Rookie Report Card: Diontae Johnson and Foster Moreau

Dan Meylor

Each week throughout the season, I’ll cover at least two rookies in the Rookie Report Card and try to always include the biggest performers from that particular week. On top of reviewing my expectations for each player coming into the league and how well he’s lived up to those expectations at the NFL level to this point, I’ll grade the player in three categories. Those categories are performance to date, 2019 potential and long term upside.

The series continues this week as we check in on rookies Diontae Johnson and Foster Moreau.

Diontae Johnson, WR PIT

Week 14 Stats: six receptions, 60 yards, one touchdown (eight targets), one carry, 16 rushing yards, one punt return touchdown

Entering the NFL draft with a resume full of big plays at Toledo – where he caught 135 passes for 2,235 yards and 23 touchdowns in three seasons – Johnson profiled as a field stretcher on offense and an electrifying kick returner. His ability to change directions in a blink, both with the ball in and out of his hands, was enough to make those that watched him in college overlook his lack of size (5’-10”, 185 pounds) and the occasional drops that plagued his career with the Rockets.

Most dynasty owners overlooked Johnson throughout the pre-draft process as he flew under the radar despite his eyebrow raising stat line and 4.53 speed but that all changed after the Steelers took him as the tenth wide receiver off the board early in the third round.

That elevated draft status, along with the solid landing spot in a good offense with a quality quarterback, pushed Johnson up rookie draft boards as he was suddenly seen as a developmental wide receiver that dynasty owners were willing to select as high as the late second round or early third round in most rookie drafts in June and after.

After a good pre-season, Johnson slowly overcame Donte Moncrief on the Steelers’ depth chart and began playing a bigger role in the offense. His rookie season to this point has been full of hills and valleys but his highlights have been exactly what supporters thought they’d get out of the rookie. In weeks three and four he had back-to-back games with touchdowns where he simply ran past defenders, and his week eight touchdown against the Dolphins showcased his incredible run-after-catch ability.

As with most rookies though, big plays have come between stretches of games with very little fantasy production, so Johnson hasn’t been very useful to dynasty owners. Part of that inconsistency can be attributed to a rookie trying to get up to speed, while some of it should also be credited to the season ending injury to Ben Roethlisberger and the lack of quality play from his backups.

Nonetheless, his inconsistency as a rookie should not have dynasty owners concerned about his long-term value. Sunday was a perfect example why.

Even with third stringer Devlin Hodges under center, Johnson took over the game against the Cardinals. His 85-yard punt return early in the game left defenders gasping for air as he blazed past them. His two-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter featured a sharp change of direction on his route, along with the savviness to shield the defender from the ball in making the contested catch in the end zone. Both were big plays for fantasy owners, but, oddly, neither were his most impressive plays of the afternoon – at least through the eyes of this dynasty owner.

Instead, there was another play just before that touchdown that caught my eye. On first-and-ten from the 16 yard line, Johnson lined up in a bunch to the right, caught a quick screen and was immediately wrapped up for what should have been a loss. Instead of going down though, he muscled out of Patrick Peterson’s arms, reversed the field and slipped multiple tackles on his way to a 14-yard gain on what should have been a busted play.

Those three plays illustrate how potent Johnson can be all over the field – a playmaker for his team in the return game, screen game and at the goal line. When added to the vertical skills he’s already shown this season, it’s easy to see his potential to be a playmaker for dynasty owners as well.

Week 14 should be seen as another bright spot in an up-and-down rookie season for Johnson, but it’s a game that should show dynasty owners exactly how valuable he could be in the right offense. If Big Ben returns next year, the passing game begins to level out once again, and Johnson continues to use his quickness to get open and make defenders miss after the catch, the Steelers will have a perfect complement to JuJu Smith-Schuster as well as James Washington.

Although Johnson is nothing more than a WR5 on your roster at this point, and you’re not looking to get him in your lineup anytime soon, that all could change as quickly as next August. He’s an excellent off-season trade target for those looking for a developmental wide receiver with WR2 upside.

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Foster Moreau, TE OAK

Week 14 Stats: three receptions,14 yards, one touchdown (three targets)

Foster Moreau entered the 2019 NFL draft as a quality tight end prospect because of his blocking technique and bulldog attitude. He left LSU after four years with very little pass catching experience or production, as he caught just 52 passes for 629 yards and six touchdowns.

Not surprisingly, he wasn’t on many dynasty owners’ radar leading up to draft season, but after posting a solid combine that included a 4.66 second 40-yard dash, 36.5 inch vertical jump and 121 inch broad jump, he slowly began seizing the attention of the dynasty community. When he landed with the Raiders in the fourth round (which at the time was seen as an excellent landing spot because Darren Waller hadn’t yet broken out), he started to surface as a very late target for dynasty owners in deep rookie drafts.

Since that point, Moreau has had a nice rookie season for those that carried him on their roster. In 13 games he’s hauled in 21 of 25 targets for 174 yards and five touchdowns, but despite those numbers he hasn’t shown much more than what we expected from him after he left Baton Rouge. He’s been a strong blocker in both the run and pass game and a fine outlet for Derek Carr when needed, but really nothing more.

The only surprise to this point has been Moreau’s usage around the goal line as he’s regularly been asked to run corner and crossing routes on play action near the end zone and has gone undefended for several scores. Excellent coaching has put him in the position to make touchdown catches, which is great for the Raiders but not necessarily a good for fantasy.

Moreau is a solid NFL tight end, but he isn’t a field stretcher at this point in his career. Although his combine numbers suggest he could develop into such, it feels like a long shot to me. With Waller already entrenched as the starter in Oakland (soon to be Las Vegas), it feels like Moreau may never be a player dynasty owners will be comfortable starting on a regular basis.

Instead, his limited upside and season ending knee injury will make him fringe roster worthy in standard-sized dynasty leagues as new rookies enter the player pool next spring.

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dan meylor