A look at Steelers’ Diontae Johnson betting odds 2023

WR Diontae Johnson was somewhat of a polarizing figure to Steelers fans last season. He is great at creating separation and making difficult catches, but his work after the catch often left fans shouting at their televisions begging him to stop running backward after he caught the ball, and that is a fair criticism. What isn’t fair, though, is how many Steelers fans take Johnson for granted, and the offense would be worse off without him.

Here, we’ll examine the available betting odds for Steelers WR Diontae Johnson, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook, and give the verdict on whether it is a good or bad bet.

Diontae Johnson receiving yards: Over/Under 825.5

Johnson had 882 yards in 2022, so this number feels somewhat low. The only justification I could see behind said number is because of all the mouths the Steelers now have to feed in the offense. That said, Johnson is still the most predominant of those mouths. And with the way it looked in preseason, Matt Canada is going to let this offense become more vertical, which will benefit Johnson in multiple aspects. If the Steelers do see success in the deep passing game, odds are Johnson will be a large part of that. Plus, that success will cause defensive backs to give more cushion and play deeper, leading to easy yards underneath.

Verdict: Over

Diontae Johnson receptions: Over/Under 82.5

Johnson totaled 86 receptions last year, but as previously noted, this is a far more crowed offense than it was in 2022. George Pickens is going to get more targets, as will Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin, and Pat Freiermuth. The run game will also be very prevalent for the Steelers, especially late in games when they are running the clock out rather than trying to play catch up or being blown out like we say a lot in the first half of 2022. I think Johnson hovers right around the 80-85 reception mark, and this one will be very close.

Verdict: (Narrowly) Over

Diontae Johnson OPOY odds: +10000

Johnson is a very good receiver, but not amongst the elite of the NFL. Kenny Pickett will spread the ball around the offense, as well, so Johnson isn’t going to have the numbers that would have him in the Offensive Player of the Year conversation.

Verdict: Bad bet