Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Falcons Swiss Army knife Cordarrelle Patterson racked up 22-120-1 on the ground in Sunday's narrow loss to the Saints, adding 3-16 receiving on 5 targets. Damien Williams' rib injury certainly didn't hurt. Rookie Tyler Allgeier was a healthy scratch, and Avery Williams claimed the only 2 other RB carries (beyond the 2 for Damien Williams). Atlanta would probably like to limit Patterson's touches more than that going forward -- especially on the ground. But the team might not have a choice until someone else in the backfield steps up.

Steelers RB Najee Harris suffered an ankle injury in the 4th quarter of Sunday’s game vs. the Bengals and did not return. He was in a walking boot afterward, but NFL Network’s Mike Giardi hears that the injury “is not considered a big deal.” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio also said on the Sunday Night Football pregame show that Harris’ injury isn’t believed to be serious. We should learn more tomorrow.

The Steelers believe EDGE T.J. Watt tore a pectoral muscle in Sunday's win over the Bengals. Watt will have an MRI Monday to confirm the diagnosis. That injury would almost certainly end Watt's season and dramatically alter the quality of the Pittsburgh defense -- both in real life and fantasy football terms.

Steelers RB Najee Harris injured his knee and/or ankle late in Sunday's game vs. the Bengals and hasn't returned for overtime. We'll update his status when we know more. RB Jaylen Warren is in for Pittsburgh.

Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) is out for Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills. He didn't practice all week, so a Week 2 return doesn't look particularly likely. Jefferson's snaps are expected to be picked up by a committee of WRs Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Brandon Powell. None is a viable fantasy play outside of DFS showdown contests. WR Cooper Kupp, WR Allen Robinson and TE Tyler Higbee should be the clear focal points of the Rams' passing game against Buffalo.

Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson confirms that Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) won't play in Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills. But Wilson hears that Jefferson is expected back "within the first few games" of the season. We'll see if he's able to get on the practice field next week.

Rams WR Van Jefferson (knee) did not practice on Monday. He's looking like a long shot for Thursday night's opener vs. the Bills after undergoing knee surgery at the beginning of August. Jefferson's absence will leave Tutu Atwell and Ben Skowronek at the Rams' #3 and #4 WRs -- and leave extra targets for WR Cooper Kupp, WR Allen Robinson and TE Tyler Higbee.

The Steelers list RB Jaylen Warren as the #2 RB on their Week 1 depth chart. It's confirmation that the undrafted rookie beat out RB Benny Snell for that job. Warren won't be a fantasy factor as long as RB Najee Harris is healthy. But he'd be the pickup if Harris misses time this year.

The Broncos and QB Russell Wilson agreed to a 5-year, $245 million contract extension with $165 million guaranteed, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. Wilson is now the league's 2nd-highest-paid QB, behind only Aaron Rodgers. More interestingly, he's now signed for the next 7 seasons. Wilson will have just turned 40 when his current contract is up. We'll see if he's able to play through the life of it.

The Steelers released RB Anthony McFarland. The 2020 4th-rounder never seemed to make a push for the #2 RB job this offseason. Pittsburgh is rolling with RBs Jaylen Warren and Benny Snell behind RB Najee Harris.

Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt left Sunday's preseason finale with a left knee injury. CBS Sports' Evan Washburn reported in the 2nd half that HC Mike Tomlin called the injury minor and said Watt could have returned if it was a regular-season game. We won't worry about this issue unless a further update turns more negative.

Steelers RB Najee Harris told reporters that he sprained the Lisfranc in his left foot early in camp. It's worth filing away, but Harris hit the field for Sunday's preseason finale vs. the Lions, so it looks like a non-issue going forward. Harris remains a volume-based floor play in the late 1st round of fantasy drafts.

Steelers RB Benny Snell started Saturday's 2nd preseason game against Jacksonville, working ahead of rookie Jaylen Warren. That's noteworthy because Warren has generated plenty of training-camp buzz. That included at least 1 Steelers writer positing this week that he believed Warren has already earned the #2 job. Saturday's usage, of course, doesn't necessarily mean that Snell remains the backup to Najee Harris. But it does mean we'll need to continue watching before anointing the new guy. Anthony McFarland is also in the mix for roles behind Harris. We'll see whether all 3 backup candidates make the regular-season roster.

DK Pittsburgh Sports' Dale Lolley believes Jaylen Warren has supplanted Benny Snell as the Steelers' #2 RB. Warren, a 5'8, 215-pound undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma State, has been the surprise of Steelers camp. He also looked good in the preseason opener, posting a 6-34-0 rushing line and 4-30-1 receiving. We'll continue to keep an eye on this depth chart. Of course, neither Warren nor Snell is a fantasy option without an injury to RB Najee Harris.

ESPN's Brooke Pryor says the Steelers are "likely to push the ball down the field more than in recent years." That would obviously be good for the fantasy football upside for everyone in the passing game (except maybe RB Najee Harris), but it would be an especially positive development for rookie WR George Pickens and 3rd-year WR Chase Claypool. Pickens has generated seemingly nonstop buzz in camp, while Claypool has displayed his downfield talent through 2 pro seasons. Both look attractive in reserve territory of fantasy football drafts.

If you've been waiting for Russ to cook, then your time might have come. Here's what Peter King heard from an unnamed source: "Coach [Nathaniel Hackett] and Russell [Wilson] are not coach-player. They're partners." And Wilson seems to agree. "It's the ownership of the players owning our own offense," the QB said. "This has to be a player-ran kind of team. Coach Hackett gives us the keys to do that." Take this as confirmation of what we all hoped Wilson would be getting from the move out of Seattle.

Insider Jordan Schultz hears that QB Justin Fields has "blown away" the Bears' coaching staff in camp. “His mechanics have improved, he’s in great shape, he works at it and he really cares. [OC] Luke [Getsy] loves him," a source told Schultz. That's obviously encouraging -- although we still wish Chicago surrounded Fields with a better supporting cast this season. He's still capable of QB1 production thanks to his rushing ability, but Fields is more exciting in dynasty leagues than redraft.

Adam Jahns of The Athletic writes that Bears QB Justin Fields “seems to be stacking more good throws and moments in camp.” Chicago’s rolled out a number of combinations at WR and along the O-line, largely due to injuries. So it hasn’t been the easiest environment for the 2nd-year passer — especially when he's also been tasked with learning new OC Luke Getsy’s system. It’s the talent-thin pass catching corps that leaves Fields as a QB2 to open the season.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth was a full participant in Tuesday's practice, according to Steelers Depot's Alex Kozora. Freiermuth dealt with a hamstring injury early in camp, but it looks like a non-issue going forward.

Rams WR Van Jefferson has started the rehab process after undergoing knee surgery and "has a chance" to play Week 1, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. That jibes with a previous report from The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue. We'll continue to monitor Jefferson's progress leading up to the Thursday night opener vs. the Bills.