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FANTASY FOOTBALL NEWS

Russell Wilson Will Start Week 1

By Jared Smola | Updated on Wed, Aug 28 2024 5:51 PM UTC
Russell Wilson Headshot

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.

2024 Fantasy Football Impact

Wilson wasn't exactly impressive this preseason, either. He completed 10 of 12 passes but averaged just 6.1 yards per attempt and was sacked three times on 15 dropbacks.

With a thin group of pass-catchers and OC Arthur Smith calling plays, the Steelers figure to be one of the run-heaviest offenses in the league. That makes Wilson a very uninspiring QB2 in fantasy football.

We'll see if he can play well enough to keep the starting job, but we're betting on Fields making starts at some point this season.

Neither guy is worth rostering in 1-QB redraft leagues.

Other Winners & Losers

Wilson remains a better passer than Fields at this point, so this is positive news for WR George Pickens and TE Pat Freiermuth.

Jared Smola Author Image
Jared Smola, Lead Analyst
Jared has been with Draft Sharks since 2007. He’s now Lead Analyst, heading up the preseason and weekly projections that fuel your Draft War Room and My Team tools. He currently ranks sixth among 158 analysts in draft rankings accuracy.
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