It has been quite a few weeks since Diontae Johnson or George Pickens was worthy of being a fantasy football starter. Ahead of a matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, can fantasy managers trust either Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver in Week 13 lineups?
Should You Start Diontae Johnson or George Pickens This Week?
Anyone following me for the past few years knows my affinity for Johnson. We saw him post WR1 numbers during his breakout 2021 season. He is an elite route runner and one of the most underrated wide receivers in the game. In the proper environment, he would be a locked-in, every-week, no-doubt WR1.
Unfortunately, playing on the Steelers with Kenny Pickett at quarterback is not the proper environment.
The same obviously goes for Pickens, who is also struggling in the Steelers offense. Firing Matt Canada certainly goes a long way toward improving things, but in the team’s first game without him, the Steelers surpassed 400 yards of offense for the first time in 44 games. Pickens and Johnson scored 8.8 and 9.0 fantasy points, respectively.
The PFN Start/Sit Optimizer has Johnson projected for 12.5 fantasy points and Pickens 10.3. Johnson’s projection involves 6.1 receptions for 62.2 yards. Pickens’ projection involves 3.3 receptions for 50.7 yards and 0.2 touchdowns.
Johnson’s Week 13 Fantasy Outlook
Since returning from injury in Week 7, Johnson resumed his status as the clear WR1 on the Steelers. His first three games were excellent, posting 12.9, 16.5, and 22.0 fantasy points.
The last three games have been quite underwhelming. Johnson scored below 4.0 fantasy points twice, with last week’s 9.8 being his best outing since Week 9.
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This week, the Steelers get a Cardinals defense that is decidedly mediocre against the pass. They are right in the middle in fantasy points per game allowed.
The Cardinals do allow 71.2% of their total receiving yards allowed to wide receivers, though. It’s less that they’re great against the pass and more that they’ve only allowed 0.8 touchdowns per game to wide receivers.
Pickens’ Week 13 Fantasy Outlook
Obviously, Pickens has the same matchup favorability/concerns as Johnson. The difference for him is he also has the issue of being the WR2 behind Johnson.
Prior to last week, there were reports that the Steelers would feature Pickens more. Those did not come to fruition, as Pickens was again out-targeted by Johnson 8-5.
Pickens has now failed to reach double-digit fantasy points in five consecutive games. Somehow, he has a touchdown over that span, too. Unfortunately, I struggle to see how Pickens doesn’t extend that streak unless he finds the end zone.
The issue with the Cardinals as an opponent is not that they’re this great pass defense. Rather, it’s that they are terrible against the run.
Even in a post-Canada world, the Steelers want to be a run-first offense. The one-two punch of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren is capable of punishing opposing defenses. The Cardinals are apt to let that happen.
They’re allowing 120 rushing yards per game, the second-most in the league. They are also one of just five teams allowing at least 1.0 rushing touchdowns per game to running backs.
I would be surprised if the Steelers threw more than they ran this week, limiting opportunities for both Pickens and Johnson. Neither is a strong start, but Johnson remains preferable to Pickens because of his status as the WR1.
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