Diontae Johnson (WR, PIT) - Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: Since the start of the season Diontae Johnson has had up and downs but so far he’s the no. 2 wide receiver in Pittsburgh in snaps played (305) only behind JuJu Smith-Schuster (415). For someone playing that many snaps and averaging more than five targets per game, his usage is ridiculously low at this point of the season. If he happens to be available in your league’s waiver wire, no matter the number of teams in it, you should seriously consider his addition.

Johnson had a couple of great games early in the season when he finished with 14.8 and 19.7 fantasy points in weeks 3 and 4. In both matches, he was able to score a touchdown and finish with more than 50 yards and three-plus receptions. That marked his peak this year, but after the bye in Week 7, he has been able to have another couple of big games in the three he has played since coming back. Those came in Week 8 against Miami (84 yards on five receptions with a touchdown, 19.4 fantasy points) and last weekend against the Los Angeles Rams (64 yards on just four receptions, 10.4 points).

Again, the fact that Johnson is the WR2 of his team makes him a quite valuable addition at this point in any league, even if only to play him at a Flex spot ROS. Pittsburgh doesn’t have incredibly easy matchups ahead, but they aren’t that bad either, and Johnson has had his best games against defenses ranked above average against WRs. Johnson’s floor might be low, but his average numbers and his ceiling and upside can reach easily the 20 points and that is not out of the realm of possibilities going forward given his role in Pittsburgh’s attack.