Should You Draft Diontae Johnson or George Pickens in Fantasy Football?
The Steelers enter 2023 looking to be a more potent offense after finishing in the bottom third of the league in 2022. Matt Canada is one of the most scrutinized OCs who managed to keep their job, but he'll need his unit to improve on the 18.1 points per game they put up last year.
Get ready for draft season! Practice Mock Drafts, check out ADPs, grab our fantasy football rankings, and get advice for trades with our trade analyzer.
Najee Harris Fantasy Football Outlook
At RB, all signs from training camp are that this offense will run through Najee Harris. The Steelers upgraded their offense line, and Harris is coming off back-to-back 1K seasons to start his career. He had a steel plate in his foot removed and his play picked up significantly down the stretch when he was finally healthy. He should improve on his efficiency, which is just below 4.0 yards per carry for his career, in 2023 in an improved offense. He's a rock-solid Round 2 pick in all fantasy formats.
George Pickens vs. Diontae Johnson Fantasy Football Outlook
At wide receiver for the Steelers, I'm targeting George Pickens over Dionate Johnson mainly because he has a much higher ceiling and his price is slightly cheaper. According to our ADP tool, Johnson is going as the PPR WR31 while Pickens is going as the WR34. I'd rather take Pickens in the seventh than Johnson in the sixth. We're already seeing plenty of highlight catches in camp from Pickens. His 15.6-yard average depth of target was second among WRs with at least 75 targets and he still maintained a solid catch percentage of 62% in 2022. He seems to be developing more and more rapport with his QB and we're going to be seeing the "Pickett to Pickens" hookup quite a bit this season. Johnson is a popular candidate for positive TD regression this season after being blanked in that category last season, but the Steelers did bring in Allen Robinson who has a similar skillset to Johnson, and in fantasy we never like to see that type of redundancy. Johnson's target numbers are nice, but when combined with other stats like air yards and catch %, I prefer Pickens this year at their current prices.
Kenny Pickett Fantasy Football Outlook
At QB, Kenny Pickett enters his second season running the Steelers offense. I wasn't the biggest fan of Pickett as a prospect, but all reports out of camp are fairly positive. His arm strength has reportedly improved which is good, and he could take a step forward this year ... albeit not as big a step as you might like to make him fantasy viable. The Steelers' pace of play ranked as the eighth fastest in 2022 and they had a pass rate of 53%, which on the surface would look good for Pickett to produce, but he still only put up 14.6 fantasy points per game. You can take a late shot on Pickett in Superflex leagues as your QB2 or preferably your QB3, but I'm a bit higher on Jordan Love, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, who are going in a similar range in drafts.
Pat Freiermuth Fantasy Football Outlook
At tight end, if you miss out on the top players at the position or elect to wait, Pat Freiermuth isn't a bad fallback option. He's probably not going to win you many fantasy weeks, but probably won't lose you any either. The Steelers did draft another TE in Darnell Washington, who is an athletic freak and could take some of Freiermuth's TD opportunity and upside.
Jaylen Warren Fantasy Football Outlook
Jaylen Warren is a must-get if you draft Najee Harris, and his expanded usage could possibly warrant some flex appeal. Don't get carried away and reach for Warren; he's gotten some preseason steam that he will be a 1B to Najee as the 1A, but I don't see that. He's a nice change of pace back, but nothing more.
Pittsburgh Steelers Defense Fantasy Football Outlook
The Steelers' defense is a top-12 defense and very draftable in fantasy, led by perennial MVP candidate TJ Watt. This offseason, they resigned Minkah Fitzpatrick, drafted Joey Porter Jr. and added pass rushing. This defense appears to be on track to return to the elite tier of fantasy options.
