler, he can solidify his spot as the No. 2 option in the backfield. With increased touches and a return to more efficiency, he could work himself into the flex conversation. That role could grow, too, if Swift were to miss time. Given the uncertainty at the position, the history of Ben Johnson’s offenses, and Roschon Johnson’s price, it’s worth taking a flier heading into the season.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
