Brandon Johnson
WR
Pittsburgh Steelers
This is how WRs have played against the Bengals in the 2026 season.
WR2 = the second-highest-scoring WR against Bengals in each game, not a fixed depth-chart spot.
| Wk | Team | Player | Tgt | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | FPts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  TB | Chris Godwin Jr. | 4 | 4 | 40 | 0 | 8.3 |
| 2 |  HOU | Kayshon Boutte | 5 | 3 | 37 | 0 | 6.7 |
| 3 | PIT | DK Metcalf | 5 | 3 | 31 | 1 | 12.1 |
| 4 |  JAX | Jakobi Meyers | 4 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 6.3 |
| 5 |  MIA | Kevin Coleman Jr. | 7 | 3 | 30 | 1 | 12.0 |
| 7 |  BAL | Ja'Kobi Lane | 5 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 5.5 |
| 8 |  TEN | Wan'Dale Robinson | 7 | 6 | 57 | 1 | 15.7 |
| Average | 5.3 | 3.6 | 36.1 | 0.4 | 9.5 | ||
| Median | 5.0 | 3.0 | 33.0 | 0.0 | 8.3 | ||
| High | 7 | 6 | 57 | 1 | 15.7 | ||
| Low | 4 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 5.5 | ||
Averages are raw, outliers are never removed.
How Brandon Johnson should do vs the BengalsSeason log, the group you pick, and a projection
Season so far, compared with what the group you pick below has done against the Bengals, plus a projection for this game.
What is this table?
Rows at the top are every game Brandon Johnson has played this season, using the same stat columns as the table above.
Compare against picks which group of Bengals opponents to line them up with: the best WR they faced in each game (1), the second best (2), the third best (3), or all of the top three. Nobody knows which slot Brandon Johnson will land in this week, so this is your call, not a guess.
Bengals avg is the average line of that group. Difference is that minus Brandon Johnson's own average: green means the defense gives that slot more than Brandon Johnson usually produces.
Projected is Brandon Johnson's recent-weighted average scaled by how generous the Bengals were to the slot you picked. Change the slot and the projected points change, because each slot has a different matchup adjustment. Picking Top 3 uses the usual-role projection.
| Wk | Opp | Tgt | Rec | ReYd | ReTD | FPts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | CLE | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1.9 |
| Johnson avg | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 | 1.9 | |
| Bengals WR2 avg | 5.3 | 3.6 | 36.1 | 0.4 | 9.5 | |
| Difference | +4.3 | +2.6 | +27.1 | +0.4 | +7.6 | |
| Projected as WR2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 9.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | |
Difference is what the defense allows minus what Johnson averages (green = defense gives up more). Projected stats scale the player's averages by the matchup adjustment, so they are a rough guide.
Start / Sit · Brandon JohnsonLow confidence · 2.1 proj pts1/10 start
- Brandon Johnson averages 1.9 PPR points over 1 game (recent-weighted 1.9) and has played as the team's WR2.
- The Bengals have allowed 9.5 points to WR2s over 7 games (+9% vs league). The model applies 70% of that gap because the sample is small, giving a +6% adjustment.
- Game environment +0%: Vegas total 47.5, implied 22.0 points for PIT (league avg 22.6); Underdog by 3.5: likely to pass more while trailing.
- Opposing-defense injuries (+1%): Opposing starter Jordan Battle (S) is questionable, which helps the passing game. Opposing starter Cedric Johnson (DL) is questionable, which helps the passing game.
- Projection: 2.1 points.
- For reference, a typical weekly starter-level WR scores about 12.2 and a top-tier one about 20.9.
- Confidence is low: too few games for either the player or the defense. Use this as a rough lean, not a lock.
- A statistical model from box scores, Vegas lines, weather and injury tags. It cannot see role changes or in-game events.
Prediction & chance to scoreBrandon Johnson vs the Bengals
Prediction for Brandon Johnson
Nobody knows which slot Brandon Johnson will land in this week, so pick the one you expect. The projection changes because each slot faces a different average from the Bengals.
I predict about 2.0 points for Brandon Johnson if playing as a WR2. Brandon Johnson has averaged 1.9 over 1 game, and the Bengals have given up 9.5 to WR2s (+9% vs the league average of 8.8).
How this projection is built
1. The player. Brandon Johnson scored: Wk 8 1.9. Average 1.9; weighted toward recent games it is 1.9.
2. The defense. Over 7 games, the Bengals allowed 9.5 points to their opponent's WR2. The league average for that slot is 8.8, so that is +9%.
3. Trusting small samples less. With 7 defensive games, only 70% of the gap is applied, capped at +/-30%. That gives a +6% adjustment (x1.06).
4. Result. 1.9 x 1.06 = 2.0. Switching slots only changes step 2 and 3: the player's own numbers stay the same, but each slot faces a different defensive average.
It is a statistical model, not knowledge of injuries, game script or weather.
Chance to score
Type a point total to see how likely Brandon Johnson is to reach it as a WR2.
Why this percentage?
The projection (2.0) is the middle of the range. Fantasy scores swing a lot from game to game, so the model spreads possible scores around it by about 1.2 points, leaning on Brandon Johnson's own game-to-game swings once there are several games (and on typical WR swings before that).
Scores are modelled as right-skewed, since a big game is possible but a very negative one is not. The percentage is the share of that spread at or above 2.
With only 1 game of history, treat this as a rough gauge. It gets sharper as the season goes on. It is never lower than 1% or higher than 99%.
InsightsPlain-English takeaways from the table
- WR2s have averaged 3.6 receptions, 36.1 receiving yards and 0.4 receiving TDs against the Bengals across 7 games.
- The Bengals allow 9.5 PPR points to WR2s, +9% versus the league average of 8.8 (ranked 11 of 32, where 1 is most generous). That is a near-average matchup.
- Outlier: Week 8, Wan'Dale Robinson (15.7 pts) sits far above the other games and pulls the averages up. Average with it vs without it: pts 9.5 vs 8.5. The table above keeps the raw averages.
- 3 of 7 games reached 10+ PPR points. Scores range from 5.5 to 15.7 (median 8.3).
- WR2s scored a touchdown in 3 of 7 games (43%).
Insights are generated by rules from the table above and recalculate every week.