Another Blocking TE: Riley Nowakowski Goes To the Steelers

By Shane Hallam | Updated on Sat, Apr 25 2026 7:25 PM UTC

The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Indiana TE Riley Nowakowski in Round 5 of the NFL Draft. Nowakowski was an in-line blocker and safety valve for QB Fernando Mendoza this season at Indiana. Among the 27 TEs who attended the NFL Combine, Nowakowski ranked 15th in receiving yard market share (13.7%) and 11th in yards per team pass attempt (1.25). He also ranked ninth in yards per route run (1.68).

2026 Fantasy Football Impact

Nowakowski will settle as the third TE on the Steelers behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. Nowakowski likely will remain in-line as a blocker first in Jumbo packages.

That doesn’t give him any redraft value.

Dynasty Impact

Nowakowski could be a red zone threat every now and then, but it is unlikely that he makes a dynasty impact either. As a blocker first, Nowakowski will be unlikely to produce fantasy relevant numbers.

Shane Hallam, Writer

Shane has over 20 years of experience creating content and playing every fantasy football format, including redraft, dynasty, devy, C2C, IDP, CFF, and more. He is a multi-year winner of $500 dynasty leagues on the FFPC and a King's Classic Champion. Shane utilizes deep film and scheme study to enhance his fantasy performance. He led the industry in 2024 preseason Kicker Rankings and ranked second in preseason QB Rankings. He also ranked eighth in preseason IDP rankings.