Steelers WR George Pickens played just 34 of the team's 58 offensive snaps in Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys. HC Mike Tomlin said afterward that it was merely a load-management move.
Steelers WR Roman Wilson (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons. He got in three limited practices this week, so he has a good chance to make his NFL debut in Week 2. Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin figure to operate as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 and 3 WRs in the opener, but neither is a viable fantasy play.
Steelers WR Roman Wilson is considered "week-to-week" with the ankle injury he suffered in Tuesday's practice, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "He could miss some time, but the injury does not appear serious," Fowler adds. It's relatively good news after Wilson had to be carted back to the locker room.
Steelers WR Calvin Austin has impressed throughout the offseason, from OTAs to minicamp, and is now in training camp. He has shown his versatility by playing inside and outside and running a variety of routes. He appears to be the second-best WR on the team since the start of the year.
Coming out of OTAs, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic says that he'd call Van Jefferson the Steelers' No. 2 WR "right now." He added that the answer certainly isn't clear yet. "To be honest, you can throw [Quez] Watkins, [Cordarrelle] Patterson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, Marquez Callaway and Denzel Mims in there as well," Kaboly writes. Notably, he didn't include Round 3 rookie Roman Wilson in that group. Kaboly also says he expects the team to "add a legit No. 2" before the start of the regular season.
Steelers WR George Pickens led the team in receiving with 75 yards and 4 catches in Week 3’s win vs. the Raiders. Second-year wideout Calvin Austin III had a nice performance as well, hauling in 2 of 6 targets with a 72-yard TD. Fantasy managers also saw a bounce back from TE Pat Freiermuth in the contest. He totaled 3 catches for 41 yards and a score on Sunday night. This is the best that the Steelers’ passing offense has looked all season. Still, we’re not going to get overly excited about this one, given the poor state of the offense. We’ll see if this unit can build upon their achievements in Week 4 vs. the Texans.
The Steelers announced on Monday that WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is being placed on IR. The veteran wideout will now miss at least the next 4 games of the season. Johnson sustained this injury during the second half of Week 1 vs. the 49ers and didn't return to the contest. He also hadn't participated in practice at any point this week leading up to the Steelers' Week 2 primetime game vs. the Browns. Without Johnson in tow, the Steelers will look to see increased efforts from WRs Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin. Neither player is worth considering in most 10 or 12-team formats, though they are decent speculative deeper league adds. Expect to see a small bump in responsibility for TE Pat Freiermuth to supplement Johnson's contributions as a lower aDOT player in the Steelers' offense.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday night's game vs. the Browns. Insider Gerry Dulac reported earlier this week that Johnson is expected to miss four weeks, although he hasn't been placed on IR. That means the Steelers think Johnson has a chance to be back before four weeks. WR George Pickens was added to the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring and limited in practice. But he has no game designation, so he's expected to play vs. Cleveland. Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin will be Pittsburgh's top three WRs with Johnson out.
Steelers insider Gerry Dulac hears that WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss four weeks with his hamstring injury. If that's the case, we could see Johnson land on IR on Saturday. He's still worth keeping stashed on fantasy benches. Johnson's absence opens up opportunity for WRs George Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin, plus TE Pat Freiermuth.
Steelers WR Diontae Johnson logged 3 catches on 6 targets for 48 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss vs. the 49ers. He looked to be on his way to leading the team in receiving prior to a third-quarter hamstring injury that saw him exit the contest for good. TE Pat Freiermuth caught a 3-yard TD at the end of the first half (his only catch on 4 targets) before being forced out of the game due to a chest injury. It’ll be vital for fantasy managers to stay on top of the injury reports this week in case either play misses Week 2 vs. the Browns. WRs Calvin Austin III (6 catches, 37 yards) and Allen Robinson (5 catches, 64 yards) both saw a lot of involvement by the end of Week 1, so perhaps they’ll be names to keep an eye on for waiver wire consideration.
Steelers WR Calvin Austin said he’s healthy and a full participant in OTAs. The 24-year-old missed last year with a Lisfranc injury requiring surgery. Austin now figures to slot in as the WR4 behind Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Allen Robinson. But further decline from Robinson could supply Austin — an explosive slot —with more opportunities. He’s also competing for a role on returns.
Speaking at rookie OTAs, Steelers WR Calvin Austin said his weight fluctuates between 170-175 pounds. At 5’8 and even 175, he’ll likely struggle to see a full-time role — even a few years down the line. Pittsburgh also added Georgia WR George Pickens in Round 2, and he’ll join a strong top-2 of Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. Johnson does enter a contract year, so Austin could be setup for a 2nd-year bump. Still, odds are, he’ll provide more real-life value than fantasy value. At Memphis, Austin returned 2 punts for scores on 29 opportunities.
Mark Kaboly of The Athletic considers 4th-round WR Calvin Austin the “biggest question mark” in Pittsburgh’s draft class. Kaboly writes that Austin could be used as a “toy” in OC Matt Canada’s offense, seeing touches on end-arounds and jet sweeps. Austin’s only 5’8 but brings exciting speed to the Steelers’ new-look offense. “He is smaller but he is extremely fast,” GM Kevin Colbert said. “I think he timed on our watches in the 4.4s at the Combine, but coach reminded me that he is a 200-meter guy and he’s probably hitting his peak speed at 40 yards.” Unlikely to ever project for high volume, Austin profiles more as a real-life asset than a fantasy one.
The Steelers added Memphis WR Calvin Austin in Round 4 of the 2022 NFL Draft. Austin goes just 5’8 and 170 pounds, which figures to be a limiting factor. But he’s an electric playmaker, with a 4.32-second 40 time and elite agility. He earned a 90th percentile Relative Athletic Score. Austin led Memphis in receiving each of the past 2 seasons, with 63-1,053-11 and 74-1,149-8 lines. He played primarily outside the numbers in college but figures to be a slot and gadget player as a pro. He joins fellow rookie WR George Pickens in Pittsburgh, behind WRs Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool.
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