Pittsburgh

Steelers

Washington left Week 14’s win over the Ravens with a head injury and did not return. If he’s unable to clear the protocol before the Steelers’ Week 15 Monday night game against Miami, Pat Freiermuth would likely operate as the team’s primary pass-catching tight end. Freiermuth could be a nice deep league streaming option while Jonnu Smith — who has five receptions over his past five games — should remain on waiver wires.

Metcalf stayed overnight in the hospital with some kind of stomach issue following the Steelers’ Week 14 victory over the Ravens, a game that saw Metcalf post season-high numbers, including 148 yards thanks to aggressive downfield throwing from Aaron Rodgers. Tomlin hinted that Metcalf could miss some practice time this week while recovering from his stomach issue. “I don’t think it’s going to jeopardize his availability at all,” Tomlin said when asked about Metcalf’s Week 15 status. Fantasy managers should monitor Metcalf’s late-week practice status.

According to Rapoport, Metcalf experienced stomach pain on the team flight and stayed the night in the hospital “out of an abundance of caution.” Given the brief stay and the fact he’s rejoining the team on Monday, we’ll assume this is a minor issue until we hear otherwise. With the Steelers playing on Monday Night Football in Week 15, Metcalf will have some extra time to rest up before his next game.

It was Thielen’s first game as a Steeler after parting ways with the Vikings last week. He started the game for Pittsburgh — with Roman Wilson a healthy scratch — but ran just 12 pass routes on 36 Aaron Rodgers drop backs against Baltimore. Marques Valdes-Scantling and Calvin Austin ran ahead of Thielen. Though Mike Tomlin has made some noise about involving Thielen in the Steelers offense, there’s little chance the fading veteran will see much usage in the coming weeks. He should remain on waiver wires.

Freiermuth ran a pass route on 22 of the Steelers’ 36 drop backs, leading all tight ends and seeing a small bump in playing time with Darnell Washington sidelined with a concussion he sustained in the first quarter. Jonnu Smith, meanwhile, ran just 13 routes and saw one target. Freiermuth, who doesn’t have more than three receptions in the game since Week 6, could have some deep-league fantasy relevance in Week 15 against the Dolphins if Washington enters the league’s concussion protocol and misses a game or two.

Austin got loose on the sideline in the third quarter for one of Aaron Rodgers’ five completions of more than 20 yards, a rarity headed into Week 14. With 26 catches on 44 targets, Austin isn’t fantasy relevant for now. Austin has just four games with more than three receptions in 2025. He can be left on waiver wires ahead of Week 15.

Warren’s eight carries led the Pittsburgh backfield, as Kenneth Gainwell had four rushes for 15 yards and a touchdown. Gainwell was second on the team with six targets, but it was Warren who had a 38-yard screen pass touchdown in the second half. Warren remains the nominal lead back for the run-first Steelers, but Gainwell’s route running involvement and his red zone usage puts a damper on Warren’s weekly upside. Warren, averaging 13.8 rushes per game, will be a top-24 running back next week against the Dolphins.

Smith again was not part of Steelers passing offense even with Darnell Washington sideline with a concussion for most of the game. Arthur Smith’s favorite tight end has just 30 receptions on the season and only five receptions over his past five games. Smith can remain on waiver wires ahead of the Steelers’ Week 15 game against the Dolphins.

The Steelers finally pushed the ball downfield after a season full of constant check downs to everyone in the offense, including the big-bodied speedster Metcalf. Metcalf had a season high in air yards and receiving yards in this one, and came close to not one but two touchdowns from Aaron Rodgers. Metcalf took full advantage of single coverage against a Ravens secondary that was overmatched by Metcalf’s size-speed combination. Coming into Week 14, he had seen more than six targets just five times this year. If the Steelers continue being aggressive in Week 15 against Miami, Metcalf could push for top-15 status.

Gainwell continued operating as the Steelers’ primary pass-catching back, seeing the second-most targets among Pittsburgh players behind DK Metcalf. Gainwell ran a pass route on 19 of the team’s 36 drop backs while Jaylen Warren had 16 routes and four receptions on four targets, including a touchdown. Gainwell entered Week 14 as the seventh-most targeted running back in the NFL. Gainwell’s role in the Steelers offense has kept him viable in PPR formats. He should remain a flex play in 14-team formats next week against the Dolphins, who have been generous to pass catchers out of the backfield in 2025.