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Mike McCarthy noncommittal on Joey Porter’s return timeline

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. didn’t play in Sunday’s season-opening win over the Falcons, and coach Mike McCarthy was noncommittal on Porter’s timeline for a return.

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Joey Porter

PIT Cornerback #24

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Steelers HC Mike McCarthy said CB Joey Porter Jr. will not play until he completes his “ramp-up period.”

Speaking to media Monday, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said cornerback Joey Porter Jr. would not play until he completes his “ramp-up period,” which effectively leaves a potential return open-ended. As we understand it, Porter Jr. has yet to participate in a full practice, but is “communicating with the trainer every day.” McCarthy added, “We’ll get him out there when he’s ready to go through a full practice.” Porter Jr. missed the entirety of the offseason program with a back injury but is also seeking a new contract, with the potential that the discussions surrounding dollars has influence on the current situation. More to come in this developing saga.
Joey Porter

PIT Cornerback #24

Steelers HC Mike McCarthy said it was his decision to hold Joey Porter Jr. out of Week 1’s game against the Falcons.

McCarthy said he expects Porter to play once his ramp-up period ends, as he works to return from a back injury that sidelined him for much of training camp. It’s been widely speculated that Porter’s absence has more to do with his contract situation rather than an injury, but McCarthy is talking like a coach who is working to get an injured player back on the field. Porter did practice in a limited capacity all of last week, so we’ll see if he can get upgraded to a full participant sometime this week and have a chance to see the field in Week 2 against the Patriots.
Pat Freiermuth

PIT Tight End #88

Pat Freiermuth caught all five of his targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Falcons.

Freiermuth had a down season last year, but the Steelers had talked about getting him more involved this year. The big tight end played on 49 of the team’s 67 snaps and ran a route on 36 of their 46 dropbacks. He was clearly the third option in the passing attack behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. and is a focal point in the red zone. Freiermuth is likely a solid TE2 option for the season who will flash TE1 weeks.
Roman Wilson

PIT Wide Receiver #14

Roman Wilson caught 3-of-6 targets for 26 yards in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Falcons.

Wilson’s six targets tied him for second on the team and also don’t include a defensive pass interference penalty he drew on a deep ball in the first half. Wilson also had a near touchdown when a deep pass was broken up as he was going to the ground with the ball. Despite having so many more targets than Michael Pittman Jr., Wilson ran 29 routes to Pittman Jr.'s 42, so Wilson remains the clear WR3 in a potentially low-scoring offense.
Michael Pittman

PIT Wide Receiver #11

Michael Pittman Jr. caught all three of his targets for 58 yards in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Falcons.

Those 58 yards made him the team’s leader in receiving. As we’ve come to expect from Pittman Jr., the majority of his work was done in the intermediate areas of the field, but that’s where Aaron Rodgers loves to throw the ball these days. Pittman Jr. ran a route on 42 of the team’s 46 dropbacks and has a large role in the offense. He remains just a FLEX option due to the low ceiling of Pittsburgh’s offense overall.
DK Metcalf

PIT Wide Receiver #4

DK Metcalf caught 4-of-10 targets for 40 yards in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Falcons.

It could have been a much bigger day for Metcalf, who dropped an easy 20-yard catch over the middle of the field and also a potential long touchdown pass. The touchdown pass would have been a difficult grab in tight coverage, but it did hit him in the hands. Metcalf ran a route on every dropback for the Steelers, but Aaron Rodgers continued to show that he’s far more comfortable over the middle of the field than deep down the field at this point in his career. That will continue to make Metcalf a TD-dependent option in fantasy.
Rico Dowdle

PIT Running Back #13

Rico Dowdle rushed eight times for 15 yards in the Steelers’ Week 1 win over the Falcons, adding two catches for six yards receiving.

Dowdle played on 39 of the team’s 67 snaps, compared to just 25 for Warren. However, Warren had two more carries than Dowdle and also had three more targets. It’s clear that the Steelers trust Dowdle more in pass protection, and he was also on the field when the team was running out the clock, but he was unable to get much going on the ground, so it’s hard to get excited about this committee.
Jaylen Warren

PIT Running Back #30

Jaylen Warren rushed 10 times for 46 yards in a Week 1 win over the Falcons, adding five catches on six targets for 27 yards receiving.

Warren also fumbled in this one, which may have contributed to why he played just 25 of the team’s 67 snaps while Rico Dowdle played 39. Dowdle also played on more passing snaps than Warren, but a lot of that is due to his ability as a blocker. Warren outcarried Dowdle, saw more targets, and also looked more explosive, but it was Dowdle who was on the field when the Steelers were trying to run out the clock on the final drive. This seems like it may be a frustrating committee to figure out moving forward.
Aaron Rodgers

PIT Quarterback #8

Aaron Rodgers completed 24-of-40 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown in the Steelers’ 20-13, Week 1 win over the Falcons.

Rodgers averaged just 5.5 yards per completion and didn’t complete a single pass over 20 yards downfield, going 0-for-6. He was also just 4-for-14 for 64 yards when he was under pressure. That being said, he also didn’t make many bad decisions and threw a couple of beautiful passes in tight windows over the middle of the field. It’s a new season, but this doesn’t really feel much like a new Steelers’ offense, which means the ceiling might be low when it comes to fantasy production. Rodgers remains just a QB2 option next week against the Patriots.
Joey Porter

PIT Cornerback #24

Joey Porter Jr. (back) is inactive for Week 1 against the Falcons.

It was trending this way after Porter Jr. missed all of training camp with a back injury; however, the Steelers had held out hope that the 26-year-old would be able to return to the field for Week 1. Unfortunately, it sounds like the issue preventing him from being on the field may be more about a new contract than his back. The Steelers will likely turn to Asante Samuel Jr. to take Porter Jr.'s role, and it might matter more if the Falcons weren’t starting Cooper Rush at quarterback. The Steelers’ other inactives are QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, OG Gennings Dunker, DL Kevin Jobity Jr., and DL Gabriel Rubio.