Jaylen

Warren

The scrappy former change of pace back was thrust into a featured role this season after rookie Kaleb Johnson failed to pan out, ending the regular season with 958 yards and six touchdowns on 211 carries while adding 333 yards and two touchdowns on 40 receptions. The four-year veteran has missed only four games in his career and recently signed a two-year contract extension tying him to the team through the 2027 season, making it likely we see him hold fantasy value through the offseason as the likely starter in the backfield next year. That said, quarterback Aaron Rodgers appears likely to retire following his 21st season and head coach Mike Tomlin could be on the hot seat this offseason after seven straight playoff losses, meaning it could be an entirely new situation for Warren in the coming year.

Warren should be good to go for the Steelers’ Wild Card Round game against the Texans on Monday. The Texans field a top-tier defense, so having the backfield at full strength is helpful. Warren has been splitting work with RB Kenneth Gainwell and can be safely expected to continue doing so in the playoffs.

Warren was spotted with a mask and gloves on in the locker room. Most of the time, players play through illness in playoff games. We’d expect at worst Warren winds up with a questionable tag on Saturday and plays, so we’re not overly concerned about the illness.

Warren was solid again in the win for the Steelers, and while there were no massive runs for the 27-year-old, he helped keep the chains moving enough for Pittsburgh to clinch the AFC North. While Kenneth Gainwell got his fair share of touches, it’s worth noting Warren outcarried Gainwell 14-5 in the contest. He should see a similiar amount of touches in the Wild Card Game next Monday, but it’s worth nothing he’ll face one of the toughest defenses in the sport in the Texans.

Warren led the Steelers in rush attempts and rushing yards in Sunday’s loss, but the Steelers were never able to string together enough plays on the ground to keep drives alive. Warren picked up a 13-yard gain late in the third quarter to help set up an eventual field goal by Chris Boswell, which was missed, any other big gain Warren made was eventually followed by a punt. The Steelers’ RB1 has now run well in back-to-back weeks and will need to dig deep to lead his offense to a win in Week 18 against the Ravens in a game that decides the AFC North.

He’ll be a useful RB2 bet against the Browns in what projects as a good game script for running the football. Warren was limited during Wednesday’s practice, but got in full sessions on Thursday and Friday and appears to be whatever the NFL version of “100 percent” is for the Steelers on Sunday.

A limited practice to open the week is more or less maintenance for Warren. He should have no issues suiting up for Week 17’s game against the Browns. Coming off a two-score, 143-yard performance on Sunday, Warren is flirting with an RB2 ranking for the final week of the fantasy football season. He is still splitting work with Kenneth Gainwell, but both backs could get home in a run-heavy win over Cleveland.

The Steelers were in a dog fight with Detroit to open the fourth quarter, up by five with playoff hopes on the line for both sides. Warren then called ball game with a 45-yard sprint to the end zone, his longest run since 2023. The Lions returned fire with a touchdown drive of their own. Warren repeated the “ballgame” call with a second 45-yard rushing score. This goes down as the best rushing performance of his career by far. Warren is still stuck in a committee with Kenneth Gainwell, but he re-established his command of the carries in this contest with Gainwell only seeing nine attempts. Warren will sit on the RB2/3 border for his Week 17 date with the Browns.

Gainwell drew the start with Jaylen Warren battling an illness, although the two backs would share primary duties throughout. It was Gainwell that was the much more efficient back, gaining 126 total yards to the 48 yards of Warren on five more touches. The Pittsburgh backfield remains one of interest considering Arthur Smith is at the helm, with the biggest detractor being a typical timeshare between the top two options. Gainwell’s eruption in the first week of fantasy playoffs highlights the upside if one of the two sees more primary usage, making Warren’s status one to monitor in the coming week of practice.

Warren was a surprise addition to the team’s injury report earlier Monday but avoided inactivity after going through pre-game workouts. It remains to be seen if he will assume a normal workload, although fantasy managers are likely forced to start Warren with this the final game of Week 15. Inactive for the Steelers are WR Roman Wilson, QB Will Howard, OL Andrus Peat, DT Brodric Martin-Rhodes, OLB T.J. Watt, and DT Derrick Harmon.