Who Should I Start? Diontae Johnson or Brandon Aiyuk

Monday, September 18, 6:50 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers placed wide receiver Diontae Johnson (hamstring) and running back Anthony McFarland Jr. (knee) on Injured Reserve on Monday and promoted running back Qadree Ollison from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster in a corresponding move. Johnson will now have to miss four games after injuring his hamstring in the Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Pittsburgh also has a bye in Week 6, so the 27-year-old could return in Week 7 in a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Fantasy managers should attempt to stash Johnson for now, as the 27-year-old should be heavily involved in the passing game once he's healthy again. In the meantime, George Pickens, Allen Robinson II and Calvin Austin III will be the team's three starting wideouts. Tight end Pat Freiermuth should also see an uptick in targets.

Sunday, October 1, 9:29 PM

On Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk proved he was just fine after missing one week with a shoulder injury. He caught all six of his targets for 148 yards. Aiyuk satisfied wide receiver coaches everywhere with a couple of soft-handed aesthetically pleasing grabs, including a 42-yard deep shot from quarterback Brock Purdy in the second quarter. Thus far in 2023, Purdy has shown good chemistry with Aiyuk, enough to make the latter a weekly solid WR2 play. That said, Aiyuk could be a bit of a fade in Week 5 when the 49ers host an elite Dallas Cowboys defense on Sunday Night Football.