clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Diontae Johnson start or sit: Week 1 fantasy football advice

We go over the fantasy football outlook of Diontae Johnson ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.

Diontae Johnson #18 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the ball against Michael Jacquet #38 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter of the preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field on August 12, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Something’s got to give during Week 1’s battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills. Will the Steelers’ elite defense be able to contain the high-powered Bills offense? Or will Buffalo’s offense thrive behind Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs, forcing Pittsburg’s passing game to unleash?

Fantasy Football analysis: Steelers WR Diontae Johnson

The third-year receiver, Johnson, should be in for another good season. After a solid rookie campaign in 2019, Johnson totaled 88 receptions for 923 yards and 7 touchdowns in 15 games last season. He was undoubtedly Ben Roethlisberger’s go-to guy, receiving 144 targets — good for eighth-most in the NFL and sixth amongst receivers. However, Johnson lead the league in drops (13) and left a ton of production on the field in the process. With Chase Claypool primed to take a leap during his sophomore season and JuJu Smith-Schuster continuing to see a ton of targets from the slot, Johnson will need to take advantage of his targets to avoid the possibility of falling from WR1 on this Steelers team.

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

The Steelers will face a Buffalo Bills defense that allowed nearly 240 passing yards per game during 2020. Combine that with the fact that the Bills were the third-highest scoring team in the league last season (29.9 ) this Week 1 match has the potential to be a shootout. In that case, Big Ben’s going to be letting it rip and will look to Johnson as he does so often. Start Diontae Johnson.