Ty Johnson DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson remains an unreliable fantasy option ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship against the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnson has consistently operated as the No. 2 running back behind James Cook, and he has also lost plenty of opportunities to rookie Ray Davis. Outside of an impressive Wild Card Weekend in which Johnson caught a touchdown pass and posted his season-high for rushing yards, the veteran running back has been tough to trust in fantasy football. This week won't be any different. In fact, Johnson's job could get even harder as he takes on a dominant Kansas City run defense. The Chiefs have been lethal against running backs this year, allowing the third-fewest rushing yards, fifth-fewest catches, and fourth-fewest receiving yards to the position during the 2024 regular season. Furthermore, they didn't surrender a single receiving touchdown to running backs. Johnson makes his biggest impact when he can capitalize on a defense's mistakes, such as two weeks ago against the Denver Broncos when he made a phenomenal touchdown catch in the back of the end zone. Against a stout, well-coached Chiefs defense, that won't be easy to do. Fantasy managers and bettors may want to look elsewhere for production at the running back position, though your options are certainly slim with just four teams left in the playoffs.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen calls running back Ty Johnson "the best third-down back in football." The veteran was utilized that way in the Wild Card victory over Denver, tallying 11 touches for 70 yards and a touchdown. An increase in snaps was, in part, due to running back Ray Davis suffering a concussion. The rookie hadn't cleared concussion protocol as of Friday and is questionable Sunday. The Bills should pass more often to avoid slamming into Baltimore's top rush defense, which could lead to more snaps for Johnson. He's a sneaky DFS player and could see several targets on Sunday.

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson rushed nine times for 44 yards and caught two passes for 26 yards and a touchdown in the team's 31-7 victory over the Denver Broncos to advance to the Divisional round. Johnson was the second running back to get a touch (behind James Cook) and was called upon more often after rookie Ray Davis suffered a concussion and couldn't finish the game. Johnson's highlight play came on a fourth-and-one from Denver's 24-yard line late in the third quarter. Josh Allen kept the play alive and found the 27-year-old for a sliding catch in the back of the endzone. Johnson's involvement next weekend could depend on Davis' health.

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson could have a much bigger role in the backfield on Sunday in the Week 18 regular-season finale against the division-rival New England Patriots with the team expected to pull their starters early on. The Bills are locked into the No 2 seed in the AFC for the playoffs already, so they are expected to treat this game like a preseason contest. It means that the 27-year-old Johnson could have his biggest workload of the season. However, rookie Ray Davis should also have a bigger workload and could lead the Bills backfield. At the very least, though, Johnson is trending up as an RB3/flex sleeper in DFS contests against a New England defense that has surrendered the fourth-most half-PPR points per game to RBs this year. Despite being Buffalo's No. 3 back in 2024, Johnson has been efficient with 5.1 yards per carry on his 39 rushing attempts through 16 games.

Buffalo Bills running back Ty Johnson caught five passes for 114 yards in the team's 48-42 win over the Detroit Lions. The veteran also rushed twice for nine yards. Buffalo's coaching staff clearly saw something on film when installing their game plan that suggested utilizing the third-down back. Johnson caught two passes for 57 yards on the team's opening drive. When the final whistle sounded, Johnson led the team in receiving yards. While he's been more involved in the offense recently, Johnson doesn't get enough touches for fantasy managers to feel good about starting him. He only needs to be added in deep leagues.