Johnson is a bounce-back candidate after a weird 2022 where he scored zero touchdowns despite 16 red-zone targets and 14 end-zone targets. Working with then-rookie Kenny Pickett and backup Mitchell Trubisky, Johnson averaged a meek 10.6 PPR points per game despite finishing tied for sixth among wideouts with 147 targets. Counting all stats except touchdowns, Johnson would have finished 20th among wideouts in total PPR points scored. And of his 147 targets, 31 of them (21%) were deemed uncatchable, according to TRU Media. Is it that hard to expect some positive movement on both fronts this season to help Johnson reclaim his spot as a start-worthy Fantasy WR? Remember, in 2021 he averaged 16.7 PPR points per game with final-season Ben Roethlisberger slinging short targets at him. He's a good value grab in Round 5 in PPR leagues, but just a modest one in Round 6 in non-PPR.
Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Paces pass catchers in loss
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Johnson secured three of seven targets for 57 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 21-18 loss to the Patriots on Thursday night.
Johnson's receiving yardage paced the Steelers on the night by a wide margin, and his targets were also a team high. The fifth-year pro's yardage tally was also his highest since Week 9, and he's now scored in consecutive contests for the first time this season after recording a 25-yard touchdown grab late in the third quarter. Johnson was the intended target on Mitch Trubisky's fourth-down heave down the left sideline with 1:55 remaining, but the speedy wideout was unable to gain enough separation to come close to making a catch. Johnson next takes aim at a more vulnerable Colts secondary in a Week 15 road matchup on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 16.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: WRs to Sit
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Johnson scored a garbage-time touchdown in Week 13 against Arizona, and that saved his Fantasy production. He finished the game with four catches for 33 yards and the touchdown on five targets, but he's now been at four catches and 50 yards or less in four games in a row. We'll see if Mitch Trubisky starting in place of Kenny Pickett (ankle) helps Johnson, but it's tough to trust any Steelers in the passing game in this matchup. Johnson is only worth starting in three-receiver PPR leagues in Week 14.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Garbage-time touchdown
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Johnson recorded four receptions on five targets for 33 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Cardinals.
Johnson made two short catches early in the game and then completely disappeared until late in the fourth quarter. With the Steelers down three scores, he made a 26-yard catch and followed that up with a two-yard touchdown reception two plays later. Johnson has now been held under 50 receiving yards in three of his last four games and could be without Kenny Pickett (ankle) for a Week 14 matchup against New England on Thursday.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Good to go Sunday
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Johnson (illness) doesn't carry an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Cardinals, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
After not practicing Thursday due to an illness, Johnson was a full participant a day later, which sets the stage for him to face the Cardinals in Week 13. In last Sunday's 16-10 win over the Bengals, Johnson caught four of his eight targets for 50 yards, marking his second consecutive outing with eight targets, a rate of volume that gives him a degree of fantasy utility this weekend while facing 2-10 Arizona.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Sits out Thursday with illness
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Johnson didn't participate in Thursday's practice due to an illness, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.
Johnson reportedly arrived at the Steelers' facility and planned to take the field Thursday, but the team instead advised him to head home and get some rest and recovery rather than practicing at less than 100 percent health. Assuming Johnson is able to return to practice Friday, he should still be in good shape to play this Sunday against the Cardinals.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Eight targets against Bengals
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Johnson recorded four receptions on eight targets for 50 yards in Sunday's 16-10 win over the Bengals.
Kenny Pickett threw for a season-high 268 yards, though Johnson didn't benefit from the performance. He did manage Pittsburgh's second-longest play from scrimmage on a deep 39-yard catch early in the second quarter and also narrowly missed out on a touchdown earlier in the contest. Despite glimpses of positives, Johnson now has 50 or fewer yards in three consecutive games.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Dismal performance against Browns
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Johnson recorded two receptions on eight targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Browns.
Johnson led the Steelers in targets, narrowly out-pacing George Pickens. While no Pittsburgh pass catcher had a productive day, Johnson's stands out as particularly poor given that he had catches of only three and six yards, with his final seven yards coming on a lateral at the end of the game. Across his last two contests, he's combined to post three receptions for 33 yards and will head into another likely low-scoring divisional matchup against the Bengals in Week 12.
Johnson (thumb) was a full practice participant Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Johnson was listed as a non-participant Wednesday, but the wideout's return to a full session one day later sets the stage for him to remain a key target for quarterback Kenny Pickett in Sunday's game against the Browns. The wideout caught just one of his four targets for 17 yards in a 23-19 win over the Packers last weekend, but in the two contests prior, he combined for 15 catches on 23 targets for 175 yards and a touchdown.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Returns to practice
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Johnson (thumb) participated in Thursday's practice, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Johnson sat out Wednesday's session, but the wideout's return to the field a day later is a positive sign with regard to his chances of playing in Sunday's game against the Browns. The Steelers' second Week 11 injury report will be released later Thursday and will reveal the extent of Johnson's practice participation.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Dealing with thumb issue
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Johnson didn't practice Wednesday due to a thumb injury, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Johnson played 53 snaps on offense and caught one of his four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Packers, but he may have emerged from the game with the thumb injury. With an absence from practice to begin Week 11 prep, Johnson's status is worth monitoring ahead of Sunday's game against the Browns. If the wideout ends up out this weekend, Calvin Austin and Allen Robinson could step into expanded roles alongside George Pickens.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Only one grab
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Johnson caught one of four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 23-19 win over the Packers.
Johnson was hardly a factor despite the Packers missing top cornerback Jaire Alexander (shoulder). With the Steelers finishing with 205 yards on the ground, however, Johnson wasn't the only pass catcher with a limited output. The wideout will now turn his attention toward next Sunday's divisional clash versus the Browns, who he did not face earlier this season due to injury.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: WRS to Start
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Johnson has come back from his four-game absence with a hamstring playing like a superstar with at least 12.9 PPR points in three games in a row, including the past two outings with a combined 38.5 PPR points. And he finally scored a touchdown for the first time since 2021. Johnson is averaging nearly 10 targets per game in his past three outings, and the Packers secondary shouldn't slow him down. He's a borderline No. 1 PPR receiver in Week 10 and a must-start option in all leagues.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Breaks long TD drought
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Johnson secured seven of nine targets for 90 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 20-16 win over the Titans on Thursday night.
Johnson enjoyed a banner night overall, which he capped with a three-yard scoring grab that served as both the game-winning touchdown and his first trip to the end zone since 2021. The 2019 third-rounder also led the Steelers in receptions, receiving yards and targets, with the middle figure qualifying as a season high. Johnson has now posted a 15-175-1 line on 23 targets over the last two games, giving him plenty of momentum heading into a Week 10 home matchup against the Packers on Nov. 12.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Draws 14 targets
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Johnson secured eight of 14 targets for 85 yards in the Steelers' 20-10 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday.
Johnson limped off the field in the second half of Sunday's matchup but quickly returned to the game. He was also catching passes from Mitch Trubisky in the second half after Kenny Pickett left the game with a rib injury, but neither issue appeared to slow Johnson down, as he was targeted 14 times after being targeted six times in each of his first two performances of the year. The 2019 third-rounder wasn't particularly efficient Sunday, but it was encouraging to see his target share increase during his second week back from a hamstring injury.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Added to injury report
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Johnson (hamstring) didn't practice Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Johnson wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report, so his non-participation Thursday is notable. The wideout was sidelined for games in Weeks 2 through 5 due to the hamstring injury before returning from injured reserve following the Steelers' Week 6 bye and playing 37 snaps in this past Sunday's win over the Rams. The Steelers haven't indicated whether he suffered a setback with his hamstring injury or his absence Thursday is maintenance-related, but added clarity on that front will arrive no later than the release of Friday's injury report.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Practice window opens
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The Steelers announced Monday that Johnson (hamstring) has been designated to return from injured reserve.
The transaction opens up Johnson's 21-day practice window in which he can work out with teammates without counting against the 53-man roster. At any time in that span, Pittsburgh can fully activate Johnson, which would make him eligible to retake the field as early as Sunday versus the Rams. The veteran wideout has missed four games so far due to a right hamstring injury sustained Week 1.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Aiming to return after bye
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Johnson (hamstring) said Tuesday that he expects to play in Week 7 at the Rams following the Steelers' Week 6 bye, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
After sustaining a right hamstring injury in the season opener, Johnson was given a recovery timeline of about four weeks, which is the minimum length of a stint on injured reserve. With the Steelers having played four contests since placing him on IR on Sept. 18, he'll be eligible to return following this week's bye. The team will need to designate Johnson for return next week, so that may happen as soon as Oct. 16.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Return timetable TBD
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Johnson (hamstring) said Thursday that he's without a concrete timeline to return from the injury that he suffered Week 1, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Johnson said he's doing better after being hobbled for the first couple of days in the wake of sustaining his injury, and Pryor relays that a decision has yet to be made whether the wideout will land on injured reserve or not. A stint on IR would sideline Johnson for at least four games, so if the wideout avoids IR, it would be a sign that the Steelers are optimistic he'll be in store for a shorter-term absence. While Johnson refers to his situation as "day-to-day," previous reports suggested that he could be sidelined a few weeks. Head coach Mike Tomlin has thus far only spoke about Johnson's status for Monday's game against the Browns, telling Pryor on Tuesday that the receiver is "probably unavailable" for Week 2. With that in mind, Johnson may not be officially ruled out for Monday's contest until Saturday, when the Steelers release their final injury report of the week.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Could be out for one month
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Johnson (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined up to four weeks, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Johnson already appeared likely to miss Monday's game against the Browns after injuring his right hamstring in Pittsburgh's season-opening loss to the 49ers, and based on follow-up exams, he now looks like a potential candidate for injured reserve, if the estimated four-week recovery timetable is accurate. Pittsburgh is on bye Week 6, meaning if Johnson were to miss the next four games, his earliest return date would be Oct. 22 versus the Rams. For however long Johnson is sidelined, George Pickens, Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin will serve as the Steelers' top three wideouts.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Expected to miss multiple weeks
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The Steelers expect Johnson (hamstring) to miss multiple weeks due to an injury sustained in Week 1's loss to the 49ers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Johnson exited Sunday's loss in the third quarter due to a right hamstring injury. Depending on his expected recovery timetable, Pittsburgh could opt to place him on IR, which would necessitate missing at least four games. At the very least, Johnson stands to be sidelined for the team's upcoming divisional contest against the Browns on Monday Night Football, and likely Week 3's game in Las Vegas as well. George Pickens, Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin could all see increased target shares as long as Johnson remains sidelined.
