Diontae Johnson’s 2022 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers was a rather difficult one. It’s well-known at this point that he set a futile NFL record, putting up 85+ receptions without scoring a touchdown last season.
Along with the inability to find the end zone last season, Johnson struggled with drops once again and was a bit of a mess after the catch, getting caught running backwards a handful of times while pressing make that splash play. Johnson’s struggles, coupled with the emergence of George Pickens as a potential true No. 1 option moving forward has the veteran receiver seemingly being overlooked entering the 2023 season.
That includes in the fantasy football world as well, where Johnson was highlighted by ESPN’s Fantasy Focus co-host Daniel Dopp as one of the three most undervalued players ahead of the 2023 season.
Johnson was highlighted alongside Denver Broncos running back Samaje Perine and Green Bay Packers second-year receiver Romeo Doubs.
“Let’s start with this: I guarantee you that Johnson catches a touchdown pass in 2023. If you’ve watched or listened to “Fantasy Focus” this offseason, you’ve heard us talk about the historic 2022 season from Johnson, becoming the first player in NFL history with 85-plus catches and no TDs. That’s not happening again,” Dopp writes for ESPN.com Monday morning. “Between the positive TD regression that analyst Mike Clay preaches and Kenny Pickett making strides under center entering his second season, Johnson is primed to outperform what he did last season, and you can get him at a discount! I have him as a top-20(ish) WR, but his current average draft position is in WR3/flex territory.”
It really shouldn’t be much of a surprise that Johnson is being undervalued in fantasy football after going scoreless in 2022, and it really isn’t much of a surprise overall that he’s being overlooked in general entering the 2023 season. Make no mistake about it: the 2022 season was a difficult one for the veteran receiver, especially after just signing a lucrative two-year extension that made him one of the highest-paid players on the roster overall with the likes of T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
Of course, having to go through two quarterbacks that were not only new to the scheme in Pittsburgh, but new to the NFL — in Kenny Pickett’s case — made it a trying season overall. Johnson didn’t help himself with the drops, pre-snap and post-snap penalties and some of the decisions made during plays overall.
Still, his value being as low as it is in fantasy football is a bit surprising. ESPN’s Mike Clay has Johnson projected for 79 receptions on 127 targets for 965 yard and five touchdowns, adding another five rushes for 28 yards in the process. Getting that type of production as a No. 3/Flex option feels like a significant steal. Those numbers put him closer to the top 20ish spot that Dopp projects, rather than where he’s going in drafts.
Though Pittsburgh isn’t expected to sling it all over the year in 2023 as they really lean into the bully ball mentality, Johnson should have a strong bounce back season in 2023, reestablishing himself as the true No. 1 weapon in the Steelers’ offense. And, like Dopp, predicted, he’s going to find the end zone multiple times this season, making him quite the valuable commodity not only in fantasy football, but for the Steelers on the field in 2023.
