The Steelers have ruled S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) out for Sunday's game against the Bengals. It'll be his fourth straight game missed, and Fitzpatrick still has yet to return to practice since suffering the injury. With Keanu Neal on IR, Damontae Kazee looks like the only full-time Pittsburgh safety. Trenton Thompson (77%), Miles Killebrew (21%), and Elijah Riley (9%) all saw playing time at safety in the last game.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) will miss his third straight game. Pittsburgh has ruled him out again after another week of no practice. Pittsburgh has also ruled S Keanu Neal (rib) out for the game. That should leave Elijah Riley joining Damontae Kazee at safety in the starting lineup.
Steelers LB Kwon Alexander tore his left Achilles' tendon in Sunday's win over the Packers, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. That marks the second straight week Pittsburgh has lost a starting LB to a season-ending injury. It's the second career Achilles' tear for Alexander, who suffered the injury to his right leg back in December 2020. The veteran's on a one-year contract and will be 30 when next season begins. So this injury has a chance to end his career. We'll keep an eye on Alexander's comeback. But, unfortunately, he won't be worth keeping even in dynasty formats. Elandon Roberts should now emerge as the position's playing-time leader for Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have ruled S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) out for the second straight game Sunday against the Browns. That'll mean another start for Keanu Neal, who played 97% and 89% of defensive snaps the past two weeks. He has managed a just-OK 7 total tackles in each game. Neal sits in DB3 territory of our Week 10 rankings.
As feared, Steelers LB Cole Holcomb will miss the rest of the season with the left knee injury that knocked him out of Thursday night's win over the Titans. Details of the injury have yet to surface, but multiple reports say he'll need surgery and has been discharged from the hospital after staying over night. Holcomb's injury removes the team's lead LB and should mean more playing time for both Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts. It shouldn't mean much difference for the defense's overall performance. Pro Football Focus grades Roberts -- No. 3 in playing time among the trio to date -- slightly better than Holcomb in run defense. PFF also rates both Roberts and Alexander better in coverage and pass rushing. Holcomb has two more years on his contract, but the Steelers could dump him ahead of the 2024 season at a roughly $3.3 million hit in dead cap space.
Steelers LB Cole Holcomb left in the first half of Thursday night's game against the Titans with a left knee injury. He needed to be carted off. Afterward, play-by-play man Al Michaels called it an injury that didn't need to be shown again. Pittsburgh quickly ruled Holcomb out for the game, and this seems likely to be a season-ender. We'll watch for more details. Kwon Alexander and Elandon Roberts would lead the position if Holcomb is out. Roberts has topped 44% playing time just once through seven games. Alexander has played more, with five games of 54% snap share or more. But he has yet to reach 70% in a game. Alexander looks like the better bet for more playing time while Holcomb is out.
The Steelers have activated DL Cameron Heyward from IR. The veteran has been out since suffering a groin injury in Week 1 that required surgery. His return should boost a Pittsburgh run defense that has slipped to 14th in DVOA this season after ranking fifth in that category last year. Heyward, of course, is also a pass-rush asset at full strength. He tallied 20.5 sacks over the past two seasons and tied his career high with 23 QB hits at age 33 last year. It's tough to recommend playing Heyward in Week 9 IDP lineups after an eight-week layoff. We wouldn't be surprised if Pittsburgh brings him back at less than full playing time. But Heyward is worth stashing now in plenty of leagues for whenever he does get back to full use.
The Steelers have already ruled S Minkah Fitzpatrick out for Thursday night's game against the Titans, in the wake of his Sunday hamstring injury. Safeties Keanu Neal (97%) and Damontae Kazee (94%) each played season-high snap shares against the Jaguars and figure to be the top two against Tennessee. Neal -- who logged 7 solo tackles in the game -- is the better fantasy bet between them. Neither approaches Fitzpatrick's upside.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick injured his right hamstring in the first quarter against the Jaguars. The team quickly labeled him doubtful to return, which doesn't bode well for Fitzpatrick's Week 9 status. We'll certainly be watching for more updates.
Update: Pittsburgh downgraded him to out before the end of the first half.
Steelers DL Cameron Heyward returned to practice this week after being out since Week 1 with a core injury. He close out the week with a full Friday practice. Pittsburgh hasn't yet activated him from IR, though. Steelers Depot says he won't play against the Jaguars in Week 8. But the veteran appears to be trending toward a return by Week 9. Heyward's return could alter a Pittsburgh run defense that has played soft this season. We'll watch for further developments in his status.
Steelers Edge Alex Highsmith (groin) is active for today's game against the Ravens. He's fine to use as planned in IDP lineups.
Steelers Edge Alex Highsmith is questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens with a groin injury that popped up during the week. He missed Thursday's practice but returned to a limited Friday workout. Highsmith said Friday that he "absolutely" should be ready to play, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. We'll confirm his status Sunday morning.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick left Monday night's win over the Browns with a chest injury. He was ruled out before the end. We'll see about the severity, but that doesn't bode well for Week 3 at least.
Steelers DL Cameron Heyward is expected to land on IR for the groin injury he suffered in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, NFL Network reports. it's not yet clear how long Heyward will be out, and surgery remains an option. We'll watch for further updates, but you shouldn't plan to have Heyward available to your IDP lineup for the foreseeable future. We're not taking the veteran completely out of our rest-of-season rankings just yet. But he'll likely be droppable in most IDP formats. And you shouldn't look to the Steelers depth chart for a replacement. No Pittsburgh interior lineman played more than 63% of the snaps in the opener, with Larry Ogunjobi the leader.
Update: Heyward will have surgery and is expected to miss up to eight weeks, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Steelers DL Cameron Heyward left Sunday's loss to the 49ers with a groin injury. He tried to return but left again shortly thereafter and missed the rest of the game. We'll see about the severity heading into Week 2.
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.
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt has been upgraded for Sunday's game against the Ravens. Originally questionable with a rib issue, he now carries no injury designation. We already expected Watt to play, after he played through a questionable tag for the same injury last week. But this indicates he's healthier. As you set your IDP lineups, though, keep in mind that we haven't gotten the same Watt since he returned from IR. You'll find Watt lower in our Week 14 IDP rankings than he sat the previous few weeks.
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt (rib) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens. He played through the issue last week, so we'd bet on him doing so again. We'll confirm his status Sunday morning.
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt (ribs) is active for today's game against the Falcons. Use him as planned in IDP lineups.
Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt (ribs) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Falcons. He did manage limited practices throughout the week and seems likely to play. We'll check Watt's status Sunday morning -- barring some update before then.
Update: Steelers beat writer Nick Farabaugh of Pittsburgh Sports Now tweeted Friday: "Yeah, I think T.J. Watt will play."
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