The Arizona Cardinals are getting back Andre Ellington for Week 5 and he is a solid fantasy start option along with Chris Johnson for Carson Palmer against the Lions. David Johnson and Chris Johnson have been stepping up with Ellington out and Chris Johnson is a better fantasy starter over the rookie David, as head coach Bruce Arians said Johnson and Ellington will split carries this week.
Ellington dealt with injury issues last season and this year he has been banged up but is finally ready to return. According to the Arizona Republic, head coach Bruce Arians said that Ellington would feature on Sunday and with Chris Johnson and David Johnson playing well in his absence, the team likely will limit the younger Johnson to help get carries for Ellington. Arians said that the situation was "not hard," as the team will "sit down" the "young guy" of the group.
The Cardinals are shaping up to be one of the best teams in the NFL again this season and getting Ellington back is a nice boost for the running game. Ellington was able to have a full session of practice on Thursday and that is a good development after Ellington dealt with a PCL injury that kept him out for three games. This season Ellington has 12 carries for 69 yards and with this being his first game back, fantasy owners should look at Chris Johnson as the best starter option for the Cardinals, at least for this week.
According to AZCardinals.com, quarterback Carson Palmer said that Johnson has been doing a great job in pass protection and that he has helped keep the team going with Ellington out. Johnson has 68 carries for 302 yards this season and he is ranked in the top five in the league in rushing yards after getting off to that start. Last season Johnson had a tough year with the Jets, but he seems to have found a comfort zone with the Cardinals and he could end up being the main option on Sunday with Ellington just coming back.
Johnson had his two best games over the last two weeks, rushing for over 200 yards and scoring two touchdowns in that span. Johnson is averaging over 5.0 yards per carry in the past two games and even with Ellington back, expect Johnson to get close to a full work load. The younger Johnson is the player that will get cut back a bit with Ellington coming back, but in deeper leagues he is worth a look, as he has added value as a return man.
John Brown comes in as a solid fantasy sleeper for Carson Palmer, as he had his most productive game of the season last week. Brown had seven catches on 10 targets for 75 yards and he comes in with 19 catches on the season for 228 yards. Brown is a solid fantasy starter along with Larry Fitzgerald against a banged up defense in the Lions.
Check here for more on the Arizona Cardinals, Ellington and the RBs.