Fantasy owners were thrilled with Cardinals running back David Johnson as a rookie in 2015. He helped win many championships with his tremendous play to close the season.

As you would expect, Cardinals general manager Steve Kein was fond of Johnson as well. He recently told the official team website that Johnson has a "bright future" and could amass 2,000 total yards in a season based on his overall level of play.

"From a skill-set standpoint, it's scary," Keim said. "A 6-foot-1, 226 pound guy who can bend and make lateral cuts like he does, and then have the ball skills and matchup possibilities out of the backfield. He's truly a three-down back that has the size and the strength to punish in the run game, and he's got the skill and the athleticism in the passing game. It's scary. For a guy who is only scratching the surface, it's scary to think about what he could be."

Keim is either scared of running backs -- three scary references in one quote? -- or he really likes Johnson and what he can do. We're also impressed after watching Johnson after he took over for Chris Johnson.

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David Johnson
NO • RB • #31
2015 regular-season stats581 rush yards, 457 rec. yards, 12 total TDs
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Chris Johnson broke his leg in Week 12, and David Johnson became a Fantasy starter from that point on. Including the playoff loss to the Panthers in the NFC Championship Game, Johnson had nine games with double digits in Fantasy points in a standard league, which is impressive since he didn't get double digits in carries until Week 13.

He averaged 4.6 yards per carry and 12.7 yards per catch and scored 13 total touchdowns, including the playoffs. Chris Johnson is a free agent and likely won't be back with the Cardinals, and Andre Ellington is just a change-of-pace running back. David Johnson has the goods to be a standout Fantasy option, and he proved that in his final five games of the regular season when he averaged 18.2 Fantasy points in a standard league.

I have Johnson ranked as a top-five running back coming into the season behind only Le'Veon Bell, Todd Gurley and Adrian Peterson. In PPR leagues, I have Johnson at No. 3 behind Bell and Gurley.

That might be too aggressive given the small sample size of him as a starter, but I love the Cardinals offense and what he showed when given a chance.

"The way he catches the ball out of the backfield and the weapon he is as a receiver, I think he can end up being one of the better all-around backs in the NFL when you look at being a complete player," Keim said. "He can be such a weapon in every sense of the game."

We love the way he played as a rookie, and hopefully Johnson won't suffer a sophomore slump in 2016. Heading into the offseason before free agency and the draft, Johnson is worth drafting toward the end of Round 1 or beginning of Round 2 in all formats. He's that good. Like Keim said, it's kind of scary.