The Baltimore Ravens announced on Monday that recently suspended wide receiver Diontae Johnson and the team have mutually agreed to excuse him from team activities this week. Johnson was suspended for the Week 15 win over the New York Giants due to conduct detrimental to the team when he refused to enter the Week 13 contest against the Philadelphia Eagles. The 28-year-old has been unhappy with his role in Baltimore since being acquired at the deadline from the Carolina Panthers and now is unlikely to play in Week 16 when the team takes on the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday. In four games active with Baltimore, he has just one catch on five targets for six yards. Johnson should have been dropped from fantasy rosters long ago, and it remains to be seen if he'll even see the field again in 2024.
Diontae Johnson Expected To Return To Team On Monday
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who is suspended for the Week 15 game against the New York Giants due to conduct detrimental to the team, is expected to return to the team's facilities on Monday. Johnson refused to go into the game in the Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles because of his unhappiness with his role in the offense, but the hope is that he'll find his way back into the good graces of the team down the stretch and into the postseason. The 28-year-old was acquired from the Carolina Panthers at the trade deadline in late October, but the Ravens just haven't found a way to implement him into their offense since, as he has just one catch on five targets for six yards in his four games played. Johnson is expected to remain with the team, but for fantasy purposes, he belongs on the waiver wire for the rest of the year.
The Baltimore Ravens are suspending wide receiver Diontae Johnson for one game without pay for conduct detrimental to the team, according to sources. It means that Johnson will not be available to play when the team returns from their bye to take on the New York Giants in Week 15. Johnson was acquired by the Ravens from the Carolina Panthers on the cheap at the trade deadline, but the 28-year-old has been non-existent on offense in Baltimore and likely voiced his frustration with his lack of a role. In five games with the Ravens, Johnson has one reception on five targets for six yards. He didn't play a single snap on offense in the Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and is now in the dog house. Fantasy managers should have sent Johnson to the waiver wire a bit ago, but this suspension is essentially rock bottom for his value in 2024.
Ravens In No Rush To Incorporate Diontae Johnson Into The Offense
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson didn't play a single offensive snap in the Week 13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, and it doesn't sound like the Ravens are in any kind of a rush to make him a part of their offense anytime soon. "At this time, I'm going to have to wait. There are moving parts we're going to have to figure out and explore," head coach John Harbaugh said. Since joining the Ravens via trade from the Carolina Panthers, Johnson has one catch for a six-yard gain in five games played. The 28-year-old played 30% of the offensive snaps in his debut in the Week 9 win over the Denver Broncos, but he hasn't played more than 18% of the snaps since then and didn't see the field at all this past Sunday. Until further notice, Johnson is well off the fantasy radar while being behind Zay Flowers, Nelson Agholor, Rashod Bateman and Tylan Wallace on the depth chart.
Ravens Having A Tough Time Incorporating Diontae Johnson Into The Offense
Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken acknowledged last week that the team has had a tough time finding ways to involve new wide receiver Diontae Johnson into their offense after acquiring him at the trade deadline from the Carolina Panthers. ESPN's Dan Graziano gets the sense that Baltimore considered Johnson too good of a player to pass on at the price that the Panthers were asking. He also gives the Ravens an option to use more three-receiver sets than they typically utilize if they want to go in that direction. Baltimore doesn't roll with many three-receiver sets, though, and aren't expected to have a major midseason scheme shakeup, which means that Johnson could just end up being a veteran insurance policy for top receiver Zay Flowers. He has only one catch on four targets for six yards in his three games with the Ravens and should be left on benches in Week 12 versus the Chargers.
Diontae Johnson Not A Trustworthy Option In Week 11
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson has yet to find the amount of success he enjoyed when catching passes from Andy Dalton earlier this season. Head coach John Harbaugh did say that Johnson's involvement would be ramped up, but the Ravens have a tougher matchup in Week 11. They take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnson's former team, who are one of the tougher defenses against opposing passing games. Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews, and Rashod Bateman have all been big pieces to this offense, so it's still unknown how Johnson fits into the mix. He could be a flex play in very deep leagues, but he's not much of a trustworthy option.
Ravens Expect Diontae Johnson To Ramp Up His Snaps
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he'd expect new wide receiver Diontae Johnson to ramp up his snaps now that he's had enough practices with the team under his belt. Johnson was dealt from the Carolina Panthers to the Ravens before the trade deadline, but he's been a non-factor in his two games with the Ravens, catching just one of two targets for a six-yard gain. He wasn't targeted at all in his debut with Baltimore in the Week 9 win over the Denver Broncos. But now that the former Steeler has had enough practice reps, we should start to see him get more involved in the offense, starting in Week 11 in a big divisional clash against his former team in Pittsburgh. Still, Johnson will be a shaky WR3/flex option for fantasy managers in an offense with plenty of mouths to feed. Johnson's increased involvement is bad news for wideouts Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor.
Diontae Johnson A Risky Flex Play Against Bengals In Week 10
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson played in 30% of the team's offensive snaps during their Week 9 win over the Denver Broncos. Head coach John Harbaugh even said that they planned to ease him into the offense for his first game. Now, with a game under his belt, the Ravens take on the Cincinnati Bengals in a short week. Without the full week of practice, it's unlikely that Johnson has that much bigger of a grasp on the offense, but he's also no stranger to AFC North matchups from his time in Pittsburgh. Zay Flowers remains the number-one option, but Johnson could get some opportunities if it turns into another shootout.
Diontae Johnson Expected To Play 10-15 Snaps In Ravens Debut
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson will likely play 10 to 15 snaps in his first game with the team on Sunday, according to CBS Sports' Tracy Wolfson. Johnson was acquired from the Carolina Panthers earlier this week, and while he isn't fully acclimated to the Ravens' offense yet, it sounds like the Baltimore coaching staff will get him on the field for a percentage of plays in Week 9. Moving forward, he offers Baltimore an experienced weapon that can stretch the field in a supplementary role behind Zay Flowers. Johnson should be benched in fantasy football this week, but he could jump up to the low-end WR3 range by Week 10.
Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Diontae Johnson just joined the team earlier in the week and was a full participant at practice each day. All signs are pointing to the new Raven suiting up on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, but his workload is a big question mark. Less than a week of practice isn't enough to learn much of the offense, so he may not be featured on many snaps immediately. Fantasy managers will want to wait a week or two and see how the trend of snaps and targets moves as he's more incorporated into the offensive system. So, he's not on the fantasy radar outside of desperate situations in Week 9, especially against a good defense like the Broncos.
Diontae Johnson
• WR
•
Ravens
