Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson admitted that he was “banged up” and unable to play the way he wanted to late last season. C-Pat easily set a career high with 205 touches last year, and the Falcons are happy to limit his offseason reps. In fact, the 31-year-old sat out OTAs/minicamp and has been limited in training camp. “He’s got good work habits,” HC Arthur Smith said in camp. “Everybody is in different parts of their careers. With CP, where he is, at the usage rate he had last year, we are trying to maximize him.” Patterson’s also hoping for more return opportunities, as he needs just one more kick return TD to break the NFL record. “I’ve got a record to break,” he said. “I need one more before I can hang it up. I get one more, I’ll stop doing it.”

The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue hears that Rams WR Van Jefferson's knee surgery "went great" and that "it’s realistic to believe he can return by the Sept. 8 opener." You probably won't want to be using Jefferson in Week 1 fantasy lineups, but it doesn't sound like we should be adjusting his season-long outlook much, if at all.

Eagles OC Shane Steichen told reporters Tuesday morning that he "has been impressed by how well Quez Watkins has tracked the ball so far," according to former Eagles writer Les Bowen. That's particularly good for Watkins, who brings the speed to stand out as a deep threat and has averaged 15.1 yards per catch through 2 seasons. Watkins will have trouble finding enough targets to make his way into starting lineups in most fantasy football leagues. But he's intriguing as an end-of-draft addition to Jalen Hurts rosters in best-ball tournaments.

Steelers RB Najee Harris left Monday's practice early with a left foot injury, but it doesn't sound serious. "Somebody stepped on his foot, but it shouldn't be a major deal," HC Mike Tomlin said, according to Steelers Depot. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but it doesn't seem like we should worry.

Rams WR Van Jefferson will have surgery on his left knee, HC Sean McVay announced to reporters Monday. The issue still doesn't sound major, though. Jefferson is only expected to miss "a few weeks," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapport. The young wideout is "TBD for Week 1." We'll see about Jefferson's status as Week 1 approaches. He remains in play as an end-of-draft option for deeper leagues, though there's obviously risk that the situation limits him into the season. Ben Skowronek and Tutu Atwell look like the top 2 candidates for the 3rd WR role if Jefferson misses regular-season games. We also could see more target share go to Cooper Krupp and/or Allen Robinson in that case.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Rams WR Van Jefferson will “see a specialist on Monday for a knee issue that has been plaguing him.” The wideout has reportedly been “doing maintenance” and is in danger of missing the next few weeks. Rapaport’s report includes the possibility that he’ll need surgery. We’ll watch for more after the visit. Jefferson is only a late-round pick now, carrying limited risk. You might want to back away from him for the next few days at least in best-ball drafts, though. Tutu Atwell might find a significant opportunity boost if Jefferson misses extended time

"If the first three practices are any indication, George Pickens is going to be a huge factor in this [Steelers] offense," ESPN's Brooke Pryor tweeted on Friday. It reads a little hyperbolic, but Pickens has been creating consistent buzz from multiple Steelers beat writers early in camp. And we loved him as a prospect, so we wouldn't be surprised to see him make a significant rookie-year impact. Highlight Pickens as an intriguing late-round flier in fantasy drafts.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is dealing with a hamstring injury, according to HC Mike Tomlin. We don't have any other details at this point but will keep you updated as we learn more.

Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski described WR George Pickens as the “clear WR3” early in training camp. As expected. Pickens’ raw talent has flashed early on, but it’ll likely take something close to a flawless performance over the coming weeks to overtake Chase Claypool. Pickens remains an intriguing redraft stash and best ball flier.

Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports that Rams WR Van Jefferson is back to 100% after "minor" knee surgery early in the offseason. We hadn't seen anything previously about the knee procedure. Jefferson turned up questionable for the NFC title game with a knee issue but saw full playing time in each of the final 3 playoff contests. It doesn't sound like we need to worry about this for Jefferson's 2022 outlook.

Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski believes WR George Pickens is in position to play a “significant role” by the end of the 2022 season. Patience might be key here, as he's coming off a March 2021 ACL tear. (Pickens, however, managed to appear in 4 games with Georgia last year.) While his size (6’3, 200), speed (4.47 forty) and early breakout age (18.5) signal a potential difference-maker, targets will be tough to earn early on. Current 2022 WR projections have him down for 63 targets.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth shared his expectations for the 2022 season. “I should be more in the range of 800, 900 (season) yards, so I think I definitely need to get (yards/reception) higher and want to push the ball down the field,” Freiermuth said. As a rookie, the Penn State product posted 497 yards at just 8.3 yards per catch. Eric Ebron departed this offseason, while Pittsburgh only added rookie Connor Heyward in Round 6. Increased production is likely for Freiermuth, but current projections have the TE falling shy of the 800-900-yard range.

Eagles insider Adam Caplan described WR Quez Watkins’ role as a “rotational deep threat.” He’s on track to be the team’s WR3 behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Watkins, at 6’0, 193 pounds, already garnered a 13.8-yard average depth of target in 2021 — well above league average. Still, barring an injury to Brown or Smith, Watkins is unlikely to be a fantasy factor in 2022.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler says he's "told" the Bears like the way QB Justin Fields has developed this offseason. Specifically, the 2nd-year QB has reportedly quickened his release when passing and improved at throwing on the move. "The Bears are excited for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's system, which should give Fields more space to operate," Fowler writes. Even if you're not ready to fully buy in on Fields, he's going 15th among QBs in FFPC ADP and 16th on Underdog. There's plenty of fantasy upside from that range even if Fields struggles from a real-life perspective.

Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski writes that the #2 RB job is “wide open” between Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell and UDFAs Jaylen Warren and Mataeo Durant. “I’ve had a lot of setbacks, but I’ve learned a lot,” McFarland said. “Coming into Year 3, I’m feeling more comfortable and understanding what it is that I want my role to be to help the team out. I know there is a lot of doubt in my game. That’s what happens when you haven’t stepped on the field and showed much. But that’s what makes me hungry.” Veteran status makes McFarland and Snell the early favorites. But it’s quite possible Pittsburgh adds talent to the backfield this summer.

Steelers RB Najee Harris expects to play less this season than he did as a rookie. “I will be on the field a lot — but on certain downs, I will not be on the field," Harris said. "Just (pick my spots), I guess. Extra rest. ... We’re still going to talk about that, though. I do want to play. A lot. … Any time I can. But at the same time, it’s all about being smart. So I understand where (Steelers offensive coaches) are coming from.” Harris led all RBs with 980 snaps and 381 total touches last year. So there's certainly room for Pittsburgh to scale back his workload. But with only Benny Snell and Anthony McFarland behind him on the depth chart, we wouldn't expect a big reduction in Harris' volume. He remains a good bet to finish among the top 5 in total touches, barring injury.

Bears HC Matt Eberflus talked up Justin Fields’ deep ball ability at OTAs. “I would say, ‘Man, he throws a good deep ball,’ ” Eberflus said. “I’m excited about that. And you could see it in the seven-on-seven and 11-on-11s, and we’re gonna take our shots down the field and, man, he does a nice job doing that. And that’s what stands out to me.” Fields wasn’t afraid to go deep last year, posting the league's 2nd highest intended air yards per attempt (33 qualifiers). A lack of weapons is troubling, but the arrival of Round 3 pick Velus Jones at least supplies another deep threat alongside Darnell Mooney.

Steelers RB Najee Harris is currently tipping the scales at 244 pounds, according to The Athletic's Mark Kaboly. "He’s all quads and hamstrings," Kaboly adds. Harris was 230 pounds at last year's Combine, so it's a significant gain. We tend to not like when RBs add weight, although it's less of a concern for a volume, power back like Harris. Still, we'll be keeping an eye on him this summer.

Steelers OC Matt Canada commented on rookie WR George Pickens. “He can go down the field, he can make plays, he goes up and gets the football… we were impressed with his hands -- all those things you like about a wideout,” Canada said. “But I think probably for me sitting here, I think that [returning from a torn ACL late last season] said a lot about his character. He wanted to be part of that team, he wanted to be part of that championship and he fought to come back.” Pickens declared himself 100% healthy earlier this month. His 2022 path to targets isn’t clear, but it's easy to see him carving out a decent-sized role as the season develops. He’s currently our WR90 in redraft.

Speaking at rookie OTAs, Steelers WR Calvin Austin said his weight fluctuates between 170-175 pounds. At 5’8 and even 175, he’ll likely struggle to see a full-time role — even a few years down the line. Pittsburgh also added Georgia WR George Pickens in Round 2, and he’ll join a strong top-2 of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. Johnson does enter a contract year, so Austin could be setup for a 2nd-year bump. Still, odds are, he’ll provide more real-life value than fantasy value. At Memphis, Austin returned 2 punts for scores on 29 opportunities.