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.
The Steelers placed Johnson (hamstring) on injured reserve Monday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.
Johnson was already ruled out for Monday's matchup against the Browns, but he'll now be forced to miss at least four games due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the season opener. Given the Steelers' Week 6 bye, the earliest Johnson could suit up would be Week 7 versus the Rams. In Johnson's absence, Calvin Austin and Allen Robinson should see more snaps behind George Pickens.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Unsurprisingly ruled out
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Johnson (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Monday's game against the Browns, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
This shouldn't come as a surprise to fantasy managers given Johnson's injury suffered in Week 1 was thought to cause a multi-week absence. In the veteran's absence, expect Calvin Austin and Allen Robinson to split opportunities in the slot opposite outside stalwart George Pickens.
Johnson (hamstring) remained sidelined at practice Friday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Though the Steelers have yet to officially declare Johnson out for Monday night's game against the Browns, considering there's been a report from Brook Pryor of ESPN.com suggesting that the wideout could miss a few weeks, look for that to become official once Saturday's injury report is posted. In Johnson's anticipated absence, Calvin Austin, among others, figures to see added WR snaps for Pittsburgh in Week 2 alongside George Pickens and Allen Robinson.
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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: Unlikely to play Week 2
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Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Johnson (hamstring) is "probably unavailable" for Monday's game against the Browns, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
This backs up a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN in which he relayed that the Steelers expect Johnson to miss multiple weeks due to the right hamstring injury he sustained in a season-opening loss to the 49ers. Tomlin also told Alan Saunders of PittsburghSportsNow.com that the team is awaiting the results of an MRI before honing in on an exact timeline for Johnson's return, but it appears he will be sidelined for at least Week 2. Assuming the veteran wideout is inactive this week, George Pickens, Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin all figure to have elevated target shares.
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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.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Done for day with hamstring injury
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Johnson exited in the third quarter of Sunday's game against the 49ers with a right hamstring injury and won't return, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Per Alan Saunders of PittsburghSportsNow.com, Johnson suffered the injury when he was tackled on a 26-yard catch and run in the opening minute of the third quarter. The wideout recorded three catches for 48 yards on six targets before departing, but he was once again held out of the end zone to extend his streak of regular-season games without a touchdown to 19. Johnson will have an extra day to heal up from the injury with Pittsburgh returning to action against the Browns on Monday night in Week 2.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Not targeted Saturday
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Johnson wasn't targeted during Saturday's 27-15 preseason win over Buffalo.
Johnson unsurprisingly worked with the team's starting offense once again Saturday, but the starters played just seven snaps in the win. While there wasn't much work to go around among the team's pass catchers, Johnson had three receptions during the preseason opener and should see plenty of targets once the regular season gets underway.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Impressing at camp
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Johnson has been "quietly shining" during the first week of training camp, Nick Farabaugh of SteelersNow.com reports.
Johnson had an early exit during practice late last week due to the heat but returned a day later and has made an impression within the Steelers' offense. Farabaugh said that Johnson made some contested catches Thursday and hasn't been running backwards as much in camp, an issue that plagued the receiver last year. The 2019 third-rounder secured 86 of 147 targets for 882 yards while rushing seven times for 25 yards in 2022, but he was held without a touchdown for the first time in his career. However, it seems likely that Johnson will be able to maintain a sizable target share in 2023, even with George Pickens and new acquisition Allen Robinson also in the fold.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Back at practice
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Johnson was spotted participating in Saturday's practice, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Johnson exited Friday's practice early due to issues with the intense heat, but it was reported shortly after that nothing serious had occurred. The wideout is poised for another 80-catch season and should be a helpful resource for Kenny Pickett in Year 2 as the team's franchise signal caller.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Leaves practice early
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Johnson left Friday's practice early and went back to the locker room on a cart, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic reports.
There's no initial indication of a serious injury, with Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com noting that it's a good sign Johnson was sitting in the front seat of the trainer's cart rather than riding in the back. Dale Lolley of the Steelers' official site agrees the injury didn't look serious and reports that Johnson briefly returned to practice after first getting hurt. The 27-year-old is expected to operate as one of QB Kenny Pickett's top receiving options again, though the Steelers may want to scale Johnson's volume back a bit after he saw 147 targets last season without scoring a touchdown and falling short of 900 receiving yards.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Minimal production on 10 targets
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Johnson recorded two catches on 10 targets for 38 yards in Sunday's 28-14 win over the Browns.
Johnson led the Steelers in targets by a wide margin, though he struggled to turn that into production. Positively, he did manage a 32-yard catch -- the longest play from scrimmage for Pittsburgh -- and also chipped in a reception to convert a two-point attempt late in the game. Johnson struggled for much of the season and saw a steep dropoff in production as compared to 2021, particularly because he failed to find the end zone across 17 games. He remains under contract for two additional seasons with the Steelers, though Johnson could fall behind George Pickens in priority for targets in 2023.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Sit Them (Lineup Decisions)
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The Browns pass defense has been excellent in terms of efficiency all season long -- they just held Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson to 62 scoreless yards combined and have let only Chris Godwin (on 13 targets) and Ja'Marr Chase (on 15 targets) to get more than 70 yards in their past 11 games. Touchdowns? Those are a different story -- the Browns have allowed 14 on the season to wideouts, but none in their past three games against inferior quarterbacks. Kenny Pickett has thrown six touchdowns all season -- three to Pickens, zero to his other wide receivers. That's particularly crazy since Johnson has a team-high eight end-zone targets from Pickett. This should be a great game for Najee Harris and another tepid one for the Steelers' pass-catchers.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Returns to field with full practice
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Johnson (hip) was a full practice participant Thursday.
Johnson's availability for Sunday's regular-season finale with the Browns temporarily looked to be in flux after the hip issue kept the wideout off the practice field Wednesday, but his ability to take every rep a day later clears up any concern about his status. Though health hasn't been much of a concern for Johnson this season -- he's played in all 16 of the Steelers' games to date while playing no fewer than 74 percent of the offensive snaps on every occasion -- the 26-year-old wideout has seen his production dip considerably following the retirement of longtime starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. With either Kenny Pickett or Mitchell Trubisky under center in 2022, Johnson has produced 84 receptions for 844 yards on 137 targets and still has yet to record a touchdown.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Struggles with seven targets
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Johnson had two receptions (seven targets) for 35 yards in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Ravens.
Johnson was not on the same page with quarterback Kenny Pickett in this one, resulting in a season-low 29 percent catch rate. The veteran wideout was dealing with a hip injury during practice this week, and he went down holding his shin Sunday before ultimately returning and finishing the contest. It wouldn't be surprising to see the 26-year-old pop up on the injury report again in Week 18 following this punishing win. Assuming good health, Johnson will look to bounce back against the Browns on Sunday.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: WRs to Sit
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Kenny Pickett returned in Week 16 against the Raiders from basically a two-game absence with a concussion, and Johnson had a slight downturn in production with five catches for 64 yards on seven targets. In the two previous games with Mitchell Trubisky -- Pickett left early in Week 14 against Baltimore -- Johnson had at least 14 PPR points in each outing. Pickett hasn't featured Johnson to the same extent as Trubisky, and Johnson has scored 11 PPR points or less in the past 10 games with Pickett under center, including six games with nine PPR points or fewer. He also has yet to score a touchdown this year. Johnson is a No. 3 PPR receiver at best in Week 17 and almost unstartable in all non-PPR leagues.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Logs full practice
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Johnson (hip) was a full practice participant Thursday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Johnson, who managed a toe issue ahead of Week 16 action, was limited during Wednesday's practice, but the wideout's full participation Thursday puts him on track to suit up Sunday night against the Ravens. In his team's 13-10 win over the Raiders last Saturday, Johnson recorded an 88 percent snap share while catching five of his seven targets for 64 yards. This time around, he'll be facing a Baltimore defense that is allowing an average of 239.5 passing yards per game to date.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Active versus Raiders
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Johnson (toe) is listed as active for Saturday night's game against the Raiders.
Though Johnson, whom the Steelers listed as questionable due to a turf toe issue, didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday, Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review previously relayed via running back Najee Harris that the wideout got some work in when the Steelers took the field Friday. With his Week 16 active status confirmed, Pittsburgh's top WR should see his share of targets Saturday from QB Kenny Pickett, barring any in-game setbacks. In his last outing, Johnson caught all 10 of his targets for 98 yards in his team's 24-16 win over the Panthers last weekend.
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Steelers' Diontae Johnson: Listed as questionable versus Raiders
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Johnson, who didn't practice Thursday and is listed as questionable for Saturday night's game against the Raiders, expects to be back on the field Friday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports. "It was just a little toe, nothing major. I am good," Johnson noted Thursday. "I am going to be out there tomorrow. They just gave me a little two days off to let it rest. It's nothing major."
Per Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com, the Steelers are slated to get some more work in Friday, at which point, there should be added context with regard to Johnson's Week 16 status. Per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com, Johnson indicated that he should be good to go versus Las Vegas.
