J.J. Watt reports that the injury to his little brother's knee isn't as bad as originally feared. He says Steelers Edge T.J. Watt sustained a mere Grade 2 sprain to his left MCL. That could still knock the younger Watt out of Pittsburgh's playoff opener. But it gives him a better chance to play than previous reports or a tear or Grade 3 sprain. We'll see about Watt's status heading into Wild Card weekend.
Steelers RB Jaylen Warren saw a diminished workload in Week 18 vs. the Ravens. The second-year back tallied 33 rushing yards on 9 carries, along with 5 catches for 17 yards as a receiver in the contest. Though he played second fiddle on Saturday, Warren posted very solid production this season (nine games of 10+ PPR points) in a near-50/50 workshare with teammate Najee Harris. Warren also logged nearly twice as many targets (74) as Harris (38) in 2023, further solidifying himself as the preferred option in the Pittsburgh backfield for managers in half- or full-PPR formats. Look for him to continue yielding high-end RB3/low-end RB2 level value in 2024.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Steelers believe Edge T.J. Watt suffered a Grade 3 sprain to his left MCL in Saturday's win over the Ravens. Watt reportedly wanted to re-enter the game after sustaining the injury, but the team would not let him. He'll have further testing to confirm what is typically a multi-week injury. If the Steelers make the playoffs -- they need some help Sunday -- we'll see whether Watt can return for the opener.
Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that it's believed to be an MCL tear. That would seem to make Watt unlikely to play in the playoffs, if Pittsburgh qualifies.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) is inactive for today's game against the Ravens. LB Elandon Roberts (pec) is active.
The Steelers list S Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and LB Elandon Roberts (pec) as questionable for Saturday's game against the Ravens. Each guy remained limited in practice all week and will carry some risk even if active. We'll check their statuses ahead of Saturday's kickoff.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and LB Elandon Roberts (pec) put in limited practices Wednesday. It marked the first workout for Fitzpatrick since he left Week 15 with the injury. Roberts also practiced for the first time since leaving Week 16 early. We'll see whether the defensive starters are ready to play Saturday against the Ravens.
Steelers RB Najee Harris eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the first time in 2023 on Sunday vs. the Seahawks. He accumulated 122 rushing yards with 2 TDs on 27 carries. With one more regular-season game remaining, Harris is set to put forth his third-consecutive season of at least 1,000 rushing yards and 7 rushing TDs. But he has also continued to see a dropoff in fantasy output (10.4 PPR points per game in 2023 vs. 13.1 in 2022, 17.7 in 2021), which directly correlates to a decrease in his role. Teammate Jaylen Warren has turned the Steelers’ backfield into a near-50/50 split, and Harris went from an average of 5.5 targets per game as a rookie to just 2.1 this season. He’ll enter his age-26 season in 2024, the final year of his rookie contract. We'll find out this spring whether Pittsburgh will exercise Harris' fifth-year option. We'd bet against the team guaranteeing $8.5 million in 2025 salary to do so ($10 million if Harris makes the Pro Bowl this year). For 2024, expect a continued timeshare and RB3-level status in dynasty formats.
Steelers WR George Pickens paid off again, hauling in 7 catches on 9 targets for 131 receiving yards and a TD in Week 17 vs. the Seahawks. The second-year wideout’s efforts mark the fifth time this season that he’s surpassed the 100-yard mark and the fourth instance in which Pickens totaled 20+ PPR points per game. His big-play upside has been clear. But the QB play has been poor, and Pickens has struggled to find regularly strong target shares. A QB change could boost Pickens' dynasty value. For now, it’s appropriate to treat him as a low-end WR3.
Bears QB Justin Fields completed 20 of 38 passes for 268 yards and a TD in Sunday’s win vs. the Falcons. He also ran for a score and tallied 45 rushing yards on 11 carries in the contest. Though he missed 4 games due to a thumb injury, Fields ranks second among QBs in rushing yards (630) through Week 17 and helped fantasy managers with seven top-12 weekly finishes in four-point per passing TD scoring in that span. It’s evident that he can be a difference-making player, but the largest question looming over him this offseason is still whether or not he’ll be the Bears’ QB in next season. Chicago holds the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and could opt to either part ways with Fields or continue to build the offense around him. It’s reasonable to view him as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2 in dynasty at this stage, though we’ll be anxiously awaiting clarity surrounding his future. Where he suits up next year will have a sizable influence on how he’s viewed moving forward.
Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick will miss a second straight game with his knee injury. He has yet to practice since sustaining the injury. This will be the sixth missed game among the past nine for Fitzpatrick, leaving a severely depleted safety corps to face the Seahawks. Eric Rowe started in Fitzpatrick's place last week, collecting 7 tackles (3 solo) and an INT against the Bengals. He's still tough to use in Week 18 IDP lineups after just one start.
Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports that Broncos QB Russell Wilson expects to be cut in March. Wilson has reportedly known for nearly two months that Denver planned to move on after the season. The team reportedly told him a benching would come at some point if he refused to defer the injury guarantee that's been reported as a key to Wilson's benching. Clearly he refused. Wilson has played better than last year. And at 35, he's likely to find another home. Will he get another starting gig? We'll see. The Broncos, meanwhile, have no long-term answer. (It's not Jarrett Stidham.) They currently hold the 14th overall pick in Round 1, then no Round 2 selection.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Broncos will be benching QB Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham for the season's final two games. You might remember Stidham playing the same role last year for the Raiders, who benched Derek Carr. And the reasoning on Wilson looks the same. Wilson is already guaranteed $39 million for 2024, but another $37 million would become guaranteed if Wilson can't pass a physical in March. So the Broncos don't appear to be done with Wilson like the Raiders were with Carr. Rather, they're trying to maintain some "financial flexibility," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Even if they'd like to trade Wilson, his contract basically prevents such a move. According to Spotrac, Denver would absorb $85 million in dead cap by unloading Wilson. So expect him to be the 2024 starter. As for the final two weeks of this year, Stidham will likely present a passing downgrade. WR Courtland Sutton has been just about the only usable piece for most fantasy football leagues lately, though. His injury leaves Jerry Jeudy as the expected Week 17 target leader. You'll find him low in WR3 territory in our Week 17 rankings.
Steelers RB Najee Harris tallied 19 carries for 78 rushing yards and a TD in Week 16 vs. the Bengals. His teammate Jaylen Warren also saw a healthy amount of involvement, totaling 8 carries for 24 yards with 5 catches for 30 receiving yards on the contest. He also tied for the team lead in targets (6) on Saturday with WR George Pickens. The Pittsburgh duo will again be worth starting as flex options in Week 16 going up against a fairly neutral Seahawks front (14th-best RB matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed).
Steelers WR George Pickens hauled in 4 of 6 targets for 195 receiving yards and 2 TDs vs. the Bengals in Week 16. His yardage in Saturday’s contest ranks as the third-highest single-game total in 2023 to date and also marks the fourth time this season that Pickens has exceeded 100 receiving yards. The second-year wideout has struggled to find consistency all season, though it’s possible he and QB Mason Rudolph will be able to build upon their newfound rapport in Week 17 vs. the Seahawks (13th-best WR matchup per our adjusted fantasy points allowed). Pickens will be worth considering as a WR3/flex option.
The Steelers announced Thursday that DL Cameron Heyward has cleared the concussion protocol. Rather than publicly ponder whether Pittsburgh's concussion process should get league review after Heyward, T.J. Watt, and Alex HIghsmith all cleared in time for the game following their injuries ... we'll just go ahead and get Heyward into the Week 16 DL rankings. He's a decent IDP option against a Bengals team that did allow him a sack last time. But Heyward hasn't generated more than 2 pressures in a game this year. He's a solid bet for tackles -- including a tackle for loss -- but a less-good bet for sack production.
Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said Monday that S Minkah Fitzpatrick will miss Saturday's game against the Bengals with the knee injury that knocked him out of the Week 15 loss to the Colts. Trenton Thompson filled in and led Pittsburgh safeties in playing time in a game that also saw S Damontae Kazee ejected. CB Patrick Peterson also shifted over to safety for most of the game. Tomlin on Monday mentioned Eric Rowe and Elijah Riley as potential safety help for Week 16. The group is likely not worth your attention for IDP purposes this week. You can find a steadier option.
Update: The NFL has suspended Kazee for the rest of the season for "repeated violations of playing rules intended to protect the health and safety of players," according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. That leaves Pittsburgh without its top two current safeties, with Keanu Neal also not ready to return from IR.
The Steelers placed DL Cameron Heyward in the concussion protocol after Saturday's loss to the Colts. That'll challenge his availability for next Saturday's matchup with the Bengals. We'll watch Heyward's progress through the week.
The Steelers didn’t get much going in their 30-13 loss vs. the Colts in Week 15, but their backfield situation is starting to take an interesting turn. RB Jaylen Warren (10 carries, 40 rushing yards) appeared on a season-high 68.9% of the offensive snaps on Saturday and out-touched teammate Najee Harris 15 to 12. On top of that, the second-year back led the Steelers in receptions (5) and ranked second on the team in targets (6). Warren had appeared on no greater than 52% of the snaps at any point this season before Saturday, so the fact that Pittsburgh went away from the typical 50-50 RB split is highly notable. The Steelers’ remaining schedule ranks 10th-best for RBs per our adjusted fantasy points allowed. Warren stands to be a solid mid-tier RB2 should this trend continue.
Steelers RB Najee Harris (knee) is not listed on the final injury report for Saturday’s game vs. the Colts. He was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday. That knee shouldn't limit Harris this weekend.
Steelers Edge Alex Highsmith has cleared the concussion protocol. The team says he's expected to play Saturday against the Colts. With T.J. Watt clearing the protocol earlier this week, Pittsburgh's defense will have both edge starters back the game after they sustained their injuries against New England.
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