Ex-Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson’s trade to the Ravens may have excited the city of Baltimore, but fantasy football managers are in complete disarray before the NFL trade deadline.
Johnson was traded to the Ravens close to the Nov. 5 NFL trade deadline after speculation that Carolina would completely rebuild after a 1-7 start this season. The Ravens made a relatively low-risk move, acquiring Johnson and a sixth-round draft pick only in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
While the addition of Johnson adds firepower to Baltimores already stacked pass-catching unit, fantasy owners are mindful of the impact on target shares across the Ravens’ offense. With Baltimores offense already featuring talents like Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, and Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews, fantasy players worry that Johnsons arrival will water down their draft picks production in an offense known more for an aggressive running attack from Derrick Henry, and calculated option passing under two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson.
One frustrated fantasy player wrote, Diontae Johnson addition = Flowers pretty much trash now in fantasy. Cannot trust him. Other team owners speculated on a decrease in touches across the receiver lineup, even predicting lower fantasy output for Flowers, Bateman, and Johnson.
A small group of fans online saw a potential upside for Jackson’s value, predicting an increase in his numbers with a new weapon in the mix. From a fantasy football perspective, Baltimore is the last place I wanted Diontae Johnson to go to, complained another fantasy owner.
Overall, the common theme indicated a fear of how the Ravens have spread the ball this season. Flowers has emerged as Jackson’s favorite target, with 61 targets, nearly double the rest of the offensive players on the team. Johnson has made 30 catches for 357 yards this season, placing him tied for 44th in the league. With three touchdowns, the six-year pro finished his stint in Carolina as their most productive pass catcher this season by a margin of 146 yards.
Johnson has had three standout performances in fantasy football this season. He put up 26.20 points in a loss to the Raiders, 21.30 points in a loss to the Bengals, and 19.80 points in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Each impactful game came with Andy Dalton at quarterback, following Bryce Youngs benching after his first two starts. Johnson’s fantasy value has spiked with Dalton under center, and he hopes it will grow to greater heights with a dynamic player like Jackson.
Diontae Johnson 2024 NFL Fantasy Points
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