Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Cedric Tillman

Tuesday, October 28, 5:33 PM

Free-agent wide receiver Diontae Johnson is working out with the New York Giants on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Johnson was with the Cleveland Browns during training camp and the preseason, but he was cut before the start of the regular season and hasn't joined a team since. The 29-year-old former third-rounder by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 out of Toledo spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans last year, catching a combined 33 passes on 67 targets for 375 yards and three touchdowns. The vast majority of his production came in Carolina, as he caught just three passes for 18 yards in five games with Baltimore and Houston to close out the year. It's been a notable fall for Johnson over the last year-plus, and if he were to sign with the G-Men, he'd merely be battling for a chance to join the active 53-man roster as receiver depth.

Saturday, December 27, 11:01 AM

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman looks to be fighting for the team's WR2 position going into an AFC North battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17. The third-year wide out appears to be in a timeshare with rookie wide receiver Isaiah Bond, with Tillman playing 48% of the snaps, barely edging out Bond, and running 55% of routes compared to Bond's 58%. Whereas the team is getting Bond involved in trick plays and schemes, Tillman does not have much to show aside from his combined three receptions off eight targets for 36 yards since Week 12. If rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. (groin) is inactive on Sunday, rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders may look to his wide-outs to pick up the slack, which would benefit Tillman. The Steelers' pass defense has tightened up over the past four weeks, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing wide receivers, making Tillman an even less appealing pivot option for deep league managers. If Fannin Jr. were to miss Week 17, Tillman would get a slight bump to fringe WR4/Flex territory in 14+ person leagues. However, he is the third option on an offense averaging just 169 passing yards per game, which is the fourth-fewest in the NFL.