Diontae

Johnson

Johnson continues to be a beneficiary of Andy Dalton at quarterback, garnering 10 targets and scoring the Panthers’ first score of the day. He is seeing the most volume out of the Panthers’ wider receivers, with Xavier Legette seeing the next-most wideout targets at four on the day. After a flop of a three-catch, 23-yard game last week, Johnson is back into the WR2 ranks as one of the few fantasy-viable options from the Panthers offense. He will be a fantasy WR2 in a good matchup against a bad Commanders secondary for Week 7.

Johnson was listed as questionable after being limited in practice throughout the week. He is no stranger to playing through minor injuries and should see a full complement of snaps this week. Johnson’s hot streak under Andy Dalton came to an end with just three catches for 26 yards last week. He will look to get back on track as a volume-based WR2 versus Atlanta this week.

Johnson was limited in practice throughout the week but played through the same injury in the Panthers’ Week 5 loss to the Bears. He caught only three passes for 23 yards in the defeat, but in his defense, was going up against one of the better pass defenses he’s seen thus far. He should see enough volume to turn in a solid WR2 week against the Falcons if available.

Johnson played through the ankle injury last week. Though he only caught three balls for 23 yards, it was the Carolina offense that limited his output, not a bum ankle. Johnson will have his reps limited throughout the week but is not at risk of missing Week 6 because of the ankle injury. He will look to get back on track as a volume-based WR2 versus Atlanta.

After earning fantasy managers’ trust with 15 receptions for 205 yards and two scores across Andy Dalton’s two starts, Johnson did what the kids call “a rug pull.” He and Dalton weren’t on the same page in this game and the entire Carolina offense fell apart, exacerbating the issue. Johnson and some of the starters even got the final drive off. Johnson treated us to two great fantasy outings over the past two weeks, but it was unrealistic to expect him to put up WR1 numbers on a weekly basis with Dalton as his quarterback. He will still sit in the WR2 ranks when he retakes the field versus the Falcons next week.

Johnson missed Wednesday’s practice but was back on the field by Thursday. He is good to go for Week 5. Johnson has seen 27 targets over the past two weeks and is coming off another strong showing with Andy Dalton under center. He ranks as a high-end WR2 versus the Bears.

Despite missing Wednesday’s practice with an ankle injury, Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he “absolutely” expects Johnson to play in Week 5 against the Bears. In two games with Andy Dalton, Johnson has seen a whopping 27 targets while posting a 15-205-2 line through the air. This ankle injury appears to be a minor one. Assuming he’s active, Johnson will be a high-upside WR2 against the Bears.

Head coach Dave Canales told reporters he “absolutely” expects Johnson to play this week. Johnson entered his Week 4 game versus the Bengals with a groin injury but played through the issue to another strong fantasy performance. He caught seven passes for 83 yards and a touchdown. Johnson appeared to tweak the groin injury in the third quarter but his touchdown came later in the game. The ankle issue is new, though Johnson is clearly no stranger to playing through injuries. He looks likely to do so again this week.

It could have been a much bigger day for Johnson, who had a potential touchdown catch knocked out of his hands and had another long pass hit off of his fingertips. He also fell to the turf and grabbed his injured groin in the third quarter and had to be helped off the field only to score a touchdown later on, so it was quite a whirlwind day for Johnson. His 13 targets suggest he will be the clear focal point of the passing attack with Adam Thielen sidelined, and he has a strong enough connection with Andy Dalton, that he should remain a WR2 in all league types moving forward.

There was some concern when Johnson popped up on the injury report mid-week with a groin injury, but he was not listed among the inactive and is expected to play his normal allotment of snaps. There is a slightly elevated risk of re-injury for Johnson, but he spent extra time practicing with Andy Dalton during the week and should see a large target share with Adam Thielen sidelined. Fire Johnson up in all league types.