Steelers RB James Conner (knee) didn't practice on Wednesday. His injury reportedly isn't serious, and he's expressed confidence about his availability for this weekend's game against the 49ers. But we'll feel a lot better about his status if he's able to get out on the practice field tomorrow. Jaylen Samuels will serve as Pittsburgh's lead back if Conner doesn't play Sunday.

Steelers RB James Conner (knee) said Wednesday that he's "good to go" for this weekend's game against the 49ers. Players tend to be over-optimistic about their statuses, so we're not yet locking Conner into Week 3 fantasy lineups. Let's see what he does in practice over the next couple of days.

"Multiple teammates" believe Steelers RB James Conner's knee injury is "not serious," according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Conner "appeared to be moving fine" walking through the locker room after Sunday's loss to the Seahawks. That's the only update we've gotten on Conner so far. We'll look for more details, but it at least sounds like he avoided a major injury -- and he might have a shot to play Week 3.

Steelers RB James Conner injured his left knee in the 2nd half of Sunday's game against the Seahawks. He was able to get off the field under his own power but is officially questionable to return. Stay tuned for updates.

If you ask Steelers RB James Conner about how the team plans to divvy touches among him, Jaylen Samuels and rookie Benny Snell this season, you might get scared off drafting him in Round 1. "I think it'll be spread out pretty evenly," Conner said Wednesday, according to Jonathan Bombulie of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. We would certainly bet on Pittsburgh siphoning a bit of Conner's work for the other guys in the backfield. But he drew 62.3% of Steelers carries last season, the league's 6th largest share -- despite missing 3 games. Conner's 76% share of team carries over his 13 games would have led all RBs for the season. So he can shed some work and still deliver RB1 numbers in fantasy. His targets could be more in danger, though. Conner drew 12.5% of Pittsburgh looks over his 13 games last year, which would have ranked 15th among RBs for the season. In the lone game he shared with Samuels after returning from the ankle sprain, Conner carried 14 times vs. Samuels' 2 but drew just 3 targets to Samuels' 8. Of course, more targets figure to be available overall, with Antonio Brown gone. And last year's 2nd most pass-heavy offense could lean further toward the run in 2019 -- which would boost carry volume. We'll see how things progress in the Pittsburgh backfield this summer.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) is active for today’s game against the Bengals. He put in 3 practices this week and passed his final test in pregame warmups. We’re expecting Conner to step back in as Pittsburgh’s lead back, with RB Jaylen Samuels in a change-of-pace role.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) is expected to return for today's game against the Bengals. "But the team wants to see how he is after he warms up to be sure," Rapoport adds. Conner got in 3 full practices this week, so it'd be a major surprise if he didn't play. We won't get Pittsburgh's inactives until 3 pm ET, but Conner can be penciled into fantasy lineups.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game against the Bengals. He was a full-go in practice all week, though, putting him on track to play. Conner might cede some passing-down work to Jaylen Samuels, but we’re expecting him to step back in as Pittsburgh’s lead back.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That presumably puts him on track to return for this weekend's game against the Bengals. Conner might lose more work than he had been to Jaylen Samuels, but that matchup will make him a strong Week 17 fantasy play.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) remained sidelined all week and is out for Sunday’s game against the Saints. So Jaylen Samuels gets another game as lead back. It’s a tough draw against a stout Saints run defense, but Samuels can do damage in the passing game. He’s a RB2 with more value in PPR lineups.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) remained sidelined on Thursday. He's shaping up as a long shot to play against the Saints this weekend. Look for Jaylen Samuels to again serve as Pittsburgh's feature back in the Superdome.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. He admitted to reporters afterward that he's still having trouble cutting and that his injured ankle "isn't ready yet." Conner now seems worse than 50/50 to play against the Saints this weekend. That'd again leave Jaylen Samuels as Pittsburgh's lead back. Check back tomorrow for another update.

Steelers RB James Conner (knee) is inactive for today’s game against the Patriots. So the backfield is again left to Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley. Samuels played 80% of the snaps last week, tallying 11 carries and 7 targets. He’s a nice RB2 play.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Steelers RB James Conner is not expected to play against the Patriots tomorrow. Conner's officially questionable but has practiced just once (Friday) since suffering the initial injury. Conner's expected absence keeps RB Jaylen Samuels in starter territory. Stevan Ridley carried just 5 times last week at Oakland, with Conner out -- and shouldn't be on the fantasy radar.

Update: The Steelers have downgraded Conner to doubtful.

Steelers RB James Conner (knee) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s game against the Patriots. He returned to a limited practice on Friday after sitting out the previous 2 days. We’re still not expecting Conner to play vs. New England, but we’ll look for updates on his status Sunday morning. Steelers-Patriots doesn’t kick off until 4:25 pm ET.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) remained sidelined on Thursday. OC Randy Fichtner said that Conner could play without practicing, so he hasn't been ruled out. But he's still looking unlikely to play against the Patriots this weekend.

Steelers RB James Conner (ankle) remained sidelined for Wednesday's practice. There's been some talk that Conner could return for this weekend's game against the Patriots, but fantasy owners shouldn't be banking on it at this point. We'll update Conner's status again tomorrow.

Steelers RB James Conner could remain sidelined for next weekend's game against the Patriots, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Conner didn't practice at all this week and will be re-evaluated on Monday. We'll see what Pittsburgh's Conner-less backfield looks like against the Raiders today. It's worth noting that Rapoport said RB Jaylen Samuels will get the "bulk of the carries."