Just one game into his Pittsburgh Steelers tenure, WR Allen Robinson appears set to handle a starting role that could give him plenty of volume due to a key injury in his team’s receiver corps.
Should fantasy football managers move quickly to add Robinson, despite the fact he’s coming off back-to-back mediocre seasons with the Bears and Rams?
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Should Allen Robinson Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 2?
Despite a disastrous start to the season for the Steelers, Robinson was a bright spot in an otherwise mundane Week 1 offensive performance. The 30-year-old veteran was acquired via trade during the offseason and quickly made his presence felt in his first game.
Robinson’s fantasy stock is firmly trending upward following Week 1 for a number of reasons. Apart from the already apparent connection with sophomore quarterback Kenny Pickett, Robinson’s targets are set to immediately increase with WR Diontae Johnson expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future.
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Johnson appeared to have tweaked his hamstring after a catch-and-run play on the Steelers’ first drive coming out of halftime. After that point, Robinson had four of his team-high eight targets and finished with five catches and a team-high 64 yards.
Johnson’s absence from the air attack will be noticeable. The 2019 third-round pick drew a whopping 147 targets in 2022 while playing most of the season with Pickett. That staggering figure came in the wake of 169- and 144-target tallies in the prior two campaigns.
Additionally, it’s worth noting third-year tight end Pat Freiermuth, who drew 98 targets last season, is currently listed as questionable for the Week 2 matchup versus the Browns after suffering an abdominal injury against the 49ers. Naturally, an absence of any duration for Freiermuth will benefit Robinson.
With deep threats Calvin Austin III and George Pickens mainly operating on the outside, Robinson should be able to roam the short and middle areas of the field fairly uncontested. His 6-foot-2 frame also makes him a serious threat to score down in the red zone, an area of the field where he’d logged double-digit targets in six of his first nine seasons coming into 2023.
Johnson’s loss undoubtedly makes Robinson a solid waiver wire pickup in all formats, especially with no current timetable for the fifth-year man’s return. The former Los Angeles pass-catcher already appears to have built rapport with his new quarterback, and it’s conceivable that will only increase in the coming weeks.