How the Panthers’ Diontae Johnson trade to the Ravens affects Fantasy Football

With just a week to go before the NFL trade deadline on November 5, some big moves have been made, the latest of which was wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Carolina Panthers traded Johnson and a sixth-round pick to the Ravens in exchange for a fifth-round pick. That move will affect not only his outlook for fantasy football, but several other players on both the Panthers and the Ravens teams. Let’s discuss.

Diontae Johsnon trade: affect on Fantasy

Obviously Johnson‘s move to the Ravens will affect him as he’ll have a whole new offense around him and a different quarterback throwing to him. But the move will affect the Panthers offense as well.

Add Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker

In Carolina, Johnson was the WR1. Now that he’s gone, Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker will become the top targets for either QB Andy Dalton or Bryce Young, at least until Adam Thielen is healthy (or if he happens to get traded away as well).

Of the two, Legette has been the more productive receiver, scoring a touchdown in three of his last five games. Coker did play a larger role against the Broncos last week, with four receptions on six targets for 78 yards and a touchdown and could be a good addition in deeper leagues.

Drop Isaiah Likely

With Johnson coming into an offense with WRs Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman, plus tight end Mark Andrews, TE Isaiah Likely is going to lose targets. He was already a low-value TE, scoring just 8.7 PPR points or less in all but two games this season.

Diontae Johnson - to start or not to start?

First, this depends on his health status. Johnson sat out from the Panthers' Week 8 game against the Broncos due to a rib injury. As long as he can pass a physical this week though, he should be good to make his debut with the Ravens as soon as this week for their game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

As the WR1 for the Panthers, Johnson caught 30 passes on 58 targets for 357 yards and three touchdowns. In many ways, his value goes up after the trade, as Lamar Jackson is a much more talented quarterback than either Dalton or Young. But on the other hand, he’s likely to see a reduction in targets with Flowers, Andrews, and Bateman sharing the load. Plus, of course, the Ravens are a run-heavy offense between Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.

So, if he‘s healthy, I‘d say starting Johnson really depends on who else you have in your lineup to choose from, but for his first week in Baltimore, I’d keep him on the bench to wait and see how it goes.