Diontae Johnson Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers WR George Pickens hauled 5 of 8 targets for a team-leading 107 receiving yards in Week 7 vs. the Rams. Sunday also saw the return of veteran wideout Diontae Johnson after missing the last four games due to a hamstring injury. Johnson recorded 5 catches for 79 receiving yards in the contest. Though the Steelers’ passing game hasn’t been potent in 2023, the 65.2% target share that this duo received confirms where fantasy managers can look for points on this roster in Week 8 vs. the Jaguars, even if TE Pat Freiermuth returns from his hamstring injury.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams. He’s been out since Week 1 but should be ready to step back into a full-time role this weekend.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) is officially out for Sunday's game vs. the Rams. He reinjured his hamstring on Thursday and is expected to miss more time beyond Week 7, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward have tag-teamed TE duties with Freiermuth out. Neither is a viable fantasy play. WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens should pick up more volume with Freiermuth out.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth reinjured his hamstring in Thursday's practice, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Freiermuth will miss this weekend's game vs. the Rams and "likely will be sidelined longer," per Pelissero. Freiermuth can be dropped in shallower fantasy leagues. His absence is good news for WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens' target shares.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) put in a full practice on Wednesday. It's confirmation that he'll be back in his usual role vs. the Rams this weekend. See where Johnson sits in the Week 7 WR Rankings.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been designated to return from IR. He'll practice this week and is eligible to play vs. the Rams on Sunday, which Johnson said last week that he expects to do. We'll track his status this week.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) expects to be ready to play Week 7, following the team's Week 6 bye. Johnson has been on IR since going down with a hamstring injury in Week 2. He managed just a 3-48-0 line in the Week 1 blowout loss to the 49ers but will return as a big part of Pittsburgh's passing game. It'll be interesting to see how big a target share Johnson claims after WR George Pickens' success in his absence.

Week 5 turned up a memorable game for Steelers WR George Pickens. He snagged 6 of 10 targets for 130 yards, plus a game-winning deep-ball score. Call it a fortunate outcome for fantasy owners, as Kenny Pickett continued to struggle while playing through a knee injury. Pittsburgh failed to find the end zone before Pickens’ score late in the 4th. Pickens will remain a boom/bust fantasy option following a Week 6 bye. Diontae Johnson (IR, hamstring) should return for that one.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett "will miss some time" with his knee injury, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. How much time will depend on the results of Monday's MRI. The Steelers don't believe Pickett's ACL is damaged, but there's concern about the MCL and meniscus, Rapoport says. "The belief is that this is not a season-ending situation." We should have a more concrete timeline for Pickett's return by the end of Monday. QB Mitchell Trubisky will step in as Pittsburgh's starter for however long Pickett is out. Trubisky completed 65.0% of his passes at 7.0 yards per attempt across four starts and seven total appearances for the Steelers last year.

The Steelers announced on Monday that WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is being placed on IR. The veteran wideout will now miss at least the next 4 games of the season. Johnson sustained this injury during the second half of Week 1 vs. the 49ers and didn't return to the contest. He also hadn't participated in practice at any point this week leading up to the Steelers' Week 2 primetime game vs. the Browns. Without Johnson in tow, the Steelers will look to see increased efforts from WRs Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin. Neither player is worth considering in most 10 or 12-team formats, though they are decent speculative deeper league adds. Expect to see a small bump in responsibility for TE Pat Freiermuth to supplement Johnson's contributions as a lower aDOT player in the Steelers' offense.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday night's game vs. the Browns. Insider Gerry Dulac reported earlier this week that Johnson is expected to miss four weeks, although he hasn't been placed on IR. That means the Steelers think Johnson has a chance to be back before four weeks. WR George Pickens was added to the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring and limited in practice. But he has no game designation, so he's expected to play vs. Cleveland. Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin will be Pittsburgh's top three WRs with Johnson out.

Steelers insider Gerry Dulac hears that WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss four weeks with his hamstring injury. If that's the case, we could see Johnson land on IR on Saturday. He's still worth keeping stashed on fantasy benches. Johnson's absence opens up opportunity for WRs George Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin, plus TE Pat Freiermuth.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss “a few weeks” with a hamstring injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Allen Robinson led the Steelers in targets and yards on Sunday. But for now, George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth remain the only pass catchers worth using in fantasy lineups. Just note: Week 2 turns up a tough test vs. a Browns defense that just dominated the Bengals.