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Johnson’s 58-yard connection with Baker Mayfield set up a rushing score from Bucky Irving. He also had two big drops on third down that would have kept drives going for the Bucs, and on the first he was seen taking out his frustration on his helmet. Johnson ended up leading the Bucs in receiving yards and tied for the lead in targets, but that’s not quite the compliment it should be. Johnson and Tampa Bay get a bye before a showdown with the Lions in Week 11.

Johnson actually led the Bucs in receiving on an afternoon where they attempted just 11 passes in a 43-13 blowout victory. The limited volume was the result of four Panthers turnovers and a dominant Tampa rushing attack. Johnson’s 14-yard score put the Bucs up 33-6 just before halftime. He worked himself free in the end zone as a besieged Baker Mayfield bought time with his legs. Good stuff for a player who had yet to score this season, but probably not the harbinger of things to come with Emeka Egbuka likely returning for Week 8 against the Falcons.

Two of Johnson’s five receptions this season have accounted for 113 yards in what has become a situational role for the Buccaneers behind Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin, and rookie Ted Hurst. That big play ability remains unlikely to translate into consistent fantasy production while running a route on less than a third of the team’s dropbacks, meaning Johnson is likely best left on the waiver wire.

Johnson was targeted a few times downfield in the second half and nearly came down with a long catch that would have put the Bucs in position to beat Cleveland. Johnson, who ran a route on 16 of the Bucs’ 41 drop backs, won’t be fantasy relevant unless the team struggles with wideout injuries.

Johnson left practice early Tuesday to get treatment for an apparent strain. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said the 24-year-old wideout is dealing with a groin injury. The severity of the injury is unclear as Bowles said it’s too early to tell if any of the team’s top four wide receivers would miss next week’s joint practices with the Jets. Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, and Jalen McMillan also missed practice out of maintenance and precaution. With Johnson and David Sills also exiting practice, rookie Ted Hurst saw a boost in practice reps.

Laine compliments Johnson for standing out among the Buccaneers’ wide receivers, competing in “arguably the most competitive room on the team.” The second-year wide receiver posted a 28/322/5 receiving line as a rookie and should turn in another usable, if volatile FLEX season while stretching the field for Tampa Bay in 2026.

The Buccaneers didn’t throw the ball much due to Baker Mayfield’s shoulder issues on top of rainy conditions in Tampa Bay. But Johnson wasn’t likely to get many targets anyway. The rookie wideout showed some real promise at times while Tampa dealt with wideout injuries, and could be in line for more targets in 2026 depending on what the Bucs do with their crowded wideout room. He likely won’t be a factor in the playoffs if the Buccaneers are able to clinch the division with a Saints win over the Falcons.

At least not officially. Johnson did draw a 28-yard DPI early in the third quarter. Fair enough, but today’s doughnut comes as Mike Evans is probably on the right side of questionable to return for Thursday’s game against the Falcons. Even if he doesn’t, rookie Johnson has proven to be a safe 12-team league drop with bye weeks over and the fantasy playoffs beginning in Week 15.

With Bucky Irving finally back in action and Chris Godwin getting more involved, Johnson’s usage cratered. The only time he made a noticeable impact in the game was when his second quarter OPI penalty took a Rachaad White touchdown off the board. Johnson should continue to soak up snaps and run routes in this short-handed offense, at least until Mike Evans returns. It’s just not providing WR4 numbers in fantasy with the playoffs almost here.

He also rushed three times for zero yards. Johnson has been a nice story as a seventh-round rookie, but he has never topped 60 yards receiving in a game, so his fantasy value is excessively tied to touchdown value. That makes him really difficult to trust, especially next week against the Rams.

The two-score day doubled Johnson’s previous season total. He found the end zone from 10 and 11 yards out. Johnson’s first touchdown had him get free in the right right corner of the painted area as Baker Mayfield desperately danced around to create more time. Johnson is proving to be a stable-floor, questionable-ceiling option as a weekly WR4 as the Bucs wait for the likes of Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to get healthy. That won’t be in Week 11 against the Bills, keeping Johnson in the top-50 mix.

Saints CB Alontae Taylor caused a brief scare by laying a hard hit on the diminutive wide receiver on a 12-yard gain, but Johnson encouragingly hopped up immediately after and showed no ill effects from the forceful interaction. Johnson repeatedly made plays in the middle of the field, tallying multiple double-digit gains while trailing on WR Emeka Egbuka with six targets in this one. Johnson will be a WR3/4 against the Patriots following the Buccaneers’ Week 9 bye.

Johnson saw an increased snap rate throughout due to the team managing the workload of fellow rookie Emeka Egbuka in the first half and veteran receiver Mike Evans’ departure in the second quarter. He appears to be worthy of a waiver addition considering the state of the wide receiver corps, with Evans likely to miss the team’s Week 8 meeting with the Saints.

If you’re going to make only one catch, make it a wildly impressive 45-yard post deep strike that lands you in the end zone. Johnson’s target count was a bit curious given his 4/59 line last week and the loss of Emeka Egbuka, but he was simply outJohnsoned in this one. Johnson certainly seems like the safer bet of himself and (Kameron) Johnson to continue to function in this offense based on the snap counts. But he was not the one that finished with the best line in Week 6.

Johnson had just three total targets on the season coming into this game, but the Bucs clearly saw a mismatch over the middle of the field against the Seahawks. The rookie seventh-round pick looked elusive after the catch and showed soft hands over the middle of the field. That being said, it’s hard to rely on him doing this again next week.

Johnson will serve as a rotational deep-threat option for Baker Mayfield. His thin frame (5'10/154) simply does not lend itself to the repeated hits one incurs in a full-time role. Johnson did earn 100-plus targets in his two seasons at Oregon, though. His big-play style make him a better fit in best ball for now, pending any major on-field breakthroughs.

Johnson (5’10/154) was a three-star recruit for Troy and spent three seasons with the Trojans, topping 700 yards as a sophomore and hitting 858 as a junior. He averaged an absurd 3.5 yards per route run in his third season, earning him the attention of Oregon via the transfer portal. Johnson erupted in his first season as a Duck, going for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns on the Bo Nix-led offense. He averaged 3.4 yards per route run and was graded as a top 10 receiver by Pro Football Focus for the second season in a row. With Nix leaving for the NFL, Johnson’s efficiency plummeted, and he fell to 898 yards despite catching just three fewer passes. He did, however, post his first season with a dominator rating over 30 percent and was once again graded as a top 10 receiver by PFF. Johnson’s size combined with a 4.51 Forty will take him off the board entirely for some teams, but his production across multiple schools was elite. Johnson is a target-earner who is dangerous with the ball in his hands and can work at all depths.