Update, Sept. 16: Johnson has officially been ruled out for MNF vs. the Browns in Week 2.
Update, Sept. 15: Johnson did not practice for a second straight day and remains unlikely to play on Monday.
Update, Sept. 14: Johnson met with the media on Thursday and said there’s no concrete timeline for his return from injury. He described it as “day-to-day”. We’ll have to take that with a grain of salt and still assume he’s going to miss at least a week or two.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson said there’s no concrete timeline for his return off the Week 1 hamstring injury, calling it “day-to-day,” but he said he’s doing better after not really being able to walk the first couple of days.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 14, 2023
Update, Sept. 13: All reports have Diontae Johnson out for multiple weeks, with the latest being four weeks. Calvin Austin, George Pickens and Allen Robinson will lead the way at wide receiver while he is out.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson expected to miss up to 4 weeks with hamstring injury, per team sources.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) September 13, 2023
Update: With the earlier report that Johnson could miss multiple weeks and now Mike Tomlin saying Johnson is “probably unavailable this week,” we can believe with certainty that he won’t play against the Browns on Monday night.
Tomlin says Diontae Johnson is “probably unavailable this week.”
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 12, 2023
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson is expected to miss several weeks of the NFL season after sustaining a hamstring injury in Week 1 against the 49ers, per Adam Schefter. Johnson went down after making a 26-yard play on Sunday and had to be helped off the field. He was later declared out for the game.
Steelers’ WR Diontae Johnson is expected to be sidelined “a few weeks” due to the hamstring injury he suffered Sunday vs. the 49ers, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 12, 2023
Johnson had three receptions for 48 yards before leaving the field.
Fantasy football impact
In the coming weeks, we can expect to see wide receivers George Pickens and Allen Robinson receive an increase in targets. Calvin Austin III also made a solid impact in the receiving game with six receptions for 37 yards, and will likely be filling in for Johnson. Tight end Pat Freiermuth, who caught the only touchdown of the game for the Steelers, should also be worked into the receiving rotation.
The Steelers fell 30-7 in their season opener. They take on the Cleveland Browns in Week 2 at home.