Is Diontae Johnson still a must-have WR with Bryce Young as QB in Week 8?

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales announced Wednesday that former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young will start this Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Andy Dalton has been the Panthers’ starting quarterback for the past five weeks but is out this week with a sprained thumb. Young started the first two games of the season but was benched after being outscored 73-13 with three interceptions and zero touchdowns.

The Panthers’ number 1 receiver, Diontae Johnson, had a good season despite poor quarterback performance. The former third-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 caught 30 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Johnson has been among the top 30 wide receivers in the NFL in catches and yards through seven weeks of the NFL season.

Johnson’s performance stagnated in the first two weeks with Young at QB. He totaled just five catches for 34 yards during that span. In the five weeks with Dalton as QB, Johnson had over 10 catches twice and at least six catches four times.

This week is Johnson ($6,300) on DraftKings for daily fantasy competitions. He only scored 2.7 fantasy points against the Washington Commanders last week. But before that, Johnson scored at least 19 FPTS in three of his four games so far. A crucial part of Johnson’s success was finding the end zone. His three touchdowns this season came in the last five games. Johnson is averaging 12.5 FPTS per game, which is 25th among WRs.

Unless Young proves he can be at least an average QB in the NFL, starting a Panthers WR is not advisable. Young hasn’t thrown a touchdown pass since Dec. 24, 2023, in Week 15 of last season. The Panthers are +10 against the Broncos on DraftKings Sportsbook.

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