Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers WR Calvin Austin said he’s healthy and a full participant in OTAs. The 24-year-old missed last year with a Lisfranc injury requiring surgery. Austin now figures to slot in as the WR4 behind Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Allen Robinson. But further decline from Robinson could supply Austin — an explosive slot —with more opportunities. He’s also competing for a role on returns.

According to Steelers beat writer Chris Adamski, TE Darnell Washington was “by all indications a full participant in all drills” at rookie minicamp. “He showed zero visible signs of any injury or hindrance,” Adamski added. Good to know. Recent reports pointed to knee concerns as the reason Washington dropped to Round 3 in April. But at least for now, he appears healthy. We remain uninterested in Washington as a TE3 in best ball leagues.

Bears QB Justin Fields has spent much of the offseason working on his footwork. “He’s been really working on that, really good — in terms of the quick pass, drop-back pass, movement passes," HC Matt Eberflus said. "And he’s really made some big strides in that area." Fields finished 7th among QBs in fantasy points per game last year, despite averaging just 150 passing yards per game on a 60.4% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt. If he takes a step forward as a passer this year, Fields has the upside to lead his position in fantasy scoring. Besides the improved footwork, the arrival of WR D.J. Moore is exciting.

Steelers TE Darnell Washington dropped in the draft due to medical concerns, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports. Fowler says teams were concerned with at least one of Washington's knees -- and some teams were concerned with both knees. It's a surprising report considering Washington didn't miss any games in college with knee trouble. (He missed 4 with a foot injury in 2021.) We'll look for more information on Washington's health. He, unfortunately, landed in a tough spot for fantasy value behind TE Pat Freiermuth in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers selected Georgia TE Darnell Washington in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Washington’s college numbers aren’t great; he topped out with 28-454-2 last season. But you have to at least take notice of a TE that averaged 16.2 yards per catch. Of course, playing alongside the best TE in the country — Brock Bowers — didn’t help boost production. Washington also goes a supersized 6’7, 264 pounds, so he was heavily utilized as a blocker. That figures to be a key part of his NFL role, especially alongside Pat Freiermuth. We’ll also have to keep an eye on Washington’s health following reports of knee trouble.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this offseason, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. The procedure addressed an issue "that had nagged [Wilson] for a few seasons," per Rapoport. Wilson has already resumed training since the surgery and is expected to be available for OTAs. We'll keep an eye on him the rest of the offseason, but it doesn't sound like this news will impact Wilson's 2023 campaign. The 34-year-old has missed five games over the last two years after playing in 144 straight regular-season games to open his career.

The Steelers have agreed to a three-year deal with LB Cole Holcomb, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The move should make Holcomb the playing-time leader among non-edge LBs in Pittsburgh. He showed that he can produce numbers with a top-10 fantasy finish among LBs in 2021. Holcomb lost half of last season to injury but still managed a top-30 ranking in points per game. He lands in a solid spot for statistical upside, though we'll see what else the Steelers add to a position of weakness.

TE Darnell Washington measured in at nearly 6’7 and 264 pounds at the NFL Combine. He recorded excellent marks in the broad jump (10 feet, 2 inches), short shuttle (4.08) and 40-yard dash (4.64). At his size, Washington is simply an athletic freak. While his production was lacking at Georgia, note that he played with the top TE in the nation (Brock Bowers). Expect Washington to come off the board as a top-50 pick.

"That's the plan right now," Bears GM Ryan Poles said from the Combine on Tuesday when asked if QB Justin Fields will be the team's 2023 starter. Chicago holds the 1st overall pick of this spring's draft -- and Poles said he's doing his homework on the QB class. But the most likely scenario has the Bears trading that 1st pick to a QB-hungry team. If you're drafting early best-ball teams, assume that Fields will be under center for the Bears this season.

After speaking with Bears HC Matt Eberflus, insider Albert Breer expects the team to do its due diligence on the 2023 QB class but ultimately trade the 1st overall pick and stick with QB Justin Fields for this coming season. "They love [Fields] as a leader. They love him as a person. ... The question is is he the right QB," Breer said on the Rich Eisen Show. "The great thing about the position they're in right now is that they can probably get something significant for the 1st pick and use whatever they get to put something great around Fields. ... We'll give Justin a better situation. We'll get a cleaner evaluation of Justin in 2023. And then in 2024 we'll either have our QB of the future in Justin Fields, or we'll have a high pick in a draft with [USC QB] Caleb Williams and [North Carolina QB] Drake Maye are gonna be coming out." We'll see how this situation plays out over the next few months leading up to April's draft, but it sounds like 2023 will be a make-or-break year for Fields in Chicago. He was obviously dominant as a runner this past season but averaged just 150 passing yards per game on a 60.4% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt. A better offensive line and better weaponry would certainly help his chances of improving as a passer in 2023. Regardless, Fields is a safe pick in early fantasy drafts because he'll be starting somewhere this coming season, whether it's Chicago or elsewhere.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth sprained an MCL in Sunday's finale vs. the Browns but won't need surgery, HC Mike Tomlin said. The injury shouldn't have much of an impact on Freiermuth's offseason. He finished his 2nd NFL campaign with a 63-732-2 line across 16 games, ranking 10th among TEs in PPR points per game.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth injured a knee in the 4th quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Browns and was quickly ruled out. That often portends a serious injury, but we'll update Freiermuth's status when we know more.

Bears QB Justin Fields will miss Week 18 with a hip injury. Per HC Matt Eberflus, an MRI showed a hip strain for the young QB. In his place, Chicago will roll out Nathan Peterman. The 28-year-old owns a career completion rate of 52.5% on 141 attempts. The Vikings defense figures to be a chalky option in DFS formats.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth logged 3 receptions on 6 targets for 36 yards, leading all pass-catchers in Week 17 vs. the Ravens. WR Diontae Johnson wasn't too far behind with 35 yards and 2 catches on 7 targets. Sunday's win came mainly through the efforts of the Steelers' rushing attack and defensive contributions. This game wasn't a banner day for anyone whose primary responsibility is catching the ball. Week 18 will give this group an opportunity to bounce back in a fairly neutral matchup vs. the Browns.

Steelers RB Najee Harris totaled 111 rushing yards on 22 carries in Sunday's win vs. the Ravens. Harris also contributed a pair of catches for 12 yards and 1 TD as a receiver in Week 17. Rookie RB Jaylen Warren was effective in spelling Harris, logging an additional 76 yards on 12 carries on the ground and 3 receptions for 22 yards through the air. Fantasy managers playing into Week 18 will be thrilled to start Harris in a plus matchup vs. the Browns next Sunday. The Browns' defense ranked 30th in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA entering Week 17 and didn't do much to stop Commanders RB Brian Robinson on Sunday.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson scored twice on the ground in Sunday's 3-point loss to the Chiefs. He totaled 27 rushing yards on 4 carries, including the TDs from 16 and 4 yards out. Wilson added 222 yards and a TD (plus an INT) passing, finding TE Albert Okwuegbunam for a 25-yard score. WR Jerry Jeudy led the team in targets (8) and catches (7) but collected just 38 yards. WR Courtland Sutton followed with a 4-44 receiving line on 6 looks. Denver closes out vs. the Chargers at home in Week 18.

Bears QB Justin Fields ran for 132 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss at Detroit. It was his 3rd game of more than 100 rushing yards this season. Fields stunk as a passer, though, completing just 7 of his 21 attempts for 75 yards, 1 TD and an INT. His lone score went to TE Cole Kmet, 1 of just 4 Bears to catch any passes. Kmet led the team with 27 yards on 2 catches. Fields also took 7 sacks for the game and lost a fumble. He'll get another upside matchup in Week 18 against the Vikings but will be tougher to trust after 2 straight poor outings -- in real and fantasy football terms.

The Broncos have fired HC Nathaniel Hackett, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. So Hackett doesn't even make it a full season in Denver. His tenure was a disaster from the start and ends with an embarrassing 51-14 loss to the Rams on Christmas. We'll see who the Broncos tab as their interim HC, but we doubt the move has much of a fantasy impact over the final 2 weeks of the season.

Update: Senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg has been named Denver's interim HC, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The 67-year-old has spent much of the last 2 decades as a special teams coordinator and has no head-coaching experience at any level.

Broncos QB Russell Wilson went just 15-of-27 passing for 214 yards in Sunday's lopsided loss to the Rams. He tossed 1 TD vs. 3 INTs and took 6 sacks in the game. Wilson gave way to QB Brett Rypien for the team's final 2 possessions (1 of which produced a Rams pick-6). We'd bet on Wilson returning to the lineup for Week 17 against the Chiefs but would hope to not have to use him in fantasy football lineups.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth tallied 7 catches for 66 yards among 8 targets in Saturday night's win over the Raiders. The numbers marked a big rebound from his target-less Week 15 at Carolina. It was Freiermuth's most targets and receptions since Week 11. The TE trailed only RB Najee Harris in targets for the game. WR Diontae Johnson added 5-64 receiving on 7 looks. WR George Pickens caught all 5 of his targets for 57 yards and the go-ahead TD. Pittsburgh gets a Week 17 rematch with Baltimore, which has played the run much tougher than the pass for most of the season.