Steelers RB Jaylen Warren is in for more work in the running game vs. the Raiders on Sunday night, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. RB Najee Harris is "still very much a big part of their plans," Garafolo adds. We'll see exactly how this backfield shakes out tonight. Harris and Warren sit close to each other in RB3 territory in the Week 3 Rankings.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is questionable for this weekend’s game vs. the Lions. He was added to the injury report and did not practice on Thursday, before returning to a limited practice on Friday. We’ll get Atlanta’s inactives around 11:30 am on Sunday, but Patterson shouldn’t be in your Week 3 fantasy plans.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that RB Jaylen Warren deserves more touches going forward. He racked up 86 yards on 10 touches in Monday night's win over the Browns, while Najee Harris totaled 44 yards on his 11 touches. "You know, he's just making plays when given the opportunity," Tomlin said of Warren. "And I think that's a reasonable expectation. There's a guy that did similar things as a young guy a year ago and as a rookie and has done some really good things in the team development process. And so, it's probably a natural maturation process for it to transpire in stadium, and it's probably a natural maturation process for us to give him more opportunities for it to transpire in stadium." You'll find Harris and Warren extremely close in our Rest-of-Season RB Rankings.
Steelers WR George Pickens stepped up without teammate Diontae Johnson (hamstring) in the lineup, tallying 4 catches for 127 yards and a TD on a team-leading 10 targets vs. the Browns. No other Steelers’ wideout registered more than a pair of receptions. Given the poor QB play that Kenny Pickett has brought to the table to open 2023, relying on receiving production from anyone on this roster is a challenge. Even so, Pickens displayed his big-play ability with a 71-yard TD tonight and will be worth the gamble again in Week 3 vs. the Raiders.
Steelers RB Najee Harris ended Week 2 with 10 carries for 43 rushing yards vs. the Browns. Teammate Jaylen Warren logged 20 rushing yards on 6 carries in addition to hauling 4 catches on 6 targets for 66 yards as a receiver. Most of Harris' yardage came on two runs in the third quarter. He was otherwise stuffed at the line throughout the contest. The Steelers are still splitting the workshare between Harris and Warren fairly evenly (13 and 12 touch opportunities, respectively). Still, it isn't easy to justify relying on either for fantasy production. Warren presents a modest upside in half or full-PPR formats in Week 3 vs. the Raiders.
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.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson is inactive for today’s game vs. the Packers. He was left off the final injury report, so this is a healthy scratch. It’s good news for RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (chest) practiced all week and isn't listed on the final injury report for Monday night's game vs. the Browns. He should be leaned on more heavily with WR Diontae Johnson out.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final injury report. He’ll make his 2023 debut vs. the Packers on Sunday. Patterson isn’t a viable fantasy option, but we’ll see how much work he steals from RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (chest) got in a limited practice on Thursday. He was in and out of last week's game with this chest injury but should be available for Monday night's meeting with the Browns.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. He's on track to make his 2023 debut vs. the Packers this weekend. Patterson isn't a viable fantasy option but figures to steal at least a few touches from RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
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.
Broncos QB Russell Wilson played OK in his first game under new HC Sean Payton. He was efficient but conservative, completing 79.4% of his passes at only 5.2 yards per attempt. He didn't turn it over and tossed TDs to WRs Courtland Sutton and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Wilson spread the ball around to 10 different pass-catchers, with none of them catching more than five balls. He was playing without WR Jerry Jeudy and lost TE Greg Dulcich in-game to a leg injury. We'll see when those guys return, but don't expect to see Wilson close to the top 12 in our Week 2 Rankings in a matchup vs. the Commanders.
Bears QB Justin Fields posted 24 completions on 37 attempts for 216 passing yards with 1 TD and 1 INT in Sunday’s loss vs. the Packers. The speedster also added 59 yards on 9 carries with a lost fumble in the contest. It’s too early in the season to declare the Bears’ experiment of supporting Fields’ passing a failure, though fantasy managers didn’t see much evidence of a step forward in Week 1. It certainly wasn't for a lack of passing volume, either. Their big offseason acquisition, WR D.J. Moore, recorded just 2 catches for 25 yards. Fields will have a chance to bounce back in Week 2 vs. the Buccaneers, a team that surrendered the second-most passing yards (344) in the NFL on Sunday.
Steelers RB Najee Harris recorded 6 attempts for 31 rushing yards in Week 1 vs. the 49ers. He also added a pair of catches for 2 yards as a receiver in the loss. Teammate Jaylen Warren received 3 carries for 6 yards and caught 5 of 6 targets for 12 yards. The Steelers split the backfield touch opportunities fairly evenly (Harris with 8, Warren with 9) on Sunday, though neither player was particularly strong. It’s also worth mentioning that Harris ran 24 receiving routes to Warren’s 19, so the usage still skews a little bit in the direction of the former first-round NFL draft pick. The duo will have an opportunity to rebound against the Browns in Week 2 on Monday night.
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.
Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth is questionable to return to Sunday's game vs. the 49ers with a chest injury. We'll update his status when we know more.
Update: Freiermuth returned to the game.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Panthers. That leaves a few touches behind for RBs Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says Steelers RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris "could split carries" vs. the 49ers today. "Najee Harris is going to be the starter, getting the first- and second-down snaps. Jaylen Warren third-down snaps," Rapoport adds. "But Warren is expected to get a little more of the first- and second-down snaps than usual." We've heard conflicting reports on this backfield all summer, so it'll be nice to actually get a look at it today. We'd still try to keep Warren on fantasy benches; Harris is a low-end RB2 in a tough matchup vs. San Francisco.
Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s opener vs. the Panthers. He was limited in practice all week. Patterson shouldn’t be in your Week 1 fantasy plans, but his absence would be a slight boost for RB Bijan Robinson.
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