Dynasty & Redraft: WR Diontae Johnson, Steelers

[gbill2004 182]

Any details on his foot injury? He had a calf injury earlier in camp. 

[Milkman 2,348]

6 minutes ago, gbill2004 said:

Any details on his foot injury? He had a calf injury earlier in camp. 

I own him everywhere. So its 100% lisfranc injury. Surgery in a week. Out for the season. 

Honestly not sure but 100% worried. Foot injuries are no good. 

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by Milkman

[-OZ- 8,135]

On 9/8/2020 at 8:54 AM, Buck Bradcanon said:

In as my WR3.  LFG. 

He rides the bench week 1 (for D Parker). Foot injuries are no joke.

[Endowed 308]

Its Friday that matters for MNF games.

[Clayton Gray 2,112]

Stay on football in here.

[Milkman 2,348]

Interesting IG post from Diontae Johnson 

https://twitter.com/Steelersdepot/status/1304413124552847360?s=20

 

Looks like he's playing Monday! Buckle up boys!

[Buck Bradcanon 1,449]

26 minutes ago, Milkman said:

Interesting IG post from Diontae Johnson 

https://twitter.com/Steelersdepot/status/1304413124552847360?s=20

 

Looks like he's playing Monday! Buckle up boys!

Nice find!  I'm hopeful!  LFG!!!!!

[Faust 5,307]

 

Quote

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (foot) returned to practice Friday.

It's a good sign after Johnson opened the week with a missed practice. Even if Johnson is limited, this puts him on track to play Monday night. 

SOURCE: steelers.com

Sep 11, 2020, 12:53 PM ET

 

 

[Endowed 308]

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (foot) practiced in full Friday. 

https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player/51685/diontae-johnson

[rockaction 25,111]

6 hours ago, Milkman said:

Looks like he's playing Monday! Buckle up boys!

On my bench for James Robinson in .5 PPR flex. Starting Godwin, A-Robinson, Thielen in a 3WR setup. Looking forward to seeing what he can do on Monday, though. Those bench spots ain't cheap 'round my way. 

[FreshiZ 234]

I hope @Milkman is right about this guy. I've got a ton of exposure.

[Milkman 2,348]

10 minutes ago, FreshiZ said:

I hope @Milkman is right about this guy. I've got a ton of exposure.

Health is the only thing that stops this guy. 

[Milkman 2,348]

Cross posted from Bryan Edwards thread.

NSFW (1 cuss word)

 

https://youtu.be/zTzh8uhnlqc

[Dark Matter 261]

🌪️

[Faust 5,307]

Quote

Diontae Johnson caught 6-of-10 targets for 57 yards in the Steelers' Week 1 win over the Giants.

It was a rough first half for Johnson, but he rebounded after the break to catch five balls for 55 yards and led the Steelers with his 10 targets. Only JuJu Smith-Schuster managed for receiving yards with 69, but he also scored two touchdowns. Johnson was hyped as a second-year breakout candidate with Ben Roethlisberger healthy, and his team lead in targets confirms there's plenty of upside here. Let other fantasy players sell on Johnson after his rough night. He's someone to target right now headed into a Week 2 date with the Broncos. While Chase Claypool and James Washington fight for leftovers, Johnson is one of Big Ben's favorite receivers behind JuJu.

Sep 14, 2020, 11:19 PM ET

 

 

[Roy L Fewks 356]

The 10 targets is the key here. Ben is not afraid to feed him the ball.

[Milkman 2,348]

If you're a Diontae Johnson owner you have to be happy with the 10 targets. Diontae got off to a rocky start fumbling a punt and blocking instead of turning around for a quick pass. The 2nd half he was humming though. We got to see glimpses of what's in store for him and Ben. 

If Diontae Johnson gets 140+ targets this year he's going to have a monster year. It might not feel like it but there's reason to be super excited.

Edited September 15, 2020 by Milkman

[tricky92 496]

1 hour ago, Milkman said:

If you're a Diontae Johnson owner you have to be happy with the 10 targets. Diontae got off to a rocky start fumbling a punt and blocking instead of turning around for a quick pass. The 2nd half he was humming though. We got to see glimpses of what's in store for him and Ben. 

If Diontae Johnson gets 140+ targets this year he's going to have a monster year. It might not feel like it but there's reason to be super excited.

I own him and JuJu in re-draft. It's going to be an interesting season.

[DocHolliday 4,089]

8 hours ago, Milkman said:

If you're a Diontae Johnson owner you have to be happy with the 10 targets. Diontae got off to a rocky start fumbling a punt and blocking instead of turning around for a quick pass. The 2nd half he was humming though. We got to see glimpses of what's in store for him and Ben. 

If Diontae Johnson gets 140+ targets this year he's going to have a monster year. It might not feel like it but there's reason to be super excited.

I’m excited.   I need a WR3 and this is my guy moving forward.   The kid is quick and runs crisp routes.   

[Milkman 2,348]

On 9/10/2020 at 3:18 PM, Iceman03 said:

I made y’all ‘Dionte’ fans something

Claypool coming. Lolol

https://twitter.com/PFF_NateJahnke/status/1305699226312159239?s=20

[Dr. Octopus 16,445]

Dionte and Ben lacked chemistry early in the game,  but later on when they were clicking it looked unstoppable. As someone heavily invested in Johnson my fear is that Ben has a lot of weapons to work with and will spread the ball around (it does help that Johnson knows how to get open). Washington earned some love from Ben with his fight to get into the endzone, Ebron looks like a mismatch, Claypool looked great and of course JJSS will get his share and looked really good last night.

Dionte should be a viable fantasy starter most weeks but there will be a few boom/bust weeks in there as well.

[Alex P Keaton 4,111]

3 minutes ago, Dr. Octopus said:

Dionte and Ben lacked chemistry early in the game,  but later on when they were clicking it looked unstoppable. As someone heavily invested in Johnson my fear is that Ben has a lot of weapons to work with and will spread the ball around (it does help that Johnson knows how to get open). Washington earned some love from Ben with his fight to get into the endzone, Ebron looks like a mismatch, Claypool looked great and of course JJSS will get his share and looked really good last night.

Dionte should be a viable fantasy starter most weeks but there will be a few boom/bust weeks in there as well.

Yeah, the real winner with these weapons is Ben

[fruity pebbles 3,274]

Any concerns I had about him were erased last night. He gets open with such ease. His quickness out of his breaks is off the chart. 

[farfromforgotten 127]

The Steelers look like they're going to throw the ball a lot this year. I don't own either JJSS or Johnson but I'd start them with confidence every week if I did. 

[Buck Bradcanon 1,449]

Quote

 

JJ Zachariason

@LateRoundQB⁩

JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington finished with three combined touchdowns last night, but...

JuJu target share: 19.4%
Washington target share: 9.7%
Diontae Johnson target share: 32.3%

 

 

[Cobbler1 1,105]

44 minutes ago, farfromforgotten said:

The Steelers look like they're going to throw the ball a lot this year. I don't own either JJSS or Johnson but I'd start them with confidence every week if I did. 

Hmmm I kind of thought the opposite after last night. Seemed like wanted to protect Ben by running a lot early and with their defense they may wind up in a lot of negative passing game scripts.

[farfromforgotten 127]

6 minutes ago, Cobbler1 said:

Hmmm I kind of thought the opposite after last night. Seemed like wanted to protect Ben by running a lot early and with their defense they may wind up in a lot of negative passing game scripts.

That could be. Looking at their schedule they don't face many top QBs this year. Lamar twice, Watson once, and whatever you think of Prescott. I just don't have a lot of faith that the running game will be that productive against most teams but we'll see. 

[Milkman 2,348]

32% target share means even if Ben throws it only 30 times a game Diontae still getting close to 10 targets a game. It's only one game but if Diontae Johnson gets 140+ targets I have a hard time seeing him any worse than WR10 this year. 

WR8 Robert Woods had 139 targets last year. 

 

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

30 minutes ago, Cobbler1 said:

Hmmm I kind of thought the opposite after last night. Seemed like wanted to protect Ben by running a lot early and with their defense they may wind up in a lot of negative passing game scripts.

That seemed very game-flow to me. Roethlisburger was abysmal early on - he was missing wide left and wide right, and while his velocity was good his touch was horrific. But as the game went on Big Ben got his bearings and his accuracy improved a lot. He looked a lot more comfortable and the back shoulder passes were clicking. When he was peppering Dionte late in the game he looked like a completely different QB. 

I still think they'll lean pass-heavy, especially if Conner misses time. 

[djmich 1,023]

U guys trade Kupp for Diontae and Fuller?  Sorry I know a not even poorly disguised AC question but couldnt resist.

I know Milkman will tell me I should add to Kupp for Diontae 🙂

[tangfoot 2,001]

5 minutes ago, Milkman said:

32% target share means even if Ben throws it only 30 times a game Diontae still getting close to 10 targets a game. It's only one game but if Diontae Johnson gets 140+ targets I have a hard time seeing him any worse than WR10 this year. 

WR8 Robert Woods had 139 targets last year.

Right, because we should expect him to have a 30%+ target share going forward...

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

1 hour ago, Buck Bradcanon said:

Diontae Johnson target share: 32.3%

Stats are not always representative.  Dionte's target share was bolstered by a 4th quarter drive where he saw 6-7 targets for 6 receptions. Hard to say that's going to be the norm. That game looked like a preseason game 3, and Roethlisburger seemed to get stronger as the game went on. 

A % is a %, but projecting a season based on a single drive seems premature. 

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

1 minute ago, tangfoot said:

Right, because we should expect him to have a 30%+ target share going forward...

yeah, I'm thinking it's a little unrealistic. 

[Milkman 2,348]

11 minutes ago, Hot Sauce Guy said:

yeah, I'm thinking it's a little unrealistic. 

Definitely early but it's certainly encouraging. The thing is if you wait another week or two and Diontae might be impossible to trade for. Right now his pedestrian numbers are hiding him a bit. 

 

Also Antonio Brown averaged 170+ targets in the same role for 5 years. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Milkman

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

1 minute ago, Milkman said:

Definitely early but it's certainly encouraging. The thing is if you wait another week or two and Diontae might be impossible to trade for. Right now his pedestrian numbers are hiding him a bit. 

I'm a little irritated that BB peppered him in the 4th quarter on that drive. He was a great buy-low right up until that happened. Before that his owners woulda taken half a ham sandwich for him. Now the final box score makes him look like a star. 

[Dr. Octopus 16,445]

9 minutes ago, Hot Sauce Guy said:

I'm a little irritated that BB peppered him in the 4th quarter on that drive. He was a great buy-low right up until that happened. Before that his owners woulda taken half a ham sandwich for him. Now the final box score makes him look like a star. 

6 catches for 57 yards and a fumble is actually not a bad stat-line for buying low. 

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

4 minutes ago, Dr. Octopus said:

6 catches for 57 yards and a fumble is actually not a bad stat-line for buying low. 

True, but 1 catch for 10 yards and a fumble would be better.  

When scouting players to buy, I always look at targets vs catches - same with WW pickups. If a guy puts up 129/1 on 4 targets, 3 receptions Vs a guy who puts up 79/0 on 9 targets, 6 receptions, I'm more likely to target the latter. Hard to bank on the dude only getting 4 targets, while the 9 target dude is more likely to perform. 

Johnson was targeted an obscene amount in that 4th quarter. If I'm an owner I hold based on that. But  I also assume not everyone looks at the targets, and only looks at production - in which case you're correct. If he happens to be owned by someone who only looks at the on-field production he's a good buy-low. 

Sadly he's also on a team in my division, the double whammy. 

[Manster 822]

Sangged him both leagues......Going forward if Roethlispuker can stay upright, which may be a big if, this kid is in for some huge games!  

[Endowed 308]

Ben's first game with Dio starting.

[Cobbler1 1,105]

59 minutes ago, Hot Sauce Guy said:

That seemed very game-flow to me. Roethlisburger was abysmal early on - he was missing wide left and wide right, and while his velocity was good his touch was horrific. But as the game went on Big Ben got his bearings and his accuracy improved a lot. He looked a lot more comfortable and the back shoulder passes were clicking. When he was peppering Dionte late in the game he looked like a completely different QB. 

I still think they'll lean pass-heavy, especially if Conner misses time. 

That’s the point that game flow may often not be in favor of tossing the ball around a ton. I hope you’re correct and they do though.

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

2 minutes ago, Cobbler1 said:

That’s the point that game flow may often not be in favor of tossing the ball around a ton. I hope you’re correct and they do though.

True, but in theory there are ~29-30 better offenses in the NFL who will keep the steelers honest & force them to throw a little more. 

[Cobbler1 1,105]

24 minutes ago, Hot Sauce Guy said:

True, but in theory there are ~29-30 better offenses in the NFL who will keep the steelers honest & force them to throw a little more. 

I don’t think the Giants offense is that bad. Their OL did look awful though so maybe a team with  worse skill positions but a better line would do better. Steelers defense is really good. 

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

7 minutes ago, Cobbler1 said:

I don’t think the Giants offense is that bad. Their OL did look awful though so maybe a team with  worse skill positions but a better line would do better. Steelers defense is really good. 

Chicken and the egg for sure. I expect more competitive games going forward as teams get their sea legs. All weekend had the "week 3 of the preseason" feel to them. 

[rockaction 25,111]

He had a bad first quarter and bounced back. That's pretty much how it rolled. He's fighting with two other really, really good WRs for targets. Where I got him, if he finishes WR2 or in the top 24, I'm happy. 

[Aznflyer14 118]

Give Roethlisberger a time since yesterday's game was his first game after sustaining a significant elbow injury last year.  And I have every confidence on his desire to develop his chemistry with Johnson (he did rave highly on his receiving talent during the offseason).  It makes sense for him to relay on his prior experience and chemistry with JuJu in his first game of this year's season. 

[Manster 822]

3 hours ago, Hot Sauce Guy said:

True, but in theory there are ~29-30 better offenses in the NFL who will keep the steelers honest & force them to throw a little more. 

It's hard to picture ben not chuckin it all over the field, but he's old and he was gimpin around after taking a hit early in the game......with that nasty defense, I could envision scenarios where they pound the rock based on their defense smothering offenses, and not having the chuck it all over the place.......but who knows, it's one week in

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

14 minutes ago, Manster said:

It's hard to picture ben not chuckin it all over the field, but he's old and he was gimpin around after taking a hit early in the game......with that nasty defense, I could envision scenarios where they pound the rock based on their defense smothering offenses, and not having the chuck it all over the place.......but who knows, it's one week in

I don’t think that’s likely at all. Ben’s arm strength looked better than it has in years. He just needed a few plays to get his accuracy back. 

Time will tell, but these Steelers have an identity and it’s not exactly ground & pound. 

[Manster 822]

Just now, Hot Sauce Guy said:

I don’t think that’s likely at all. Ben’s arm strength looked better than it has in years. He just needed a few plays to get his accuracy back. 

Time will tell, but these Steelers have an identity and it’s not exactly ground & pound. 

Yea I hear ya......I just don't see ben making it thru the season with dudes hangin off him like in the past.....his arm looked good, but his body overall, I'm not convinced.....so maybe less stretching the field and getting it out of his hands quicker, I dunno

[Milkman 2,348]

4 minutes ago, Manster said:

Yea I hear ya......I just don't see ben making it thru the season with dudes hangin off him like in the past.....his arm looked good, but his body overall, I'm not convinced.....so maybe less stretching the field and getting it out of his hands quicker, I dunno

Diontae has a well rounded game. He's very good with the ball in his hands early and he can set guys up and beat them deep too. Obviously if they run way more than pass it'll hurt all the WR but he has a legit shot to lead the team in targets. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by Milkman

[Hot Sauce Guy 9,044]

3 minutes ago, Manster said:

Yea I hear ya......I just don't see ben making it thru the season with dudes hangin off him like in the past.....his arm looked good, but his body overall, I'm not convinced.....so maybe less stretching the field and getting it out of his hands quicker, I dunno

Wait, what? He looked like he was in the best shape of his career. He was looking pudgy last couple of years, he looked thinner and in great shape on Monday night.

… He’s an NFL quarterback…They take hits. I think you’re making way too much out of one small hit that had him limp a little. we’ll see, but I’m skeptical Tomlin stops throwing the ball.