Team news: Pittsburgh Steelers | Page 4

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters that QB Russell Wilson is dealing with a calf issue that he woke up with and he’s considered day-to-day. Justin Fields took the first-team reps.

A murky situation continues to get murky, and it's unlikely to clear up any time soon. Wilson was reportedly the shoo-in as the lead guy through times this summer, but if Fields ends up shining with his opportunities, we can imagine that sentiment flipping. We'll keep an eye on the situation, but neither QB is an obvious click in fantasy as it currently stands.

The Jets announced Thursday that Mike Williams will begin training camp on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list alongside fullback Nick Bawden and defensive tackle Leonard Taylor.

Related Players: Garrett Wilson, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley, Allen Lazard

Locker goes on to state, "In mid-June, head coach Robert Saleh said Williams, 29, likely will follow a similar recovery that running back Breece Hall took last year after his torn ACL, meaning limited snaps until the regular season begins."

With the WR's ADP falling into the 11th round and later, he's worth a stab to gamble on a return to form from Aaron Rodgers.

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.

"He's got a long way to go," Saleh said about Mike Williams' recovery from injury. "He's on the same timeline that Breece Hall had. They're very similar injuries, same timeframe. Speaking with Mike, he knows he's got a road to trek, but at the same time, if he does it the right way, we're very confident that we'll have them ready for Week 1."

Related Players: Garrett Wilson, Malachi Corley, Allen Lazard, Xavier Gipson

If the team truly does view the injuries in the same light, we could see a sort of pitch count for Williams to begin the season. Hall had season-lows in snap counts in Week 1 (17) and Week 2 (16) before getting back to his full workload. Regardless, the former Chargers receiver fits very well in this offense and should pop up with WR2 weeks throughout the year.

All of the tight ends should have opportunities to contribute in the passing game, but Pat Freiermuth has been the most consistent (and the most targeted) pass catcher of the group. After catching a career-low 32 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns last season while missing time with a hamstring injury, he expects to be targeted not only more frequently but also in different ways.

Related Players: Darnell Washington, Connor Heyward

The article also mentions how perspective QB starter Russell Wilson carried the Broncos TE room to a 32nd-ranked finish in receptions (39) and yardage (362) last season. It remains to be seen how much fantasy upside the Steelers offense can provide with Wilson/Justin Fields at the helm.

Standing before a horde of media Tuesday for the first time since being acquired during an offseason trade, Justin Fields essentially said he sees an open competition with Russell Wilson for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback job.

The reality of the situation is that — barring injury — there is no chance that Fields will be the starting quarterback over Wilson for the season opener Sept. 8 in Atlanta.

The beat reporter's assurance should boost Wilson up the rankings a little bit, but let's not get ahead of our skis. The veteran looked terrible during his two seasons in Denver and could still cede time to Fields. Neither is worth more than a speculative add in deep SuperFlex leagues.

Former Falcons free-agent wide receiver Scotty Miller is reuniting with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith in Pittsburgh on a one-year deal.

Related Players: Roman Wilson, Quez Watkins

Scott Miller will add some veteran insurance if rookie Roman Wilson takes long getting up to speed. Miller's last productive fantasy season was in 2020, when he finished with a 37-581-4 stat line.

Kick returns are back, and so is Cordarrelle Patterson: The four-time All-Pro returner and all-around weapon is signing with the Steelers on a two-year, $6M deal.

Aggressive move by Omar Khan and a reunion for Arthur Smith and Patterson, who just turned 33.

Related Players: Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren

Patterson wasn't used much in the offense last season, accruing only 50 rushing attempts and 11 targets in 14 games. The signing doesn't do a whole lot for fantasy purposes, but it should be exciting to watch the all-around player exploit the new NFL kickoff rules, regardless.

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.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reiterated that Russell Wilson “has pole position” to be the starting QB. Not against competition. And “when it’s time to compete, Justin will be given an opportunity to show his capabilities.”

He said Justin Fields “oozes talent.”

Wilson deserves to have competition after his showing in Denver, but in the early stages, it looks as if it's his job to lose. He should be considered off the radar in typical 1QB leagues, but if anything were to happen that granted Fields the job, the latter would be right back in QB1 conversations.