2024 was a season to forget for Diontae Johnson. He finished the year with only 375 yards and three touchdowns while playing for three different teams. Despite the adversity of last season, Johnson signed a one-year deal with Cleveland this offseason.
Johnson joins a limited Browns receiver core, where he has the chance to produce from day one. Cleveland are pretty thin at the receiver position, with Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman being the biggest names in the room. Johnson couldn’t have found a better fit, and will have an opportunity to replicate the success he had earlier in his career.
As mentioned previously, 2024 was a season to forget. Johnson finished as WR85 on DraftKings with only 92.1 FPTS. The numbers were much better in 2023, as he finished the season with 51 receptions, 717 yards and five scores. That was good enough for WR47 on DraftKings fantasy scoring with 152.7 FPTS. He only played in 14 games that season and his 11.7 FPTS per game was 42nd among receivers.
If Johnson can settle into Cleveland and play all 17 games, I think he’s easily a top 50 fantasy receiver in 2025. After playing on three different teams last season and missing games in each of his two last seasons, that will be easier said than done.
Another factor to consider here is the QB play in Cleveland. Joe Flacco being announced as the starting quarterback was great news for fantasy owners. Flacco is a gun slinger, and even at 40 years old, he can still sling it with the best of them. Flacco played in eight games for the Colts last season and averaged over 220 passing yards per game. When he previously played for Cleveland in 2023, he threw for 1,616 passing yards in only five games, which averages out to 323.2 per game.
If Flacco can continue to play at that level in Cleveland, the entire Browns’ receiver room will become a lot more appetizing in fantasy football. Expect a bounce-back season from Diontae Johnson.
