Who Should I Start? Tyler Lockett or Diontae Johnson

Sunday, March 10, 12:08 AM

The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Tyler Lockett agreed on a two-year, $30 million restructured contract on Saturday. The deal includes a maximum value of $34 million, including $13 million guaranteed this year. The restructured deal gives the Seahawks extra cap space with NFL free agency officially beginning on Wednesday. The 31-year-old caught 79 passes for 894 yards and five touchdowns across 17 games in 2023, his lowest yardage output since 2017. Lockett will remain Seattle's No. 2 wideout behind superstar DK Metcalf and compete for targets with first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The veteran wideout is a boom-or-bust fantasy option and a better best-ball pick than standard PPR formats. Lockett is a fantasy WR3 heading into early best-ball drafts in 2024.

Wednesday, July 3, 6:35 PM

The Carolina Panthers made no move to extend wide receiver Diontae Johnson after trading for the former Pittsburgh Steelers wideout in March, as they prefer to see whether he emerges as the explosive, coverage-separating pass-catcher that quarterback Bryce Young and the offense lacked in 2023. If Johnson proves he's a difference-maker in his first year in Carolina and if he doesn't become a distraction when the ball doesn't come his way, he could be set to cash in next offseason in a receiver market that has exploded in recent years. The 27-year-old disappointed as Pittsburgh's top receiver last year, catching a career-low 51 passes for 717 yards and five touchdowns. Johnson will now be competing with veteran Adam Thielen for targets in what was the worst offense in the league last year. Most of Johnson's fantasy value will be tied to how much Young improves in Year 2. Consider Johnson a low-end WR3/high-WR4 target in fantasy drafts.