Steelers HC Mike Tomlin said there is no underlying story as to why WR George Pickens played only 34 of 57 snaps in Week 5.

On one series in the second half, Pickens remained on the bench. Tomlin went on to say the team wants to minimize his reps to get more productivity, comparing it to a defensive lineman like Cam Hayward getting less work, and added "it's no different." This may or may not be something to watch. Pickens likely isn't happy with reduced snaps, but we'll have to see if this becomes a trend going forward.

The standoff between receiver Brandon Aiyuk and the 49ers may be coming to a conclusion soon.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the 49ers and Steelers have a deal for a potential Aiyuk trade in place. The Steelers also are “in a good place” with Aiyuk on a new contract. If the 49ers give their final sign-off, the deal will be done.

Related players: Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings, Jacob Cowing, George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin III

The story went on to say San Francisco also has an offer out to Aiyuk on a long-term deal for him to remain with the club that, but to this point, Aiyuk has not accepted. The story added it’s currently unclear what Pittsburgh would send back to San Francisco in exchange for Aiyuk, but it would likely be a significant package. If the deal goes through, the Niners would be looking at Pearsall, Jenning and Cowing to move up the depth chart, while in Pittsburgh, Aiyuk and Pickens form the 1-2 punch.

Rookie wideout Roman Wilson was carted off the field after getting hurt during Tuesday’s practice. Reporters at the workout said it looked like Wilson injured his left foot or ankle.

Related players: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III

There is no further word on the how serious the injury is. But any missed time in camp for a rookie can be bad news. We reported on Monday that while there are high hopes for Wilson to take on the team's WR2 role, he was running behind Austin in the pecking order.

Steelers WR Roman Wilson has been coming out of his shell at training camp. He stacked great days over the weekend, making his best catch as a pro on Sunday, and he seems to be developing some rapport with Fields and Kyle Allen.

Related players: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III

The story said it hasn’t been a secret that Wilson didn’t have a great OTAs and minicamp with the Steelers. Wilson has a chance to win the Steelers WR2 role and likely just needs to pass Jefferson to do so. Austin, who was also listed in the story as a camp "winner" will be in the mix as well. Wilson is a third round pick from this past spring.

We all know the elephant in the room with Brandon Aiyuk. The Steelers need a top-level wide receiver to pair with George Pickens and have been linked to Aiyuk for months now. Whether it’s conjecture or something to it, we will never know unless general manager Omar Khan pulls off a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. It doesn’t look like a sure bet. But with Khan, there’s always a chance.

A trade for Aiyuk would obviously lower Pickens' value, but probably the former's as well. No one is confusing Arthur Smith for Kyle Shanahan.

This hypothetical would do wonders for Deebo Samuel, Ricky Pearsall and George Kittle.

Wide receiver Quez Watkins is signing with the Steelers.

Related Players: George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Dez Fitzpatrick, Calvin Austin

The Steelers receiver room suddenly looks like a bunch of WR2/3s. As it stands, Watkins figures to work mainly out of the slot with Pickens and Jefferson on the outside. With Diontae Johnson shipped to the Panthers earlier this month, the team is very likely to address the position in the NFL Draft.

The Steelers are sending WR Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. A new weapon for Bryce Young. Johnson has a $3 million roster bonus due Friday that the Panthers now will pay.

Related Players: George Pickens, Calvin Austin, Dez Fitzpatrick, Adam Thielen, Terrace Marshall, Jonathan Mingo

This is certainly good news for Bryce Young after the team brought him on board with arguably the worst pass-catching unit in the NFL last year. Johnson should instantly become the focal point of this offense, but the team still desperately needs help at WR, TE, and RB before we get too excited about the Panthers in fantasy.

For the Steelers, this also has them trending in the wrong direction on excitement-level, but it makes George Pickens very intriguing. This puts him in the conversation for a fringe WR2/3, not unlike Courtland Sutton with Russell Wilson the last two seasons.

Steelers have everyone status quo or updated on today’s injury report except Isaac Seumalo (DNP again) and Diontae Johnson, who missed with a knee injury. TJ Watt (full) and Alex Highsmith (limited) remain on track. Najee Harris and Damontae Kazee were full participants.

Related Players: George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, Allen Robinson

Johnson has been very unproductive since his first three games off the IR, topping 50 yards receiving only once in the last five games (57 yards last week). His catch rate has plummeted to 56.1%, which ranks 90th out of 100 qualifying receivers.
George Pickens was routinely productive while Johnson was sidelined, and has four games with 80+ receiving yards on the season. He would get a nice bump if his teammate were to miss Week 15.

Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring) is out again Sunday, while WR George Pickens (shin) fully participated today and is good to go against the Bengals.

Related Players: Diontae Johnson, Allen Robinson

Pickens' target participation has predictably plummeted since the return of Diontae Johnson, and he has 104 total receiving yards in his last four games combined. Will new OC Eddie Faulkner get Pickens going in Week 12? It's possible, but he can't be trusted as more than a FLEX play at this point.

Diontae Johnson popped up today as a DNP with a hamstring injury. That's not good news.

Related Players: George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin III

Upsetting news, so fresh off the IR. Pickens began to pop when Johnson was away from the field, but there's an argument to be made that Johnson could help Pickens truly hit some upside potential down field with both playing. Robinson and Austin are nominally interesting in deep leagues for desperate owners.