What to do with Kerryon Johnson, Adrian Peterson, D’Andre Swift in Week 1 fantasy football

The Detroit Lions have a crowded backfield but are dealing with several injuries ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Chicago Bears. D’Andre Swift (hip) dodged an injury designation on Friday but will have to compete with Kerryon Johnson and the recently-acquired Adrian Peterson come Sunday. We’ll go over the potential fantasy football impact of each player here.

Fantasy Football analysis: Lions RB Kerryon Johnson, D’Andre Swift, Adrian Peterson

Johnson is first on the depth chart and benefitted from Swift missing time with his hip injury. He showed promise in 2019, but missed half the year because of a knee injury. Detroit is dealing with injuries to Danny Amendola and Kenny Golladay, so establishing the run could be more important than usual for a team that’s usually focused on stretching the field.

Swift’s pass catching skills threatened to reduce Johnson’s role early on, but his health issues could make him less effective than usual. His questionable status likely caused the Lions to sign Peterson after he was unexpectedly released by the Washington Football Team. He’s spent little time with Detroit though and will likely have a small roll because of his limited exposure to the offense.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

None of these players stand out as top-notch plays, but Johnson is the only one that could be worth starting in season-long fantasy and DFS.