The Facts: Johnson has been a regular during the team’s off-season program, and offensive coordinator Chris Palmer has liked what he’s seen so far. “C.J. has worked very hard,’’ Palmer said. “He is here, running hard and working hard. I’m very optimistic about how he’s going to perform this (fall).”
Diehards Line:In previous years, Johnson worked out on his own with a personal trainer in Florida. Coming off the least productive season of his four-year career – and after a clause was added to his contract extension last summer that requires him to be in town for the majority of the workouts – Johnson’s opted to work with his teammates in town. And in the wake of a lackluster (for him) 1,047-yard rushing output, Johnson has made it known he plans to lead the NFL in rushing in 2012, something he did in 2009 when he ran for 2,006 yards. Remember; Johnson has 5,645 rushing yards in his first four NFL seasons. It's the most yardage of any running back in the NFL since the beginning of the 2008 season. Can he regain that form with a full offseason minus the distractions of a year ago? Which leads to the bigger question for Fantasy owners: When do you pick him? A rebound could result in huge value.