Beleaguered veteran Wide Receiver Diontae Johnson’s fantasy value may have new life.
The Athletic is reporting that wide receiver. Dionte Johnson is projected to win the slot role for the Cleveland Browns. This is a major development for a player whose value was close to zero last season. We remember that Johnson bounced around from the Steelers to the Panthers to the Ravens to the Texans, then back to the Ravens. Before he was picked up by the Browns this off-season, Johnson’s career seemed in need of life support.
Now, this may be what he needs to rebound. Only Jerry, Judy and David Njoku are the major target earners in this Cleveland Browns offense. Johnson historically has commanded a 25% plus target share when he was with the Steelers. The Browns allowed for Elijah Moore to walk in free agency, opening up over 100 vacated targets. The math is fairly simple. This was the good news. Fantasy managers were waiting to hear. Yet, the off-season is long. Johnson is worth a speculative add in most formats.
Author: Bradley Stalder (@FFStalder)
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson believes ...
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson is focused ...
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Diontae Johnson is in ...
Looking for a shot at redemption, Diontae Johnson signs a 1-year deal with the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns did not come away with a wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft. Their offensive focus was towards the running back and quarterback position much to the confusion of fantasy gamers as the Browns selected 2 at each position.
While Travis Hunter was there to be had at No.2 overall, the Browns traded out of the pick with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In steps wide receiver Diontae Johnson who joins the Browns on a 1-year deal. Ever the target magnet in the first 4 seasons of his NFL career, Johnson saw a considerable drop off in his play in 2024. From weeks 3-6 with the Carolina Panthers, Johnson had 3 top-12 weeks.
Johnson saw a steep drop off in play before finding his way on both the Ravens and Texans to end his 2024 season. Johnson is now on his 5th team in the last 2 seasons. At age 28, it is becoming more apparent that it is Johnson who is problematic and not the teams giving him opportunity. Should Johnson fail with the Browns it may be his last chance in the NFL. For the Browns is it a cheap way to possibly unlock upside at the receiver position in 2025.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)
Diontae Johnson was let go by the Houston Texans after 3 weeks with the team. Johnson will be rostered by the Ravens after the Super Bowl since they waiver claimed him in a procedural move.
Since being traded away from Carolina in Week 9, Diontae Johnson only caught 3 passes — that’s 1 fewer than the number of teams he was on in the past 12 months. Johnson did not earn a route rate above 30% through his 8 weeks with Baltimore, and only participated in 55% of his routes in his solo appearance for Houston.
We are left wondering what is not being said about Diontae. Each team that has traded or waived him this year has been quiet and professional, no scathing comments but also no real details have been shared with the media. Diontae will be an unrestricted free agent by the time he is officially moved to the Ravens squad and he will likely land with another team next season. We have seen NFL teams give plenty of opportunities to talented wideouts, despite character concerns and against their best judgement. The Cowboys are notoriously a home for troubled youths but watch out for WR needy teams like the Patriots, Broncos and Commanders to take a shot on Johnson next year.
Author Lukasz Stec (@Lukasz_FF01)
The Houston Texans claimed wide receiver Diontae Johnson off waivers, the team will look to Johnson as a replacement for recently injured Tank Dell.
Diontae Johnson has had a roller coaster of a career since leaving Pittsburgh, the veteran receiver is now on his 4th team in the past 12 months. Johnson, who was prominently featured in Carolina earlier this season, earned only 5 targets through his 5 game stint with the Baltimore Ravens. Whether the Ravens were slowly bringing him along, or merely keeping him out of the hands of rival teams remains unknown. Johnson’s loud and public grousing about his playing time didn’t land well with the Ravens, who first suspended then ultimately released him.
Houston was quick to waiver claim Johnson on Monday, beating out other interesting landing spots such as Washington, Pittsburgh and Kansas City. The move made perfect sense as the Texans are playoff bound and have now lost their #2 and #3 receivers (Diggs and Dell) to knee injuries. Diontae Johnson brings experience and sure hands to Houston and should compliment Nico Collins well. Since the Texans already clinched a playoff spot, C.J. Stroud and his new receiver can use the remaining regular season games to build rapport before making a postseason run.
Lukasz Stec, @Lukasz_FF01
It has been an inconsistent 2024 for Diontae Johnson and now faces a one game suspension ahead of New York Giants matchup in week 15.
Diontae Johnson has not had the greatest season so far in 2024. Even after being traded from the Carolina Panthers to the Baltimore Ravens, his playing time has been drastically affected. Diontae Johnson is now being suspended for one game which takes effect after their week 14 bye. The suspension is for conduct detrimental to the team and stems from Johnson refusing to enter the Ravens game against the Eagles last week. He logged zero snaps against the Eagles, even after Rashod Bateman was injured during the game.
Johnson has only one reception for six yards since joining the Ravens and only 39 snaps in four games. Prior to being traded he caught 30 of 58 targets for 357 yards and three scores for Carolina earlier this season as their number one wide receiver. It will be interesting to see how things will play out after serving the suspension, but Diontae Johnson has zero value in redraft and his dynasty draft is very minimal at best.
The Baltimore Ravens have traded with the Carolina Panthers for veteran wide receiver Diontae Johnson, per Ian Rapoport. Baltimore receives Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.
The Ravens desperately needed wide receivers over the last few years, and they’ve done everything they can to fill this hole. Johnson, well-known for his route-running prowess, figures to be a prominent figure in the team’s passing game, but he’s not alone. 2022 first-round pick Zay Flowers has already amassed 100 receptions and 1,300 receiving yards in his career, and Rashod Bateman is in the midst of a career year. The Ravens also have the luxury of two tight ends who are dangerous in the receiving game: Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely. From a fantasy perspective, each of Johnson’s new teammates loses value due to his elite target-earning ability. But from a real-life perspective, Baltimore’s offense just got even better.
Anyone associated with the Ravens organization is already familiar with Johnson. Before playing seven games for the Panthers this season, Johnson spent his entire career playing for the Ravens biggest rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson recorded 45 receptions for 495 yards and three touchdowns in nine career games against the Ravens. Now, he has a chance to prove how he can help them rather than hurting them.
Written by @TreyK_FB (Twitter/X)
