This season, the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled on the offensive side of the ball, especially in the passing game. Now that Mitch Trubisky is playing, you could make the case the passing game is going to struggle even more.
If you’ve watched the Steelers’ receivers recently, to say they are frustrated would be an understatement. Their body language has been downright terrible. Can they get through these tough times, and if so, should Diontae Johnson and George Pickens be in your fantasy football lineup against the Indianapolis Colts?
Should You Start Diontae Johnson in Fantasy This Week?
There are some positives to how Johnson is playing. The good news is that he has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games, which is always nice for fantasy managers. He has also been targeted 28 times in his last four games, which is solid enough to provide consistent fantasy value.
There are also several factors working against Johnson. First, the offense has been really bad over the last month. During this recent four-game stretch, Pittsburgh is averaging only 13.5 points per game. The Steelers have scored only five touchdowns during these four games — Johnson has two of them.
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That is disproportionately high, but in the other eight games he has played this year, he has a single touchdown. Also — it doesn’t necessarily affect his fantasy value — but I can’t get over the play against the Cincinnati Bengals when Johnson didn’t make an effort to recover a fumble or tackle the defender who recovered it.
This is embarrassing… Look at #Steelers Diontae Johnson at the top of the screen.
Total lack of effort – a week after fighting teammates and coaches, what is wrong with Johnson?pic.twitter.com/1u6kkb1xjShttps://t.co/XCrz8KOsiT
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 26, 2023
This is going to be a big challenge on the road against a solid Indianapolis team, and I don’t see how he’s going to get a touchdown in his third consecutive game.
Should You Start George Pickens in Fantasy This Week?
Not that Pickens’ body language has been much better this year, but his play has continued to get worse as the season has gone on. In three of his first five games, he had at least 107 receiving yards and a total of three touchdowns.
Pickens hasn’t scored a touchdown since then, and the most yards he has had in a game during that span is 86 against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago.
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Before the season started, Pickens was a guy that I had circled as a player I wanted on my fantasy roster. I thought he had big-time potential, and he showed it early.
However, as has been the case with pretty much the entire Pittsburgh offense, his play has significantly dropped off in recent weeks.
In the Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer, PFN’s Consensus Rankings say that Johnson is the player to start. His projected 11.2 points include a projection of six receptions and 50 yards. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Pickens (8.8 points).
Honestly, I don’t like either of them. As I mentioned, the body language of these two has been so bad, that it’s hard for me to see them changing and having a big week for fantasy managers in the playoffs. I wouldn’t play them, but if you have to decide between these two, I’m going to go with Pickens.
He has more big-play ability, and for either of these two receivers to be in your lineup, they are going to have to make the splash plays necessary to make up for the state of the offense with Trubisky under center.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
