Pittsburgh Steelers open receiver Diontae Johnson showed off to a lot of promise as a rookie last season, catching 59 passes for 680 yards and five touchdowns despite betting on the boring quarterback of Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph.
Johnson is expected to be in reserve for a sophomore break in 2020 for a number of reasons.
The first is that Ben Roethlisberger is healthy and back to average this season. The six-time Pro Bowler is a major upgrade over Hodges and Rudolph and one of the NFL’s most prolific passers-by at 100%.
Two years ago, Big Ben added 5,129 air yards with 34 touchdowns and interceptions.
Johnson also worked hard to physically prepare for his professional season, even though he had to do so in the most infrequent offsequered season in NFL history.
“I think I see a significant physical difference in Diontae Johnson,” Head Coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday, through Allison Koehler of Steelers Wire.
Johnson may be expecting a primary statistical leap, to which JuJu Smith-Schuster made with the Steelers a few seasons ago, his highest performance in more than 500 meters between 2017 and 2018.
With an average draft position (ADP) of only 112, according to FantasyPros, Johnson can be a fantasy-valid scouse loan.
But is Johnson the most productive candidate for Sleeper Escape by 2020? Here, we’ll rank it along with nine other NFL veterans who have the most productive sleeping potential for next season and look for the most productive features in two other key positions.
Fantasy Breakout 2020 Candidates, ADP (via FantasyPros)
1. Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Carolina Panthers (162)
2. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (112)
3. Allen Lazard, WR, Green Bay Packers (191)
4. Duke Johnson Jr., RB, Houston Texans (138)
5. Robby Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers (141)
6. Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago Bears (149)
7. Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (167)
8. Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos (104)
9. N’Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots (145)
10. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Tennessee Titans (120)
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow comes from the prolific top season of quarterback in school football history, one in which he threw for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns and only six interceptions.
And while it’s appealing to note that Burrow is on one of the nation’s top-talented charts, he also benefited greatly from the presence of pass game coordinator Joe Brady.
The year before Brady’s arrival, Burrow threw for just 2,894 yards with 16 touchdowns and five selections. Not forgetting Burrow’s ability, but Brady is a big part of the equation, and that’s a great explanation for why Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater may be expecting a season to escape.
In five starts last season, Bridgewater amassed 1,205 aerial yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. On a prorated basis during a 16-game season, that would result in a crusade of approximately 3,856 yards with 29 touchdowns and six interceptions. If Brady can further disarm Bridgewater’s potential, his numbers may be even better.
With talented guns in Christian McCaffrey, Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore at your disposal, Bridgewater can simply more sensible 4,000 yards and 30 landing passes this season.
Duke Johnson Jr., RB, Texans de Houston
The Houston Texans redeemed DeAndre Hopkins star at the start of the off-season and acquired runner David Johnson as a member of the comeback. While the former Arizona Cardinals star is a competent runner and catcher, he recorded more than 2,000 yards combined in 2016, he has been at his best, even healthy for more than 3 seasons.
The Texans are obviously above Johnson, but there is no guarantee that it will be an improvement over the vanquished Carlos Hyde.
This adds to the already tortuous price of receiving Duke Johnson Jr., one of the NFL’s most prolific comebacks.
In five professional seasons with the Texans and Cleveland Browns, Johnson has amassed 279 impressive receptions and 4,276 yards of half a scrum. That means he averages about 855 half-scrum yards and 56 season-consistent receptions, smart numbers for a player that will likely be earned after the 10th round.
Johnson is also a competent runner, a who averages 4.4 yards consistent with the career of his career. There is a very genuine chance that it will emerge as Houston’s choice if David Johnson fights as he has in recent years.
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