If Davante Adams gets dealt, he’d prefer to go the Jets or Saints; Dallas will be without WR Brandin Cooks for at least one game because of a knee infection; and New England C David Andrews needs shoulder surgery that will probably end his season.
The Carolina Panthers have lost three of their first four games to find themselves in their usual home in the cellar of the NFC South. However, we are slowly but surely seeing this team improve. Hell, they’re halfway towards 2023’s win total already!
For a team that was awful in most ways last year, the Panthers actually weren’t too bad in terms of the QB taking care of the ball, turning it over just 20 times to tie for 18th in the NFL. So when Carolina lost the pigskin three times in the 2024 season opener, it’s fair to assume many thought this team was headed for another very long year.
However, the Panthers have only committed two turnovers in three games since, so that’s progress. They are still tied for the ninth most by QBs in the NFL through four weeks, but at least things are trending in the right direction.
Speaking of trending in the right direction, wide receiver Diontae Johnson is rolling now after a lousy start. When we last checked in on him a few years back, we accurately predicted a big game.
Flash forward to this year, and Johnson was acquired via trade from Pittsburgh in March, brought in specifically to give QB Bryce Young a true No. 1 receiver to target.
The irony is that Young couldn’t seem to connect with Johnson (or anyone else, for that matter) and lost his job after two games. Since veteran Andy Dalton has stepped in, Johnson has gone off for 15 receptions, 205 yards and two TDs in the last two games. The pair has established a clear connection (see video below).
Johnson was dealing with a groin woe heading into Week Four, but it didn’t seem to slow him down. He’s rolling now with 20 receptions, putting him on pace to match his 2022 level, and in looking at his air yards from Week Four (159, fourth highest in the league), he’s poised for even bigger production going forward.
Johnson wasn’t a top prospect coming out of college, hence lasting to the third round, at the time projected to be an average starter. He’s definitely exceeded those expectations and has overcome size issues (5’10”, 183) to show he can play either on the inside or outside.
With 35.9 Fantasy points, Johnson ranks 20th among WRs, but note that the vast majority of that production has come in the last two weeks. It’s also worth noting that while his groin issue is gone, he’s now dealing with an ankle woe that caused him to miss practice on Wednesday, but he expects to play in Week Five.
Also of concern are trade rumours surrounding Johnson. Depending on where he gets moved (assuming he does, although for what it’s worth, he’s expressed a desire to stay with the Panthers), it could have an impact on his value, so pay attention.
Next up, Carolina faces the Bears, who have one of the top pass defenses in the NFL, but we’d still consider Johnson to be mid-range WR2 for Week Five.
Still with 1-3 teams, among the more surprising ones is the Cincinnati Bengals, who finally earned their first win last week in beating the aforementioned Panthers.
Sluggish starts are nothing new to the Bengals in recent years, and while this win moves them into a tie for third in the AFC North, a division crown is going to be a tough ask — never mind winning the AFC Championship (FanDuel currently lists them at +1700 to do so).
Among the more positive developments for Cincinnati is the continual improvements shown by second-year RB Chase Brown. After playing second fiddle as a rookie last year to bellcow back Joe Mixon (who was traded to Houston in mid-March), Brown is getting his chance to shine in a larger role and so far has actually outperformed Zack Moss, who is ostensibly the lead back.
Brown’s progress this year has been dramatic, going from 11 yards in Week One, to 31 in Week Two, to 62 next game and then 80 yards with two TDs in the Week Four win. He has yet to break through for a run longer than 20 yards, but he’s already accounted for more first downs than he did all of last year and his efficiency (6.3 YPC) vastly outshines Moss’ (3.9).
The fact that Brown had an even workload with Moss in Week Four speaks volumes about how the team is feeling about this dynamic situation. We’ll be keeping a close eye on how touches are dispersed in Week Five, but right now, consider Brown a solid RB3 against Baltimore this week. This kid won’t be a secret for long.
The Doors got their name from the book The Doors of Perception by legendary English writer Aldous Huxley. In 1967, they released their second album, Strange Days, and one of the better tracks was “My Eyes Have Seen You,” a song that the band had played around with for a couple of years before finally including it on a record.
The post NFL Today: Diontae Johnson Finding his Groove first appeared on RotoRob.