What It Means:

Johnson injured his hamstring in the regular-season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers have a Week 5 bye, so if Johnson misses four weeks, his next chance to play will be Week 7 versus the Los Angeles Rams. George Pickens will take over as the clear top target for Kenny Pickett in the meantime, but Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin, and tight end Pat Freiermuth (chest) also stand to benefit. Pickens ran 48 routes while Robinson ran 46 in Week 1 and they each played 56 offensive snaps (88.9%). They both finished second in receptions (5) behind Austin (6), but Robinson out-targeted Pickens 8-6 and out-gained him 64-36.

The Steelers are facing a Cleveland Browns team in Week 2 that allowed just 7 catches for 49 yards on 20 targets to wide receivers in Week 1. They have the second-best adjusted pass defense in the NFL through one game, according to numberFire’s metrics. Pickens ($6,300) is the WR24 in our Week 2 rankings and we project him for 7.8 targets, 4.7 receptions, and 60.1 yards. Robinson ($5,500) is the WR48 and Austin ($4,900) is the WR76.