Steelers HC Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday that RB James Conner will miss Sunday's game at Oakland. Tomlin said the injury is more significant than originally believed, deeming it a sprain rather than a contusion. For what it's worth, Dr. David Chao tweeted Sunday night that it looked like a "mild" high-ankle sprain from his video review. Conner's absence will put rookie Jaylen Samuels and veteran Stevan Ridley in charge of the backfield. We're not likely to know ahead of time exactly how the work will be split. Samuels, who played multiple positions in college, is the more deft pass-catcher and higher-upside fantasy play between them. He scored Pittsburgh's final TD on a 10-yard reception Sunday night after Conner left. The Steelers have also promoted RB Trey Edmunds from the practice squad.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirms that Steelers RB James Conner's lower-leg injury is "not considered major at all." He's reportedly dealing with just a contusion. "How much it swells will be telling," Rapoport adds. Conner avoided a long-term injury here, but he still shouldn't be considered a lock to be ready for Sunday's game against the Raiders. We'll keep a close eye on him all week. Conner's absence would leave Pittsburgh's backfield to Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley.

Steelers RB James Conner left Sunday night's game on the team's final drive with an apparent right ankle injury. We'll watch for updates on his status. Rookie Jaylen Samuels replaced him and scored Pittsburgh's final TD on a 10-yard catch. He'd be the guy if Conner misses further time and is worth a look on waivers this week -- even if Conner returns for Week 14.

Update: HC Mike Tomlin called it a lower-leg contusion. We'll see about the severity, but that doesn't sound like an injury likely to cost him further game time.

Steelers RB James Conner (concussion) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report. He’ll play his usual workhorse role against the Jaguars on Sunday. Conner is a matchup-proof RB1.

Steelers RB James Conner (concussion) put in a full practice on Wednesday. Barring a setback, he'll play against the Jaguars this weekend. Despite that tough matchup, Conner remains in RB1 territory in the Week 11 Rankings.

Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell did not report by today's 4 pm ET deadline and will not play this season. So ends the 2018 Bell saga. He ends up missing the entire campaign and forfeiting $14.5 million. The Steelers would owe Bell about $25 million if they franchise-tag him again next season, so he's fully expected to hit free agency in March. James Conner will serve as Pittsburgh's feature back the rest of this year.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that RB James Conner remains in the concussion protocol but is expected to practice tomorrow. All signs point to Conner getting cleared in time for Sunday's game in Jacksonville, but we'll continue to keep a close eye on his progress.

The Steelers are "optimistic" RB James Conner (concussion) will be ready for next weekend's game against the Jaguars, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It sounds like Conner has already made some progress through the protocol. We'll keep a close eye on him throughout the upcoming week. A healthy Conner is locked in as a high-end RB1 the rest of the way with Le'Veon Bell not expected to show up.

Citing league sources, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that RB Le’Veon Bell is expected to continue his holdout through the 2018 season. Bell will be officially unable to return this year if he fails to report to the team by Tuesday at 4pm. If you had plans to try and acquire Bell at a discount, turn your attention elsewhere. Meanwhile, James Conner will return to a workhorse role once he clears the concussion protocol.

Steelers RB James Conner is in the concussion protocol, HC Mike Tomlin announced after Thursday night's win over the Panthers. The relative good news is that Conner has 10 days to get cleared for Week 11's game against Jacksonville. We'll keep a close eye on his progress. If Conner can't play vs. the Jags -- and RB Le'Veon Bell doesn't show up -- Pittsburgh would be down to RBs Jaylen Samuels and Stevan Ridley.

Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell has yet to report to the team as of Wednesday morning, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. It looks like Bell will sit out another game. Remember that he only needs to show for the final 6 games to accrue a year of service and hit free agency this offseason, so it makes sense for him to hold out until Week 12.

Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell has yet to report to the team as of Monday morning, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. He was expected to show up during last week's bye. CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora reported Sunday morning that it's now "more likely" Bell doesn't report until Week 9. For now, proceed as if James Conner will get at least 1 more game as Pittsburgh's feature back.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell plans to rejoin the team during the Week 7 bye. That would bring him back just ahead of the league's Oct. 30 trade deadline. We'll see if Bell reaches that point as a member of the Steelers. And if he does report then, we'll see how Pittsburgh plans to handle its backfield. James Conner owners can at least feel comfortable starting him against the Falcons and Bengals the next 2 weeks.

The Steelers are now listening to trade offers for RB Le'Veon Bell, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Bell looks set to sit out the first 10 games of the season and will hit free agency in the offseason. We'll see if any team steps up with a big enough offer to acquire Bell. Leaving Pittsburgh would likely ding his fantasy upside -- but at least he'd get on the field. A trade would also lock in James Conner as a RB1 the rest of the year.

The weather for today's Steelers-Browns game doesn't look quite as bad as it appeared it might be 24 hours ago. Light rain is expected throughout with winds of 10-20 mph. We'd try to avoid the kickers in this game and use the weather as a tiebreaker for passing-game pieces. But we're not adjusting our projections.

Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell will officially miss Sunday's opener after missing a 4 p.m. Saturday deadline to report to the team. Fantasy owners have been expecting that for most of the week, but this confirms that we can use James Conner as Pittsburgh's starting RB. As for Bell going forward ... we'll see.