Who Should I Start? Duke Johnson or Cam Akers

Sunday, May 5, 1:51 PM

Running back Duke Johnson announced his retirement from professional football on Sunday. Johnson was originally taken in the third round (77th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2015 NFL draft out of Miami. He spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Browns before spending two years with the Houston Texans. Johnson played for the Miami Dolphins in 2021 and the Buffalo Bills in the final year of his career in 2022. The 30-year-old wraps up his career having recorded 2,265 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 532 carries, adding 311 catches on 405 targets for 2,870 yards and an additional 12 touchdowns in 97 games (21 starts) covering eight seasons. Johnson had a career-high 410 rushing yards on 83 attempts in his first year in Houston in 2019.

Tuesday, September 16, 5:25 PM

The Minnesota Vikings signed running back Cam Akers to their practice squad on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Aaron Jones Sr. (hamstring) was also placed on Injured Reserve on Tuesday, so the Vikings are bringing back a familiar face to serve as RB depth behind Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott heading into a Week 3 tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals. This will be Akers' third different stint with the organization, and he could surpass Scott on the RB depth chart sooner than later. The 26-year-old spent training camp with the New Orleans Saints but was unable to make their 53-man roster. He had a healthy 4.3 yards per carry on 104 rushing attempts for 444 yards and two touchdowns while adding 14 catches for 68 yards and three TDs as a pass-catcher last year with the Houston Texans and Vikings. Akers is worth a look for RB depth in deep leagues if you just lost Jones.