Diontae Johnson Fantasy Football Outlook is buzzing with Ravens trade

With injuries ravaging the wide receiver position at an unusual rate in 2024, it’s no surprise there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the position at the NFL trade deadline. And that has already had a major impact on the fantasy football world. Diontae Johnson was the last player to be moved, with the Carolina Panthers trading him to the Baltimore Ravens.

Unfortunately for managers hoping for a major upgrade through a change in environment, Johnson’s value in Baltimore will be severely limited.

It’s hard to judge him too much on what he’s done throughout his career against a terrible Carolina Panthers offense, but some things are pretty consistent with what we’ve seen throughout his career. He has always relied on volume to produce in fantasy, with efficiency sorely lacking.

Through six NFL seasons, Johnson has averaged just 6.8 yards per target, surpassing 7.0 only once since his rookie season. For context, 91 eligible recipients have an average of over 6.8 this year.

Johnson’s 6.2 placed him one spot behind Najee Harris.

That’s the opposite of what you want from a Ravens receiver in fantasy, where explosive upside will always be an option but volume is very difficult to come by.

Zay Flowers has finally bucked the trend a bit and is tied for 10th in the NFL with 61 goals this year. But behind him, no Ravens player has seen more than 35 targets. And three of the four players behind Flowers, who have at least 25, are running backs or tight ends.

The offense won’t significantly change Johnson’s identity, so he steps in to compete with Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor, who accounted for 15.5% and 9.7% of the team’s goals, respectively.

Even if Johnson completely takes over Bateman’s role, how much fantasy upside do we think he offers at 4.4 targets per game?

This trade is a smart football move for the Ravens, who paid next to nothing to add some much-needed receiving depth. And if Flowers gets into trouble, maybe Johnson can suck up enough volume to produce.

But for now, the move was a huge disappointment for executives who had hoped for a DeAndre Hopkins-to-the-Chiefs-style bump for Johnson.