Baltimore is making moves. Panthers WR Diontae Johnson will be traded to the Ravens after playing seven games in Carolina, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Along with Johnson comes a 6th-round pick, while the Panthers will get a 5th-round pick in exchange.
It was a short stint in the blue and black for Johnson after spending five seasons with the Steelers, but he’ll return to the AFC North and join a team with strong Super Bowl aspirations. Johnson has racked up just 357 yards and three touchdowns through seven games, but has unlocked potential squandered by weak quarterback—and overall team—play in Carolina. Entering a high-powered offense with a pass-heavy mind in offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Johnson has a chance to push the Ravens over the hump (the hump in question: Kansas City).
Adding an offensive weapon to Lamar Jacksons’ arsenal feels positive on paper, but the real question is: how will this trade impact Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman?
Baltimore currently owns the fifth-most passing yards per game (252.1) and the second-most pass yards per attempt (8.9), just behind Detroit. With a team that owns a +0.27 pass EPA, it’s clear this offense can attack on the ground and through the air. Flowers has racked up 527 yards (12th) and one touchdown through Week 8, while Bateman has a healthy 422 yards and three TDs.
As for location on the field, Johnson has lined up out wide on 81% of snaps and received 72% of targets in that same alignment. Bateman also is primarily used on the outside, lining up out wide on 91% of snaps. While Flowers is still a weapon outside, he is more flexible and has lined up in the slot on 30% of snaps, meaning Johnson could primarily hold down the outside, while Flowers holds down the slot.
Flowers has had an promising sophomore season, averaging 14.2 DraftKings FPTS/game with four 20+ performances and three 100+ yard performances. His chemistry with Jackson is growing on the field, and with route tree that is expanding, I don’t see Flowers’ role being altered drastically, specifically in the red zone since Flowers has pulled in just one TD in eight games.
As for Bateman, he’s put up fairly inconsistent performances, averaging 10.7 FPTS/game with just one over 16 points. However, he’s accounted for Jackson’s three-longest completions so far this season, including a 49 yard touchdown last week vs. the Browns. I would expect Bateman to fall into a deep-downfield threat targeted for explosive plays as he hasn’t proved to be a reliable receiver so far this season—Bateman is averaging just 4.37 targets per game.
Fun fact to consider: before Week 7, Johnson has run an in-breaking route on a career-high 39.6% of his routes. It should be interesting to watch how Monken implements Johnson into an already powerful offense.
Despite the possibility Johnson lowers Bateman’s routes ran, Bateman is a guy to hold on to on your fantasy rosters for the next week or so, pending Johnson’s health and the route distribution between the three receivers. Flowers should continue to be a “gadget guy” utilized across the field and Jackson’s go-to receiver for the near future. While Johnson isn’t the largest target, he comes in with the opportunity to compete for the WR1 spot and utilize his ability to separate and diverse route tree to make a difference in Baltimore.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
