Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren went 16-31-2 against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9. Warren also caught both of his targets for -2 yards. His measly 1.9 yards per carry didn’t help the Steelers offense much, but he was able to punch in two short scores near the goal line.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin (shoulder) put in a full week of practice and is off the final injury report. He’ll be back as the No. 2 WR for Sunday night’s game against the Packers but would be a desperation fantasy start.

Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers accounted for all four of the team's TDs in Thursday night's loss to the Bengals. He extended a play (with surprising mobility for a 41-year-old!) to find TE Jonnu Smith in the end zone from 10 yards out in the first quarter. Rodgers later found TE Pat Freiermuth on a vintage anticipatory seam shot for a 19-yard score in the third quarter. His third score went to TE Darnell Washington from two yards out. Then Rodgers gave Pittsburgh a short-lived 31-30 lead in the fourth quarter, again buying extra time before finding Freiermuth deep downfield for a 68-yard TD. Rodgers finished with 249 yards, the four TDs, and two INTs.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth exploded for 111 yards and two TDs in Thursday night's loss to the Bengals. His first score came on a perfectly timed throw from QB Aaron Rodgers down the seam from 19 yards out. Freiermuth did well to absorb contact and hang on to the ball in the end zone. The second TD was a 68-yarder on a coverage bust by Cincinnati's secondary. Rodgers bought extra time, rolled to his left and found Freiermuth some 40 yards downfield. Freiermuth made the grab and rumbled into the end zone to give Pittsburgh a short-lived 31-30 lead with 2:21 left.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren carried 16 times for 127 yards in Thursday night's loss to the Bengals. It was the second-most carries and second-most rushing yards of his career. Warren added another 31 yards on four catches, tying for third on the team with five targets (15% share). Warren consistently found big running lanes off tackle. He had a long run of 37 yards and three other runs of 10+ yards.

Steelers S DeShon Elliott has arrived in Cincinnati and had his "questionable" tag removed for Thursday night's game against the Bengals, according to multiple reports. Elliott didn't travel with the team because his was tending to a personal matter, but he's ready to go and should be in IDP lineups as planned.

Steelers S DeShon Elliott is not traveling with the team to Cincinnati for the Thursday night game because of a personal matter. Pittsburgh still lists him as questionable for the game, though, indicating he could still arrive separately Thursday and be ready to play.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin (shoulder) is out for Thursday night's game vs. the Bengals. Scott Miller finished second among Pittsburgh WRs with a 48% route rate with Austin out last week. The Steelers went with a bunch of two and three-TE sets with Jonnu Smith, Darnell Washington, and Pat Freiermuth. Those guys are worth considering in one-game daily contests but shouldn't be in season-long fantasy lineups.

Steelers Rookie RB Kaleb Johnson went 6-15-0. The stat line was uninspiring, but Johnson did receive the same number of carries as backup RB Kenneth Gainwell. Three of Johnson’s carries came in the fourth quarter, but his other three were sprinkled in throughout the first half. He certainly isn’t usable yet, but the Steelers may continue to ramp Johnson up and give him touches.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin (shoulder) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Browns. WRs Ben Skowronek, Scotty Miller, and Roman Wilson are candidates to pick up extra snaps. But none is a viable Week 6 fantasy play.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren (knee) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report for Sunday’s game vs. the Browns. Warren got workhorse usage when we last saw him in Week 3, but RB Kenneth Gainwell might have earned a bigger role with his impressive Week 4. We’ll look for any reports on what the backfield might look like this weekend. For now, we’re treating Warren as a low-end RB2 and Gainwell a RB3 or Flex play.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren (knee) put in a full practice on Wednesday. He'll be back for this weekend's game vs. the Browns. Warren was a workhorse when we last saw him back in Week 3. But RB Kenneth Gainwell exploded for 134 total yards and two scores with Warren out in Week 4. We'll have to see if that earned Gainwell a bigger piece of this backfield. The duo gets a tough draw this weekend against Cleveland's top-ranked RB defense.

Steelers Edge Alex Highsmith says he hopes to be ready to play Sunday against the Browns. Highsmith has been out with a high ankle sprain since Week 2 but plans to ramp up his practice participation this week.

Steelers RB Kenneth Gainwell took over the starting RB duties with Jaylen Warren out this week with a calf injury. Gainwell proved effective with a 19-99-2 rushing stat line while also catching all six of his targets for 35 yards. He was surprisingly efficient averaging 5.2 yards per carry, carving up the Vikings defense.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin was knocked out of this morning game vs. the Vikings with a shoulder injury. He reportedly left the stadium in an ambulance with his arm in a sling. We’ll update Austin’s status when we know more, but it certainly sounds like this injury will cost him time.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren (knee) is inactive for this morning’s game vs. the Vikings in Dublin. It’s a surprise after he got in three limited practices this week and was expected to play. Warren’s absence leaves Kenneth Gainwell, Kaleb Johnson, and Trey Sermon in Pittsburgh’s backfield. Pittsburgh has not trusted Johnson with many snaps so far, while Sermon was just elevated from the practice squad. That leaves Gainwell as the favorite to operate as lead back. He’s a viable RB3 or Flex play in Week 4 fantasy lineups. We'll see if Johnson can build any momentum in this one. He remains worth stashing in fantasy leagues of 12+ teams.

Update: ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Warren "did not feel right after Saturday’s practice and the Steelers decided to hold him out today." NFL Network's Ian Rapoport adds that Warren suffered this knee injury in practice this week. He gets a well-timed Week 5 bye. We'll see if he can make it back for Week 6.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren (knee) is expected to play vs. the Vikings on Sunday morning, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Schefter notes that Pittsburgh elevated RB Trey Sermon from the practice squad, but the team did that last week, too. It seemingly has more to do with the distrust in RB Kaleb Johnson than Warren's knee. Warren can stay penciled into Week 4 fantasy lineups. We'll get the Steelers' inactives around 8 am ET tomorrow.

Steelers TE Jonnu Smith (hip) is questionable for Sunday morning’s game vs. the Vikings in Dublin. He got in limited practices on Thursday and Friday. Smith was a shaky TE1 even before this injury, but his absence would turn TE Pat Freiermuth into a potential low-end spot starter.

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday morning’s game vs. the Vikings in Dublin. Warren got in three limited practices this week, so we’re expecting him to play. If not, Kenneth Gainwell would be the best bet for touches in Pittsburgh’s backfield, while Kaleb Johnson might be forced to get involved. We’ll keep you updated on Warren’s status.

Steelers WR D.K. Metcalf caught 3 of 4 targets for 32 yards and a TD in the team’s win over the Patriots. The Patriots' No. 1 CB Christian Gonzalez was out for the game, but Metcalf still didn’t dominate. QB Aaron Rodgers only threw the ball 23 times in the victory, limiting receiving opportunities.