Why Steelers WR Diontae Johnson could be a breakout fantasy star. And 1 thing holding him back.

If Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson was really injured most of 2019, how good can he be in 2020?

That’s a question Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner is going to have to ask.

Opposing defenses, too.

Not to mention who really matters — YOU! When your fantasy football draft comes around in a few months.

Johnson is one of the players Jeff Erickson of RotoWire and I discuss in this week’s fantasy sports podcast.

The second-year pass-catcher did an online interview with Steelers media members this week. He revealed that he played most of the year with a groin injury. Johnson said he played through pain in his rookie season before undergoing sports hernia surgery in February.

That injury occurred in Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks. That’s also when Ben Roethlisberger got hurt. So with Big Ben back and Johnson 100%, there’s plenty of reason to think he could become a breakout star in 2020.

Not to mention with a year of experience under his belt. After all, Johnson led all NFL rookie wide receivers with 59 catches. He also finished sixth with 680 receiving yards and tied for seventh with five touchdowns. He led the Steelers in receptions and receiving touchdowns.

Don’t forget Johnson was named second-team All-Pro as a punt returner after averaging 12.4 yards on 20 attempts that included an 85-yard touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals. Assuming he keeps that gig, you may wind up with some bonus points on your team that way.

Erickson points out that Johnson did all that with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges as the quarterbacks most of the year. So he sees the potential for Johnson to take “that next step” in 2020 with Roethlisberger back under center.

There is one reservation, though.

“He’s going to have to fight for targets,” Erickson cautioned. “The fact is you’ve got James Washington, Chase Claypool and a healthy JuJu Smith-Schuster this year.

“It’s going to be a big competition for targets. That’s the one concern for all these Pittsburgh receivers this year. There’s a lot in the pool.”

I’d add new tight end Eric Ebron as a touchdown-stealing red zone threat, too.

That said, Johnson is still going to be on the rise in a lot of leagues. So depending on how your roster is constructed — and what your league rules are — you may want to use him as a keeper to carry over from 2019.

Jeff and I also get into some “Independent Defensive Player” leagues. Minkah Fitzpatrick’s recent talk about moving around in the defense more often could be a factor in decision making there.

Plus we talk about baseball’s never-ending labor arguments in an effort to launch the 2020 season, some notorious MLB draft busts, and who could be this year’s Terry McLaurin.

LISTEN: RotoWire’s Jeff Erickson breaks down Steelers fantasy sports possibilities