Johnson gained five yards on two carries and caught five of six targets for 46 yards in Sunday's 25-22 loss to New England.

EDGE Analysis

Johnson's 51 combined yards were a season high for the running back, who's carved out a legitimate role on passing downs, and he led Houston running backs Sunday with 31 snaps. Due to the team's poor record, it's needed a receiving threat in the backfield more often than not, so Johnson leads the position group in snaps and is second overall on the team with 16 targets, behind only Brandin Cooks (44).

Johnson recorded five rushes for 21 yards in Sunday's Week 4 loss to the Bills. He added three receptions on four targets for 27 yards.

EDGE Analysis

Johnson nearly equaled Mark Ingram in carries, though Johnson out-touched Ingram thanks to his work as a receiver. The Texans' overall offensive struggles have capped individual player performances this season, and Johnson is no exception. He has yet to surpass 25 yards on the ground in a single game and has not broken 30 receiving yards despite logging multiple receptions in all but one contest this season. A matchup against New England in Week 5 isn't likely to do Johnson or the Texans' offense any favors.

Johnson rushed twice for 11 yards and did not draw a target in the Texans' 24-9 loss to the Panthers on Thursday night.

EDGE Analysis

Johnson's modest role on the ground continued Thursday, and this time, he wasn't able to prop up his final numbers with some work in the passing game. The veteran back looks likely to be relegated to a primary pass-catching role in most contests, especially with backfield mates Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay outpacing him by four and five carries, respectively, on Thursday.

Johnson rushed six times for 25 yards and secured both targets for 22 yards in the Texans' 31-21 loss to the Browns on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran was second on the team in carries behind Mark Ingram but only outpaced No. 3 option Phillip Lindsay by one tote. Johnson's work in the passing game was solid, but as long as all three of the veterans are at full health, each will likely have a difficult time putting together noteworthy individual performances. Through two games, Johnson looks to be competing with Lindsay for pass-catching duties out of the backfield as opposed to challenging Ingram for carries, but that naturally could change over time. Johnson will hope for more overall involvement in a Week 3 Thursday night matchup against the undefeated Panthers.

Johnson carried the ball three times for 10 yards in Sunday's Week 1 win over the Jaguars. He added three receptions for 18 yards and a touchdown.

EDGE Analysis

Johnson rotated with Phillip Lindsay as the team's second back, with both playing behind Mark Ingram. While Lindsay got more work on the ground, Johnson found his primary role as a receiver. His longest catch of the day went for nine yards, but he found the end zone on a seven-yard reception to put the Texans up 14-0 late in the first quarter. While Johnson's trip to the end zone aided his final line, the Texans' appear content to rely on Ingram as the leader of the backfield heading into a Week 2 matchup against the Browns.

Johnson carried the ball four times for 30 yards in Saturday's preseason game against Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

Johnson entered the game on the team's second possession behind Phillip Lindsay. He shared the drive with Mark Ingram, though Johnson proved to be more explosive by ripping of a 21-yard gain. Johnson was listed third on the team's depth chart during training camp, and some beat reports have suggested he may serve as the team's third-down back. However, Houston has among the most fluid roles among skill-position players around the league. That leaves it somewhat unclear exactly what type of usage Johnson will see in Week 1 Jacksonville.

Johnson did not receive a carry and failed to catch his only target in Saturday's win over the Cowboys.

EDGE Analysis

The Texans used all three of Mark Ingram, Phillip Lindsay and Johnson in the first quarter before removing their starters, but it was the first two who saw most of the action, leaving only third-down scraps for DJ. This is shaping up to be a true backfield committee during the regular season, which would put a very firm ceiling on Johnson's fantasy value. Despite his apparent role as the primary pass-catching option among the trio, he may not see enough snaps to even be an asset in many PPR formats.

Johnson could be the Texans' third-down back, Aaron Reiss of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

It would be foolish to make any definitive statements about the regular season based on a team's first preseason game, but when the first-team offense was on the field in Saturday's preseason opener, Johnson entered the game on third downs. His lone carry was a third-down run in the red zone. The early downs were handled by Phillip Lindsay. And none of this factors in the potential role of Mark Ingram, who did not play Saturday, which is treatment befitting a starting running back and suggests a role for him when the season starts. Johnson's role may not be so narrow as seen in Preseason Week 1, but he's not expected to carry the same load he did in 2020. Prior to Johnson's Week 9 concussion, he and Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott led the position in offensive snap percentage.

Johnson lost one yard on his only carry during Saturday's preseason win over the Packers.

EDGE Analysis

Normally, when an established veteran doesn't get a lot of work in a team's first preseason game, there's no cause for alarm. That may not be the case with Johnson. He was listed third on the Texans' initial depth chart behind offseason additions Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay, and it was the latter two who were treated like starters Saturday -- Lindsay got Houston's first touch, while Ingram got the night off completely. Johnson did see his one carry in the red zone on the team's opening drive, but he didn't exactly make the most of the opportunity. If new head coach David Culley ends up deploying a committee in his backfield, it'll hurt the fantasy values of all three RBs, but Johnson could be poised for the biggest fall.

The Texans' initial unofficial depth chart lists Johnson behind Mark Ingram and Phillip Lindsay, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

EDGE Analysis

That said, given the success that all three backs have had at the NFL level at various times, it seems quite likely that Houston's backfield could turn into a committee situation in which weekly workload is determined by a hot-hand/matchup-based approach. While that's less than ideal from a fantasy perspective, a run-heavy attack out of the gate this season is plausible if Tyrod Taylor serves as the team's starting QB.