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Steelers WR George Pickens (hamstring) is out for Saturday's game vs. the Ravens. He remained sidelined in practice all week, leaving him uncertain for Week 17. TE Pat Freiermuth is the only member of Pittsburgh's passing game that should be in fantasy lineups this week.
Steelers WR George Pickens (hamstring) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Eagles. He didn’t practice all week. Reportedly dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, Pickens is not a lock to make it back for Week 16. Pittsburgh’s WRs are hands-off in fantasy football against a stout Philadelphia secondary. TE Pat Freiermuth gets a boost with Pickens out.
Steelers WR George Pickens reportedly has a Grade 2 Hamstring strain and will likely miss next week's game against the Eagles. Pickens missed yesterday's game against the Browns as a game-time decision, but the injury appears to be more severe than describing this week.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth caught one of Russell Wilson's two TD passes in Sunday's win over the Browns. Freiermuth caught three total passes for 48 yards among 3 targets.
Steelers WR George Pickens (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Browns. Reports on his status for this one were positive this morning, but Pickens’ pregame workout must not have gone well. His absence leaves a huge hole in Pittsburgh’s passing game. Pickens has accounted for 24% of the team's targets, 24% of the receptions, 32% of the receiving yards, and 30% of the receiving TDs since QB Russell Wilson took over. WRs Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, and Mike Williams could all pick up extra targets, along with TEs Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. But we’ll also likely see the Steelers lean even more on the run game. Russell Wilson is not a recommended QB1 play with Pickens out.
The Bengals defense can make everyone look like a star. Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth caught six of seven team-leading targets for 68 yards and a TD. The TE was heavily involved in the short passing game this week.
The forecast for tonight's Steelers-Browns game calls for temperatures just above freezing, 85% chance of precipitation, and winds of 15-20 mph with gusts of 25-30 mph. That's ugly. Expect an even run-heavier game plan from the Steelers than usual and for the Browns to run more than they typically do. And don't expect many points. This game has 36.5-point over/under. We'd avoid both QBs and kickers in the game and downgrade the WRs. See where all the Steelers and Browns sit in the updated Week 12 Rankings.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth tied his season low with a 58% snap share in Sunday's win over the Ravens. That matched his low set back in Week 2, but it also matched his snap share for Week 10. Freiermuth's playing time has been falling recently, from a Week 6 peek of 87%, to 71%, then 65%, and the 58% of the past two weeks. He has now tied or trailed TE Darnell Washington in snaps for two straight games.
Steelers QB Russell Wilson is receiving the first-team reps at practice this week, putting him in line to start Sunday night's game vs. the Jets. Justin Fields has been the QB for the first six weeks and helped Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record, but Wilson will now get his shot.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (calf) is not listed on the final injury report for this weekend’s game vs. the Raiders. He was added to the injury report on Thursday but put in a full practice on Friday, so the calf shouldn’t be an issue. Freiermuth has finished as a top-15 fantasy TE in all five weeks so far.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth was added to Thursday's injury report as limited with a calf. That typically means the player was injured in practice. Freiermuth's availability for this weekend's game vs. the Raiders is now in question. Check back tomorrow for an update on his status.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth caught five of seven targets for 57 yards in Sunday's loss to the Colts, ranking second on the team in each of those categories. He also snagged Pittsburgh's only TD pass from 8 yards out late in the fourth quarter. It was Freiermuth's first TD since Week 3 of last season.
Steelers QB Russell Wilson (calf) is inactive for today’s opener vs. the Falcons. He was pushing to play, but the team will hold him out after he aggravated his calf injury in practice this week. QB Justin Fields gets the start for Pittsburgh and is a more exciting fantasy option than Wilson. But Fields dings the fantasy value of the Steelers’ skill-position players. See where they all sit in the Week 1 Rankings.
Steelers QB Justin Fields is "more likely" than QB Russell Wilson to start Sunday's opener vs. the Falcons, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says. A final decision on Wilson's status hasn't yet been made, Rapoport adds. Wilson is scheduled to go through a workout on Saturday. But Rapoport notes that Wilson didn't do much in Friday's practice, while Fields took all the first-team reps.
Steelers QB Russell Wilson (calf) is listed as questionable for this weekend’s opener vs. the Falcons. He experienced discomfort with his troublesome calf on Thursday and was limited again in Friday’s practice.
Steelers QB Russell Wilson will start against the Falcons in Week 1, according to Fox Sports' Jay Glazer. Wilson missed a chunk of August with a calf injury, which seemingly cracked the door open for QB Justin Fields to steal the starting job. But Fields underwhelmed in the preseason. So Pittsburgh will go with Wilson at least for the opener.
ESPN's Adam Schefter believes Justin Fields has gained some ground on Russell Wilson in the race for the Steelers' starting QB job. Fields has "gotten better at practice every day," per Schefter, while Wilson missed a few days with his calf injury. "I think Russell Wilson remains in the pole position, but I also think that Justin Fields has opened some eyes, and they see the type of offense they could have," Schefter said.
The Athletic's Mark Kaboly named Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth one of the team's winners coming out of spring workouts. "Nobody performed better and more consistently for four weeks than Freiermuth," Kaboly wrote. "He had an instant connection with Russell Wilson and came across as a potential playmaker in Arthur Smith’s tight-end-heavy offense. ... Freiermuth might not have dropped a pass all month, and he’s talented enough to take a short pass and turn it into something big. Entering his fourth season, it’s the best he has looked."
The Panthers acquired WR Diontae Johnson and a seventh-round pick from the Steelers in exchange for CB Donte Jackson and a sixth-rounder, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. It's a relatively cheap price to pay for a guy with 332 catches over the past four seasons. Johnson's production has largely been volume-based, though. His 6.7 yards per target over those last four years ranks 67th among 71 WRs with 200+ total targets during that stretch. Johnson didn't rank better 23rd in yards per route in any of those seasons. That said, he immediately becomes the Panthers' clear No. 1 WR. And Carolina figures to throw it a bunch more than the Arthur Smith-led Steelers. QB play is a concern, of course, after Bryce Young's ugly rookie season. But the move is still a win for Johnson's 2024 fantasy value. In Pittsburgh, meanwhile, George Pickens will likely get a crack at No. 1 WR duties. The Steelers will certainly be adding to the WR corps this offseason, though. And Arthur Smith's run-heavy offense will keep Pickens' upside capped.
The Steelers are set to hire Arthur Smith as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Smith, of course, is coming off a baffling and underwhelming three-year tenure as Falcons HC, compiling a 21-30 record and oftentimes mismanaging his offensive talent. Smith, though, was much more successful as Titans OC in 2019 and 2020. Both of those teams ranked top-12 in both total yards and points, leaning on RB Derrick Henry to finish top-3 in rushing yards both years. We'd expect Smith to bring a run-heavy offense to Pittsburgh -- especially considering the team's questions at QB.
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