Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

The Steelers' Week 1 QB depth chart reads: Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Kenny Pickett. HC Mike Tomlin hasn't announced his Week 1 starter, but it sure looks like it'll be Trubisky under center vs. Cincinnati. We're still expecting to see Pickett make multiple starts this season.

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 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 HC Mike Tomlin told CBS' Evan Washburn at halftime of Sunday's preseason finale that WR Diontae Johnson's shoulder injury is "minor." Tomlin added that Johnson might have been able to return if it was a regular-season game and that there's "no long term concern." Johnson carries a tad more risk until we get an official diagnosis on the shoulder injury, but it sure sounds like he avoided anything significant.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson left Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. He landed on his shoulder after making a downfield catch in the 1st quarter. In 2 weeks, Pittsburgh kicks off the regular season at Cincinnati.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin announced Friday that QB Mitchell Trubisky will start the preseason finale. He did not specify how much each QB will play in the game. This doesn't necessarily mean Trubisky will open the regular season as starter. But it would seem to make sense for the team to get a look at Kenny Pickett to open the game if it planned to put him behind center in Week 1. We're certainly betting on the 1st-round rookie taking over at some point this season, and we'll see about the Week 1 plan. Signs points to Pittsburgh opening with the vet, though.

The Steelers are happy with the progress QB Kenny Pickett has made over the past month. The rookie struggled early in camp but has been excellent in 2 preseason games, completing 86.4% of his passes with 3 TDs and 0 INT. “The thing that stood out with Kenny from the games is that it hasn’t been too big for him,” QBs coach Mike Sullivan said. “He has gone in and performed very well and not been overwhelmed by the circumstances and the situations and the pressure. Secondly, he has shown a knack, particularly in this second game, to have poise and anticipation. He made some throws with defenders right up in his face." Pickett might not be named Pittsburgh's Week 1 starter, but we're expecting him to take over before long. He's worth a look as a QB3 in Superflex leagues and 1-QB best-ball leagues.

Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett worked 2nd behind Mitchell Trubisky in Saturday's preseason game against the Jaguars, and he fared quite well. The 1st-round pick completed 6 of 7 passes for 76 yards and a go-ahead TD with time running out at the end of the 1st half. He logged a near-perfect 151.5 passer routing and worked with Pittsburgh's starting pass-catchers. HC Mike Tomlin seemed impressed afterward with Pickett driving the team for the late-1st-half TD. "It's probably who he is," Tomlin said, referring to Pickett's ability to perform under pressure. "I know he did it next door [in college]. He probably did it in high school, and he probably did it in little league. Some things, people are born with." Tomlin also said that he thought Trubisky "played well" and that the team needed to protect him better and run the ball more effectively to give a "fair evaluation" between the QBs. When asked whether there would be any movement on the QB depth chart, Tomlin declined to make any "knee-jerk reactions." From our vantage point, Pickett certainly seems to be building his case for taking over the job at some point this year -- even if he doesn't claim it by Week 1.

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.

The Athletic's Mark Kaboly lists Steelers QB Kenny Pickett among the team's training camp winners. The rookie got off to a slow start in camp but has evidently turned things around. "He’s been more consistent in practice, making quicker decisions," Kaboly writes. "And how can you not take into account what he did in his first preseason game? Now, he still won’t be the starter in Week 1 in Cincinnati, but he seems to be at the point where he can be trusted at the No. 2, and you couldn’t say that three weeks ago." Although QB Mitchell Trubisky remains the heavy favorite to open the season as Pittsburgh's starter, Pickett is still a strong bet to make starts.

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.

Steelers WR Anthony Miller is expected to be out "several months" with a shoulder injury, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. It sounds like Miller will miss the entire 2022 season. He was battling for a roster spot in Pittsburgh and wasn't on the redraft fantasy radar anyway. But it's probably safe to drop Miller from dynasty rosters if you're still hanging on.

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.

Steelers QB Kenny Pickett got the majority of 2nd-team reps in Monday's practice, the 1st since Pickett went 13-of-15 for 95 yards and 2 TDs in the preseason opener. OC Matt Canada said Monday's work was not a promotion, though, but rather part of the team's plan. “Yeah, we’ve got a system in place,” Canada told Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “Coach, we’ve had this thing mapped out since I don’t know when. We’ll continue to stay right on our plan and see where it goes.” Canada did add that performance can shake up the plan: "How you play does matter. I don’t act like we’re just going to stick to it no matter what happens. But we have a plan, and until something drastically changes it, we’re going to continue to methodically go through our plan as we see it." We'd still bet on Mitchell Trubisky opening the regular season as Pittsburgh's starter. But we'll see what the play of all 3 Pittsburgh QBs does to affect that.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin made it official Thursday by announcing that QB Mitchell Trubisky will start the preseason opener. He has been working as the lead QB throughout offseason practices and training camp, so this comes as no surprise. We'll see exactly how Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett work in behind Trubisky.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler believes Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky is the “clear favorite” to start Week 1. Fowler points out Trubisky’s improved play in recent practices. HC Mike Tomlin even admitted that Trubisky would start should the team need to play a game today. Meanwhile, Fowler writes that “there’s not much feeling” the Steelers will “rush” rookie Kenny Pickett into the starting lineup. With Mason Rudolph turning some heads in camp, this situation might eventually see all 3 guys making starts in 2022.

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.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson is dealing with a hip flexor injury, HC Mike Tomlin said Monday. Johnson, of course, had just returned to full-team work after getting his extension last Thursday. This injury doesn't sound significant, but we'll keep an eye on him.