Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Broncos have fired HC Nathaniel Hackett, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. So Hackett doesn't even make it a full season in Denver. His tenure was a disaster from the start and ends with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas. We'll see who the Broncos tab as their interim HC, but we doubt the move has much of a fantasy impact over the final 2 weeks of the season.

Update: Senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg has been named Denver's interim HC, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The 67-year-old has spent much of the last 2 decades as a special teams coordinator and has no head-coaching experience at any level.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson went just 15-of-27 passing for 214 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Rams. He tossed 1 TD vs. 3 INTs and took 6 sacks in the game. Wilson gave way to QB Brett Rypien for the team's final 2 possessions (1 of which produced a Rams pick-6). We'd bet on Wilson returning to the lineup for Week 17 against the Chiefs but would hope to not have to use him in fantasy football lineups.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth tallied 7 catches for 66 yards among 8 targets in Saturday night's win over the Raiders. The numbers marked a big rebound from his target-less Week 15 at Carolina. It was Freiermuth's most targets and receptions since Week 11. The TE trailed only RB Najee Harris in targets for the game. WR Diontae Johnson added 5-64 receiving on 7 looks. WR George Pickens caught all 5 of his targets for 57 yards and the go-ahead TD. Pittsburgh gets a Week 17 rematch with Baltimore, which has played the run much tougher than the pass for most of the season.

Steelers RB Najee Harris totaled 95 yards in Saturday night's win over the Raiders. He managed just 53 yards on 16 carries (3.3 per rush) but added 6 receptions for 42 yards on a team-high 9 targets. The targets also marked a season high for Harris, with his receptions tying a season high and his yardage a new personal best. RB Jaylen Warren chimed in just 6-23 rushing and 2-7 receiving on 2 targets. Harris gets a difficult rushing matchup with the Ravens in Week 17. He managed only 33 yards on 12 carries in a Week 14 loss to the division rival.

Bears QB Justin Fields threw for just 119 yards and a TD in Saturday's loss to the Bills. He added a surprisingly low 11 rushing yards on 7 carries. We'd bet on a rebound for Fields in a Week 17 visit to the Detroit (in the dome).

Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) practiced fully on Thursday. The second-year back does not carry an injury designation for Week 16's game vs. the Raiders on Saturday. The Raiders' defense ranks as the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs this season. This certainly bodes well for Harris. The issue is the Steelers' o-line, and their deficiencies relegate Harris to RB2-level status for fantasy purposes.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) fully practiced all week and doesn't carry an injury tag ahead of Saturday vs. the Raiders. With teammate WR Diontae Johnson (toe) looking iffy for Week 16, Freiermuth might see a boost. The second-year player is considered a pretty solid TE option in fantasy lineups. If the weather in Pittsburgh ends up being crummy, QB Kenny Pickett may look Freiermuth's way a good bit.

Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) did not practice on Wednesday. The second-year back was a limited participant yesterday, however. This development should give fantasy managers some pause. That said, we do have tomorrow's report to give us better clarity. Jaylen Warren and Benny Snell Jr. would potentially stand to benefit from a Harris absence on Saturday. Keep an eye out on the waiver wire just in case.

Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson did not practice on Wednesday as part of a veteran rest day. There is no concern about him missing Saturday's Week 16 game vs. the Ravens at this point. We'll keep an eye on this one for good measure just in case.

Pat Freiermuth (foot) logged full practice participation on Tuesday. Another full practice today will go a long way in giving the second-year player the green light for Saturday's game vs. the Raiders. We'll keep tabs on this front as more information trickles out. Freiermuth was quiet last week against the Panthers, but is a potentially fantasy viable option in Week 16 should he suit up to play.

Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) practiced in a limited fashion on Tuesday. Saturday’s game vs. the Raiders is just around the corner, so check back once we learn more information regarding Harris’ availability. The Raiders present the 3rd-best matchup in adjusted fantasy points allowed to RBs. If Harris does play, he warrants RB2 consideration in fantasy playoff lineups. With how good of a matchup this is, and with the weather in Pittsburgh potentially being rough, teammate Jaylen Warren may see work suitable for a possible flex consideration as well.

Bears QB Justin Fields ran for 95 yards on 15 attempts in Sunday's loss to the Eagles, leading the team in both categories. That pushed him beyond 1,000 rushing yards for the season, making Fields just the 4th QB to reach that level. Fields added 152 yards and 2 TDs passing, a particularly nice fantasy performance overall against 1 of the league's toughest QB-scoring matchups. Fields will likely be worth starting despite another tough scoring matchup with the Bills next week. Then comes a more favorable spot at Detroit in Week 17.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth saw 0 targets in Sunday's win over the Panthers. Pittsburgh attempted only 22 passes, which didn't help. But 7 other Steelers drew at least 1 target, with WR Diontae Johnson (10), WR George Pickens (5) and WR Steven Sims (2) the only guys to exceed 1. Zach Gentry drew the only TE target. According to Pro Football Focus, Freiermuth still led the position in routes, running on 73.9% of QB Mitchell Trubisky's dropbacks. That ranked 3rd among all Pittsburgh players. Freiermuth entered the game off 3 straight 3-catch weeks, so he has fallen out of must-start range in fantasy football leagues. Week 16 does hold an upside matchup with the Raiders, at least. A Week 17 trip to Baltimore also features a defense that plays the run tougher than the pass and fares worse against TEs than WRs in coverage.

The Steelers ran on nearly two-thirds of offensive plays in Sunday's win over the Panthers. RB Najee Harris racked up 24 carries, tallying 86 yards and a TD. No. 2 RB Jaylen Warren rushed 11 times for 38 yards and another TD. QB Mitchell Trubisky added a rushing score as well, among 6 carries for 9 yards. The RBs totaled just 1 target (an 11-yard catch for Warren). Pittsburgh faces a soft Raiders defense in Week 16 but then gets 1 of the league's worst rushing matchups in a Week 17 trip to Baltimore.

Jets WR Denzel Mims was knocked out of Sunday's game vs. the Lions with a 1st-half concussion. WR Corey Davis is inactive with his own concussion, leaving the Jets with WRs Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios and Jeff Smith.

Bears QB Justin Fields gets an Eagles defense that has allowed the league's 2nd-fewest QB points for the season and arrives as the 4th-worst scoring matchup for the position by our adjusted fantasy points allowed. But Philly has allowed the league's 12th most rushing yards to QBs despite facing the fewest QB carries for the year. That bodes well for Fields' floor. He's also off the injury report for the 1st time since hurting his shoulder in Week 11. That should help the QB's designed runs. Fields had just 1 his last time out. His previous 2 games (the 2nd of which was his injury game) found the QB getting 8 designed runs each time, according to Pro Football Focus.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson (concussion) is out for Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals. HC Nathaniel Hackett said Friday that Wilson has actually been medically cleared, but the team is holding him out as a precaution. QB Brett Rypien will make his 2nd start of the season this weekend.

Bears QB Justin Fields isn’t listed on the final Week 15 injury report. He missed Wednesday with an illness but put in full practices on Thursday and Friday. Most importantly, that shoulder that he hurt back in Week 11 is no longer on the injury report. So Fields should be a full-go vs. the Eagles on Sunday.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (foot) only got in a limited practice on Friday but isn’t listed on the final injury report for this weekend’s game vs. the Panthers. He reportedly hurt his foot on his 1st catch last weekend and was able to play through it. There’s a bit more risk here than usual, but Freiermuth remains a fine Week 15 fantasy starter.

Steelers RB Najee Harris (hip) is not listed on the final Week 15 injury report. He was sidelined on Wednesday but put in full practices on Thursday and Friday. Harris will be ready for his usual role vs. the Panthers this weekend.