Fantasy Football 2019 Deep Sleeper: Buccaneers WR Anthony Johnson
In two seasons at Buffalo, Anthony Johnson had 133 catches for 2,367 yards and 25 touchdowns as Tyree Jackson’s go-to-guy. Despite being limited in a chunk of games last season by a hamstring injury, Johnson still topped 1,000 yards and led the MAC in receiving touchdowns (11).
But like his former quarterback, Johnson went undrafted. He quickly signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but is there a path to fantasy relevance for the former JUCO transfer?
A bad defense yielded the fourth-most pass attempts in the league last year for Tampa Bay. Things should be better defensively this year, leading to less pass volume, but Adam Humphries (105 targets last year) and DeSean Jackson (74 targets last year) are gone. Chris Godwin is easy to point to as a breakout candidate for 2019, but there’s still a significant void to fill and guys like Justin Watson, Breshad Perriman, Bobo Wilson, K.J. Brent and Sergio Bailey don’t reek of upside.
Johnson is a bigger receiver (6-foot-2, 203 pounds), with a well-rounded skill set as a downfield threat on the outside and in short areas out of the slot. He didn’t test particularly well at the NFL Combine though (4.55 40-yard dash, 32.5-inch vertical), which played a part in his going undrafted.
Concern over level of competition in the MAC was also surely a concern attached to Johnson. But games against Minnesota (11 catches for 140 yards) and Army (three catches for 82 yards) in 2017, and Temple (six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown) last year should set some of that aside.
For what it’s worth, three MAC teams (Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green) had top-10 pass defenses in the FBS last year, and one other (Northern Illinois) allowed 13 touchdown passes all season and finished 31st in the country in total defense. Johnson had six receptions for 74 yards against Eastern Michigan, and seven catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns against Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship Game.
Johnson should get a legit chance to earn a roster spot, and there’s not much standing between him and becoming Tampa Bay’s No. 3 wide receiver by the time Week 1 comes. Goodwin was that guy last year, 59 receptions for 842 yards and seven touchdowns, with Jackson also worth of mention (41 catches for 774 yards and four touchdowns). Goodwin was last year’s WR25 (standard scoring) and WR27 (full-point PPR scoring), while Jackson was WR32 and WR42 respectively.
In dynasty leagues, Johnson is worth a shot as an off the radar late-round/last auction dollar flier who can be stashed. In redraft leagues, he’ll be worth watching in training camp and the preseason as the Buccaneers’ shape their wide receiver depth chart beyond Mike Evans and Goodwin. If Johnson pushes himself into a prominent role, he would be worth a draft pick in deep leagues (14 or more teams) and will otherwise be worth keeping an eye on as a early waiver wire pickup.
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