Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers RB Jaylen Warren totaled 113 yards on 14 touches in Thursday night's win over the Titans. Four of his 14 touches went for 13+ yards, highlighted by a 22-yard near-TD in the fourth quarter. Warren's foot landed out of bounds just before he got the ball over the goal line. It was still a nice fantasy performance against a tough Titans run defense. Warren's 11 carries and 88 rushing yards were both season highs, but his 3 catches give him 3+ grabs in seven of eight games this season. He remains the 1B in this backfield behind Najee Harris, but Warren is getting enough work to be a RB3 or flex play, especially in PPR leagues. He gets a plus Week 10 matchup vs. the Packers before a tough draw against the Browns in Week 11.

Steelers WR George Pickens finished Thursday night's game vs. the Titans with negative-one yard. He caught two of his five targets -- the first for two yards and the other for a loss of three. Pickens failed to get his second foot in bounds for what should have been a relatively easy 12-yard TD in the third quarter. In his defense, one of the other misconnections was a sailed pass from QB Kenny Pickett on a crossing route for what could have gone for a big gain. But Pickens wasn't good in this one. And, more importantly, he was out-targeted nine to five by WR Diontae Johnson. That gives Johnson 23 targets over the last two weeks to Pickens' 10. So we're right back where we started, with Pickens as the No. 2 WR in a bad passing game. Consider him a risk/reward WR3 going forward.

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.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (hip) did not practice on Thursday. That follows a full practice on Wednesday. It's unclear if Metcalf just got the day or suffered a setback. Check back tomorrow to see how Metcalf is listed on the final injury report for Sunday's game vs. the Ravens.

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 WR George Pickens managed just 1 reception among 5 targets in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars. He did, at least, turn that catch into a 22-yard TD. Pickens saw just 1 target from Kenny Pickett before the QB left with a rib injury. That was eight fewer than WR Diontae Johnson's target total with Pickett. Mitchell Trubisky threw Pickens' way four times, though, just one fewer than he threw at Johnson. We wouldn't panic over Pickens' target count just yet. But we'll certainly be watching to see whether Johnson reclaims his role as clear top target.

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.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs, hip) put in a full week of practice and isn’t listed on the final Week 8 injury report. It looks like he’s ready to step back into his usual role vs. the Browns on Sunday.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs, hip) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice. That puts him on track to return for this weekend's game vs. the Browns. Assuming he stays full the rest of the week, Metcalf can be trusted in Week 8 fantasy lineups.

Steelers WR George Pickens hauled 5 of 8 targets for a team-leading 107 receiving yards in Week 7 vs. the Rams. Sunday also saw the return of veteran wideout Diontae Johnson after missing the last four games due to a hamstring injury. Johnson recorded 5 catches for 79 receiving yards in the contest. Though the Steelers’ passing game hasn’t been potent in 2023, the 65.2% target share that this duo received confirms where fantasy managers can look for points on this roster in Week 8 vs. the Jaguars, even if TE Pat Freiermuth returns from his hamstring injury.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs, hip) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Cardinals. That should mean target boosts for WRs Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba – and potentially TEs Noah Fant, Colby Parkinson, and Will Dissly. Jake Bobo figures to slide into a top-3 WR role.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (hip, ribs) remains a game-time decision for this afternoon's tilt with the Cardinals, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. "There are more concerns about his availability than there were the past two weeks," Schefter adds. We won't get Seattle's inactives until a little after 2:30 pm ET, making this a tricky situation for Metcalf owners. You need to have a late-game alternative rostered if you're hoping to start Metcalf. He'll obviously carry elevated risk if he does end up playing.

The Steelers have placed TE Pat Freiermuth on IR for the hamstring injury he aggravated in practice this week. That means Freiermuth will miss at least the next four games. Fortunately, though, Pittsburgh has already had its bye. Whether to dump Freiermuth for something else or wait for him to return will depend heavily on your situation. He's worth hanging on to in many cases, given how difficult it has been to land a quality fantasy TE this year. But Freiermuth is also averaging just 2 receptions and 13.3 yards through his four appearances so far, and has yet to exceed 4 targets in a game. So he's far from a must-hold.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs, hip) is listed as questionable for this weekend's game vs. the Cardinals. He only got in a limited practice on Friday, and HC Pete Carroll labeled him a game-time decision. Metcalf has been playing through the rib injury, so it's likely the hip injury he suffered last week that has him uncertain. It's worth noting that Metcalf did return to last week's game after hurting his hip. We'll look for further updates on his status, but we won't get Seattle's inactives until a little after 2:30 pm ET on Sunday.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) is officially out for Sunday's game vs. the Rams. He reinjured his hamstring on Thursday and is expected to miss more time beyond Week 7, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward have tag-teamed TE duties with Freiermuth out. Neither is a viable fantasy play. WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens should pick up more volume with Freiermuth out.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth reinjured his hamstring in Thursday's practice, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports. Freiermuth will miss this weekend's game vs. the Rams and "likely will be sidelined longer," per Pelissero. Freiermuth can be dropped in shallower fantasy leagues. His absence is good news for WRs Diontae Johnson and George Pickens' target shares.

Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf (ribs, hip) missed his second straight practice on Thursday. The team has been managing his practice reps due to the rib injury, so it's tough to know how big a concern the new hip injury is. Check back tomorrow for another update on Metcalf's status for Sunday's game vs. the Cardinals.

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) went from a full practice on Wednesday to a limited practice on Thursday. It's unclear if this is part of a maintenance plan, or if Freiermuth suffered a setback with that hammy. We'll get another update on his status tomorrow.