Diontae Johnson fantasy outlook: Should you draft Panthers WR in 2024?

Diontae Johnson spent all five seasons of his NFL career so far with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, the 2024 NFL campaign presents a different situation for the wide receiver after he joined the Carolina Panthers during the offseason. He has been a reliable option in fantasy football, and here's where his outlook currently stands after the major change.

Should you draft Panthers WR Diontae Johnson in 2024?

Dionate Johnson (image credit: getty)

The Carolina Panthers have been in desperate need of weapons to support young quarterback Bryce Young and their struggling offense. Improving on this side of the ball was a main focus for them during the offseason, and one move they made was to add Diontae Johnson. He was a reliable high-volume option for the Steelers and will look to provide them with a boost.

The move to the Panthers creates an interesting situation for Johnson in fantasy football. He joins a weaker offense, which can sometimes be detrimental to fantasy value, but in an offense that lacks established weapons, he could realistically be their featured player this season. This gives him plenty of upside and makes him a solid target in the mid-rounds of fantasy drafts this year.

Diontae Johnson 2024 fantasy outlook

Johnson was a significant offensive contributor during his tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Volume has been his biggest weapon, including exceeding 85 targets and 50 receptions in each of his seasons so far. Three of those also eclipsed 85 receptions and 140 targets, totaling 25 touchdowns.

The star wide receiver has already proven that he can overcome poor quarterback play like he did in each of the past two seasons with Kenny Pickett and Mason Rudolph as he totaled 137 receptions and 1,599 yards. This is a significant factor in his 2024 fantasy outlook considering how much Bryce Young struggled last season, so his value shouldn't be negatively impacted too much.

Is Diontae Johnson a good pick in fantasy football this year?

Despite switching teams from the Steelers to the Panthers, Johnson should carry similar fantasy football value this season as he did last year. He profiles as a solid WR3 on most fantasy rosters, possessing a relatively safe floor, especially in PPR formats.

A case can also be made that Johnson has more upside this year with his new team that lacks an established number-one wide receiver. Adam Thielen filled that role last year, but Johnson will likely eclipse him on their depth chart. He makes for an attractive pick in the mid-rounds and can theoretically outperform his current ADP if he can be the Panthers' featured receiver.

Where should you draft Diontae Johnson this year?

Who Should I Draft

Diontae Johnson ranks as the 87th overall player and WR38 in fantasy drafts for the 2024 NFL season, according to his current ADP. This puts him in the range of WR3 on most fantasy rosters, depending on the scoring settings and league format. He can be safely targeted around the seventh or eighth rounds in most fantasy drafts this year.

Johnson is currently in a similar tier as other veteran options like Chris Godwin and DeAndre Hopkins. Godwin is his team's second option at wide receiver behind Mike Evans, while Hopkins is expected to lose some of his volume to Calvin Ridley this season. Sportskeeda's Who Should I Draft tool is the best way to compare fantasy projections and is extremely useful to reference during fantasy drafts.