Texans' Diontae Johnson: Two catches in team debut
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Johnson caught two of four targets for 12 yards in Sunday's 23-14 win over the Titans.
Johnson made his debut for the Texans after he was claimed off waivers prior to Week 17. He played 22 snaps and is expected to have a role in next Saturday's home playoff game against the Chargers as well. Given season-ending injuries to Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee), a playoff-experienced Johnson could be a factor. He's appeared in three postseason games while with the Steelers, which may be useful as John Metchie was removed from Sunday's game and placed in the NFL's concussion protocol.
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Texans' Diontae Johnson: Expected to play this week
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Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said Wednesday that Johnson will play in Sunday's game against the Titans, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Locked in as the AFC's No. 4 seed, Houston has an opportunity to evaluate young players and give Johnson some game reps in Week 18, with a strong showing perhaps allowing the wideout to take on a prominent role in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Ryans didn't comment on playing-time expectations for his starters but did seem to acknowledge the possibility of removing them early, per Alexander. Either way, Johnson will likely get some run after being claimed off waivers from the Ravens last Monday.
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Texans' Diontae Johnson: Practices with new team
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Johnson practiced Monday for the first time since the Texans claimed him off waivers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Johnson, who was on the receiving end of passes from quarterback C.J. Stroud during Monday morning's session, is embracing a fresh start in Houston after a rocky seven-week tenure with the Ravens. The Texans have a glaring need at wideout with Stefon Diggs (knee) and Tank Dell (knee) on injured reserve. That suggests Johnson could have a significant role in the playoffs -- Houston is locked in as the fourth seed in the AFC and will host a first-round playoff game -- but the first order of business is finding chemistry with Stroud. Much of that chemistry may have to be established in practice settings, as it's unclear how much playing time Stroud will get in Week 18 against the Titans.
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Texans' Diontae Johnson: Inactive Wednesday
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Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Wednesday's game against the Ravens.
Houston claimed Johnson off waivers from Baltimore on Monday, but given the quick turnaround for the Christmas Day matchup with his former Ravens squad, the wideout won't be asked to make his Texans debut with limited time to familiarize himself with a new playbook. Instead, Johnson will turn his focus toward debuting for Houston in Week 18 versus the Titans. On Wednesday, Nico Collins, John Metchie, Robert Woods, Xavier Hutchinson and Jared Wayne will represent Houston's available options at wide receiver.
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Texans' Diontae Johnson: Joining Texans
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Houston has claimed Johnson off waivers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Johnson was waived by Baltimore on Friday after a tumultuous tenure with the club. The veteran wideout logged only one catch over four games with the Ravens and was suspended for Week 15 against the Giants for conduct detrimental to the team. Johnson did have some productive games earlier in the campaign, including Week 3 versus Las Vegas when he tallied eight catches for 122 yards and a touchdown while he was with the Panthers. The Texans' decision to claim Johnson comes after the announcement that Tank Dell (knee) will be out for the remainder of the season.
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Diontae Johnson: Waived by Ravens
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The Ravens have waived Johnson.
Adam Schefter of ESPN relays that as a result of the move, Johnson will go on waivers and can be claimed Monday at 4:00 p.m. ET. It remains to be seen if the veteran wideout will be claimed, but either way Johnson now will have a chance to play elsewhere following his brief and unproductive stint with the Ravens.
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Ravens' Diontae Johnson: Unavailable this week
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Johnson (personal) is has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Steelers.
The Ravens suspended Johnson last week and excused him from team activities this week. It seems they might've had some use for him now that fellow wideouts Rashod Bateman (foot) and Nelson Agholor (concussion) both are listed as questionable, but the ship has already sailed on Johnson being involved in Week 16 preparations, leaving Tylan Wallace and Devontez Walker as Baltimore's fill-in options at wide receiver.
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Ravens' Diontae Johnson: Not rejoining team for Week 16
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The Ravens announced Monday that the team has mutually agreed with Johnson (suspension) to excuse him from team activities Week 16.
Johnson was suspended by Baltimore for Week 15 due to conduct detrimental to the team, but even after his suspension is officially lifted, the veteran wideout won't be back in the building to prepare for Saturday's divisional matchup against the Steelers. Since joining the Ravens in a trade with the Panthers back in October, Johnson has failed to solidify his standing in Baltimore's wide receiver corps. At this point, it remains to be seen whether the veteran wideout will return to team activities Week 17.
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Ravens' Diontae Johnson: Plays zero snaps in Week 13
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Johnson played zero offensive snaps in the Ravens' loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
Acquired from the Panthers ahead of the trade deadline, Johnson played 17 offensive snaps in his Week 9 debut for the Ravens. In four games since, Johnson has played a total of 22 snaps on offense. He has one catch for six yards across five games with his new team. Speaking with the media Monday, coach John Harbaugh hinted at something going on behind the scenes when asked about Johnson's lack of playing time, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, saying, "At this time, I'm going to have to wait. There are moving parts we're going to have to figure out and explore." Baltimore doesn't seem all that interested in giving Johnson any sort of look on offense unless there's an injury.
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Ravens' Diontae Johnson: Uneventful return to Pittsburgh
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Johnson was held without a catch on two targets Sunday against the Steelers.
It was not an eventful homecoming for Johnson after spending the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh. He played 11 snaps and drew a pair of targets but failed to come down with either of them. Through three games with the Ravens, Johnson has one catch for six yards on 32 snaps and four targets. Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor remain the primary wide receivers for the Ravens, but there's a chance Johnson begins displacing Agholor once he gets more acclimated with the offense.
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Ravens' Diontae Johnson: Not targeted in debut
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Johnson went without a target in Sunday's 41-10 win over the Broncos.
Johnson was a complete non-factor in his first game with the Ravens, as the veteran wideout played just 17 of Baltimore's 57 offensive snaps in the contest. His lack of involvement wasn't a huge surprise, as head coach John Harbaugh said heading into the game that Johnson would have a light role in his season debut after being acquired from the Panthers just days prior. Going forward, the 28-year-old should become a key contributor in Baltimore's passing attack once he becomes more acclimated to the playbook, but the move to the Ravens means that he won't be a focal option in the passing game like he was during his time with the Panthers.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Held to one catch
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Johnson recorded one catch on three targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 40-7 loss to the Commanders.
The Carolina offense had an abysmal performance overall, as Ja'Tavion Sanders was the only pass catcher to record more than two receptions. Despite putting up big numbers in most weeks with Andy Dalton under center, Johnson couldn't overcome his surroundings Sunday. Johnson should be safe for volume in most weeks, but given the volatile nature of the Panthers' offense, these types of showings will likely continue occasionally moving forward.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Active as expected Sunday
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Johnson (ankle) is active for Sunday's Week 7 matchup against the Commanders, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
The oft-injured veteran wideout was said to be trending toward active status in reports issued earlier in the weekend, and Johnson's availability is now confirmed. As such, Johnson will continue to operate as the top on-paper target for veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton, who's helped facilitate a 24-306-3 line on 43 targets for the talented pass catcher over his first four games as the starting quarterback.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Likely to play Sunday
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Johnson (ankle) remains listed as questionable but is expected to play Sunday against the Commanders, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
On top of the ankle issue, Johnson also has been dealing with hamstring and rib injuries, which caused him to miss practice Wednesday and Thursday before getting in a limited session Friday. It's unclear how close to 100 percent Johnson is, but he's trending toward being active ahead of Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. Johnson has drawn a team-leading 43 targets across four starts with Andy Dalton under center, cementing himself as a locked-in fantasy starter in most leagues.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Listed as questionable
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Johnson (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game at Washington, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson played through an ankle injury the past two weeks but is now listed with hamstring and rib injuries as well. He was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday before returning to limited participation at the end of the week, which gives the impression he's truly questionable ahead of a 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday. An absence would leave more playing time for WR Jonathan Mingo while boosting the target-share projections for nearly every other piece of Carolina's offense, including WRs Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker and TE Ja'Tavion Sanders.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Held out of Wednesday's practice
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Johnson (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.
Johnson has managed to play through his ankle injury in consecutive games, though he was limited in practice leading up to Carolina's loss to the Falcons in Week 6. The veteran wideout led the Panthers in receiving versus Atlanta, securing six of 10 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown while playing 89 percent of offensive snaps. Panthers head coach Dave Canales told Steve Reed of the Associated Press that Johnson is expected to practice Thursday, so the 28-year-old's availability for this Sunday's game in Washington doesn't appear to be in much peril.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Leads CAR in receiving
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Johnson (ankle) finished with six receptions (10 targets) for 78 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 38-20 loss to the Falcons.
Johnson suited up as expected following a bout with a minor ankle injury leading up to Sunday's contest. The veteran wideout served his usual role as the Carolina's No. 1 receiving option, leading the club in every receiving category while cashing in his third touchdown of the season. The longtime Pittsburgh Steeler has not skipped a beat since changing squads this past offseason, generating 340 yards off of 29 receptions (55 targets) through six games. Johnson makes for a fine fantasy play against a soft Washington defense next Sunday.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Limited in practice again
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Johnson (ankle) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Johnson played through the same injury and handled his normal workload in Sunday's loss to the Bears, after logging limited practices Thursday and Friday last week. He's now been a limited participant Wednesday and Thursday this week, giving him one last chance to upgrade to 'full' before Sunday's game against the Falcons.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: WRs to Start
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Johnson had a down game in Week 5 at Chicago with 5.9 PPR points, which was his worst outing since Week 2 and worst performance with Andy Dalton as the starting quarterback. Johnson should get back on track this week against the Falcons, who have allowed every No. 1 receiver to score at least 13.5 PPR points this season, including three guys (DeVonta Smith, Rashee Rice and Mike Evans) to score at least 20.6 PPR points. I like Johnson as a No. 1 Fantasy receiver in all leagues.
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Panthers' Diontae Johnson: Cleared to face Chicago
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Johnson (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Chicago, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson never quite progressed to full practice participation, logging limited sessions Thursday and Friday, but the lack of an injury designation nonetheless confirms his ankle isn't a major concern. He's caught 15 of 27 targets for 205 yards and two TDs in two games since Andy Dalton took over as the starting QB, putting up big numbers against the Raiders and then Bengals. Chicago's defense should be more of a challenge, but Johnson doesn't necessarily need efficient production to be useful in fantasy, as he's accounted for 30 percent of Carolina's targets and 44 percent of the team's air yards.
