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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson was the 66th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Johnson had a productive college career, totaling 135 receptions for 2,235 yards and 23 touchdowns in his three years at Toledo.
Ironically, Johnson was selected with one of the draft picks the Steelers got from the Las Vegas Raiders in the Antonio Brown trade. The former Toledo star had a solid rookie season, totaling 59 receptions on 92 targets for 680 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
The young receiver had productive back-to-back seasons in 2020 and 2021. Johnson had 88 receptions on 144 targets for 923 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2020 before totaling 107 receptions on 169 targets for 1,161 receiving yards and eight touchdowns the following year, all career highs.
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What Did Diontae Johnson Accomplish In 2022?
After spending the first three years of his career playing with Ben Roethlisberger, Johnson caught passes from Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett last year. Unfortunately, the quarterback change played a role in the veteran wide receiver’s struggles.
The former Toledo star had 86 receptions on 147 targets for 882 receiving yards and zero touchdowns in 2022. Johnson had arguably the worst luck at finding the end zone of any wide receiver in NFL history. The veteran ended the year as the WR39, averaging 8.1 half-point PPR fantasy points per game.
Despite having the seventh-most targets in the NFL last season, Johnson had zero receiving touchdowns. By comparison, Dyami Brown had two receiving touchdowns last season on only 14 targets.
Is Diontae Johnson Worth Drafting As Your WR3?
Last year was a fantasy nightmare for the former Toledo star. However, he should be better in 2023. Pickett had a disappointing rookie season, throwing a touchdown pass on only 1.7% of his pass attempts.
The good news is that the veteran receiver can’t have that bad of luck in the touchdown department again. Johnson averaged 6.7 receiving touchdowns per season in his career before last season. If he had six receiving touchdowns last year, the veteran would have ended the season as the WR20, averaging 10.2 fantasy points per game. Johnson has seen at least 144 targets in three consecutive years. That streak should become four in a row in 2023.
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