Jaylen

Warren

“He’s produced, so it’s been heavy. It’d be great to get Rico back this week, too. ... Having him as a one-two punch was the vision of this offense, but Jaylen’s crushing it right now. He’s been awesome for us,” McCarthy continued. That’s a very telling “but.” Warren has to be regarded as the chair of a committee at this point rather than in a backfield split, and Dowdle probably doesn’t belong in the FLEX conversation coming off his injury until we see a good workload for him.

Warren got the Steelers on the board with an 80-yard catch-and-run, where he simply beat the Colts defenders down the sideline. He also ripped off a 50-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Steelers only had one other play go for longer than 17 yards on the day. Since Rico Dowdle has been out with a toe injury, Warren has emerged as a true RB1 in fantasy football. Even when Dowdle returns, you have to think that the Steelers have seen enough that they need to give Warren the lion’s share of the work.

It was reported earlier in the day that Dowdle was unlikely to suit up due to his ongoing foot injury, so this doesn’t come as a major surprise. We could be looking at a big game for Jaylen Warren against an underperforming Colts defense. With Keenan Allen back for the Colts, the injury to Jamel Dean is a bit of a blow to this Pittsburgh secondary.

McCarthy said he expects Dowdle and Jaylen Warren to be a “one-two punch” once Dowdle returns to the field. Warren has totaled 34 rushes over the last two weeks while rushing for 220 scoreless yards, but had a 21-89-0 line during the first two weeks of the season when Dowdle was active. Both backs will likely fall in the RB3/FLEX range if Dowdle suits up for Week 5’s game against the Colts.

Warren’s six targets combine with his 17 carries to give him his second consecutive game with more than 20 opportunities in the absence of Rico Dowdle, seeing all but two running back opportunities in the process. More impressive was the fact that he once again maintained elite efficiency on the ground through the additional touches, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt against a solid Browns run defense. The veteran back appears likely to revert to a strict timeshare with Dowdle expected back for Week 5 after the long week, bringing him back to the RB3 range for a meeting with the Colts.

It sounds like Warren is belongs on the RB1/2 border with Rico Dowdle (toe) sidelined again this week. The Steelers will try to control the line of scrimmage by frequently deploying TEs Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, both in the run game and as receivers.

Dowdle did not practice this week and was ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Browns. Rapoport called him day-to-day. The mini-bye between today’s game and Pittsburgh’s Week 5 date with Indy at home should be enough rest to get Dowdle back on the field. Jaylen Warren will see almost the entirety of the backfield tonight before returning to committee duties once Dowdle is healthy.

Dowdle did not practice once this week before being ruled out for Thursday’s game against the Browns. The mini-bye ahead of Week 5 may help him get back on the field, but his status for next week’s contest is very much up in the air. Jaylen Warren will see the bulk of the backfield work versus Cleveland. he ran 17 times and caught three passes in Week 3. With an elite workload versus a middling Cleveland defense, Warren is a high-end RB2 this week.

Warren operated as an every-down back in Week 3 against the Bengals, running for 127 yards on 17 carries and catching three passes for 49 yards in a victory. DeFabo suggested Warren had established himself as the team’s clear lead back option against the Bengals with Rico Dowdle (toe) sidelined. “I’ve always had respect for him, playing against him, and then being his teammate now for a little more than a season,” Aaron Rodgers said of Warren. “He is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever played with, and I just can’t say enough about his energy and the way he runs the football and the way he cares about his teammates.” Warren’s pass game involvement spiked in Week 3, as he ran a route on 70 percent of Pittsburgh’s drop backs. Dowdle, meanwhile, did not practice Monday ahead of the Steelers’ Thursday game against the Browns. Warren should remain in all lineups this week.

Warren ripped off a 30-yard reception on the Steelers’ first play of the game and was reliable throughout while serving as the Steelers’ primary back. Warren gained 20 or more yards on three plays and would have found the end zone on a 26-yard run in the fourth quarter if not for tripping and falling in the open field. This was exactly the kind of performance fantasy managers were hoping for with Rico Dowdle (toe) sidelined, as Warren was on the field for 53 of 59 offensive snaps for Steelers RBs. The Steelers play the Browns on Thursday in Week 4; if Dowdle can’t heal up in time to play on the short week, Warren would again be a volume-based RB2 with plenty of upside.