The Carolina Panthers will face the Washington Commanders in Week 7. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding WR Diontae Johnson.
Is Diontae Johnson Playing in Week 7?
Diontae Johnson was battling the rare injury trifecta — ribs, hamstring, and ankle — as the Carolina Panthers played the Commanders last week. He was questionable for Week 7 but ultimately suited up, catching just one pass for 17 yards in a blowout loss.
Johnson missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but fantasy managers probably don’t need to get too concerned as long he participates on Friday. After all, heading into Week 7, Johnson went DNP-DNP-LP. Carolina might be trying a similar approach this week.
Of course, Johnson has also become a popular name on the NFL trade deadline rumor mill. With two more weeks until the Nov. 5 deadline, Johnson could be staring down his final games as a Panther.
We’ll continue to monitor the Panthers’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Diontae Johnson in Week 7?
Starting multiple Panthers with supreme confidence feels like a dangerous way to live, but Johnson joins Chuba Hubbard as a locked-in option as part of the worst team in the sport.
As the clear-cut WR1 in this offense, Johnson has been a top-15 receiver in three of Andy Dalton’s four starts. That run of production probably doesn’t slow against the third-worst EPA pass defense in the league.
Johnson has 29 catches for 340 yards and three scores this season. The next top two Panthers in terms of receiving yards have combined for 28 catches, 295 yards, and two scores. There is no question as to who is going to expose a defense that allowed Zay Flowers to catch all nine of his targets for 132 yards in the first half last week (he finished as the fifth receiver this season to clear 22 points against the Commanders).
There’s no law saying you have to watch the Panthers play if you start Johnson – simply check the box score when all is said and done, and I think you’ll like what you see.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 7 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Diontae Johnson’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 7
Johnson is projected to score 15.3 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 5.9 receptions for 68.4 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Diontae Johnson’s Week 7 Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship WR PPR Rankings
1) A.J. Brown | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) Terry McLaurin | WAS (at PHI)
3) DeVonta Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)
4) Khalil Shakir | BUF (at KC)
5) Xavier Worthy | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Hollywood Brown | KC (vs. BUF)
7) DeAndre Hopkins | KC (vs. BUF)
8) Keon Coleman | BUF (at KC)
9) Dyami Brown | WAS (at PHI)
10) Mack Hollins | BUF (at KC)
11) Amari Cooper | BUF (at KC)
12) Curtis Samuel | BUF (at KC)
13) Olamide Zaccheaus | WAS (at PHI)
14) JuJu Smith-Schuster | KC (vs. BUF)
15) Jahan Dotson | PHI (vs. WAS)
16) Jamison Crowder | WAS (at PHI)
17) Luke McCaffrey | WAS (at PHI)
18) Justin Watson | KC (vs. BUF)
19) Johnny Wilson | PHI (vs. WAS)
20) Parris Campbell | PHI (vs. WAS)
21) Nikko Remigio | KC (vs. BUF)
22) Ainias Smith | PHI (vs. WAS)