Fantasy Football Week 7 stars and studs: Justin Herbert confirms QB1 status

Diontae Johnson – Pittsburgh Steelers

As the Steelers piled on the points in the first half of their narrow 27-24 win over the Titans, it was not rookie sensation Chase Claypool, but second-year wide receiver Diontae Johnson who did the majority of the damage.

Johnson enjoyed his best game of an up-and-down sophomore campaign by catching nine of his 15 targets from Ben Roethlisberger for 80 yards and two touchdowns, netting him 29 points in PPR leagues.

The distribution of targets will have furrowed the brow of those fantasy managers who had decided Claypool was the Steelers wide receiver to start. Johnson and Smith-Schuster had 29 targets between them, Roethlisberger throwing to the latter 14 times for nine catches and 85 yards, while Claypool had one that went for minus two yards.

And in truth, it is tough to know how to approach the Steelers’ wide receiver situation, which was complicated by an ankle injury suffered by Johnson late in the Titans game.

Recent history indicates that, when healthy, Johnson is the Pittsburgh receiver to bet on, especially in PPR leagues. Sunday’s game was his third this season with double-digit targets, while Smith-Schuster and Claypool have one each.

With a stingy Baltimore defense next on the horizon and a lack of clarity over who the top target is, the Steelers wideouts may be best avoided in Week 8.