Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Charles Johnson was a popular sleeper pick in fantasy football this year. Last season, Johnson came on strong down the stretch, catching 25 passes for 415 yards and two touchdowns over Minnesota's final seven games. This year, though, Johnson has just six receptions for 46 yards and has been sidelines since Week 4 due to injury. This has allowed rookie Stefon Diggs to emerge as a go-to target for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater over the last two weeks.
The rookie was a popular free agent pick-up in fantasy this week, but should owners really expect the good times to keep rolling? While some are reporting that Diggs will maintain his hold on the starting job, ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling says otherwise.
"The Vikings have completed 13 passes to rookie receiver Stefon Diggs, who has posted 216 yards in his first two games of NFL action, but with Charles Johnson looking likely to return this week from a rib injury, Diggs might not see the same number of opportunities on Sunday in Detroit as he has enjoyed the past two weeks," Goessling wrote. "Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said Thursday, 'we're comfortable with all six of our receivers," and told reporters to slow down on praising the rookie. Johnson appeared to be working ahead of Diggs in the Vikings' three-receiver set during practice this week. Considering the Vikings haven't put four receivers on the field at the same time this season, Diggs' targets might not be as frequent Sunday."
Diggs has racked up a healthy 19 targets in two games while Johnson only saw eight in three games. Though Johnson may get the start, it's unclear how effective he'll be. Diggs, if nothing else, has impressive speed and is a big play threat as evidenced by his 16.6 yards per catch average. He may lose playing time to Johnson, but Diggs is arguably the more talented player and worth a dice roll in fantasy.
