How to Evaluate the Steelers Receiving Corps Going Forward

Diontae Johnson after picking up a first down.

When it comes to fantasy football, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the more confusing teams out there. Since the Ben Roethlisberger era, no Steelers QB has been consistently rostered in standard leagues which has come with their receiving weapons fantasy production being inconsistent. Then there is the whole Najee Harris vs. Jalen Warren debacle but that conversation is for another time.

Through the first seven weeks of this season, it seemed like the Steelers finally may have finally found a wide receiver one in George Pickens. Pickens had three 100+ yard efforts in those seven weeks, two touchdowns, and most importantly was consistently getting 6-10 targets per game which is sustainable for him because of his deep catch ability. Sadly, this narrative has come to a screeching halt with the return of speedy veteran Diontae Johnson who has quickly overshadowed Pickens.

With the return of Johnson, Pickens has just 3 catches for 21 yards over the past two weeks. Pickens hasn’t had a single game with a stat line worse than that this season, much less two games, which is extremely frustrating for his fantasy owners. Furthermore, Diontae Johnson’s last two weeks have consisted of 15 catches for 175 yards with 23 total targets. The icing on the cake was Johnson scoring his first touchdown in nearly two seasons which to me makes it feel like he has officially re-gained the wide receiver one role in Pittsburgh.

With that being said, I would have Pickens on the bench until further notice, unless you are in a bind. Pickens is extremely talented and has shown flashes of being able to produce good fantasy numbers, but right now he is a no-go. Not only that but tight end Pat Friermuth should be returning in the next couple of weeks making for even fewer targets for Pickens. However, if you have Diontae Johnson, start him and start him now because he is playing some of the best football of his career.