1. Chris Johnson — Can we drop the “CJ2K” and “CJ0K” nicknames for this guy and just start calling him “Sybil”? Because we haven’t seen a single Chris Johnson this season; we’ve seen three Chris Johnsons. Early in the season we saw a completely ineffective running back who appeared unworthy of a roster spot on a CFL team (with all due respect to Montreal Alouettes fans). In the middle of the season we saw a superstar who appeared to be among the best backs in the league. And over the last three weeks we’ve seen a very ordinary starting running back: Say hello to CJ-meh-K. Johnson owners still in contention have reason to be concerned. This recent CJ persona is non grata in a critical playoff week. While he hasn’t stunk outright in his last three games, Johnson has been hewing much closer to early-season CJ than to midseason CJ, and last week’s 19-carry, 44-yard performance against a mediocre Colts run defense makes you wonder whether he’s beginning to shut it down early. If Johnson still has any fight left in him, he could conceivably return to midseason form in the final game of the Week 15 schedule, a home game against the Jets, who rank 29th against the run. A lot of fantasy playoff games could ride on which Johnson persona shows up for this one.
2. Alfred Morris — The uncertain status of QB Robert Griffin III after his knee injury last week raises questions about Morris and his prospects for success in the Redskins’ road game against Cleveland this Sunday. Will Morris get an extra-heavy dose of carries this week whether it’s backup Kirk Cousins starting at quarterback for the ’Skins or a wounded RG3? Would Morris still be as effective if RG3 weren’t there to trigger Washington’s read-option running game? And if RG3 does play, will the Browns key on Morris because they perceive RG3 to be less of a running threat than usual? Morris has rattled off three consecutive 100-yard rushing games and has run for a touchdown in two of his last three games. He now has 1,228 rushing yards and seven TDs for the season, along with an impressive average of 4.9 yards per carry. But the fate of Morris in Week 15 and the fate of his fantasy owners might be tethered to RG3’s sprained knee ligament.
3. Peyton Manning — Fantasy owners who had the courage to draft Manning this season and are now riding him into the playoffs should take a moment to pat themselves on the back. It seems hard to believe that Manning was considered a gamble back in August because of the neck issues that caused him to miss the entire 2011 season. Owners who believed that Manning would (or at least could) return to his usual form have been richly rewarded to this point, and perhaps further rewards are yet to come. After playing a Thursday-night game in Week 14, Manning, the consummate film-room rat, has had extra time to prepare for Sunday’s game in Baltimore. The Ravens rank 23rd in pass defense but have given up a mere 12 TD passes. Manning has 30 TD passes this season, but even if the Ravens prevent him from ringing up multiple touchdowns, he figures to produce ample yardage: Manning has thrown for at least 270 yards in 10 of his last 11 games (seven 300-yard games in that span).