That makes two consecutive games with two receptions for the veteran X receiver, who continues to be handily outplayed by teammate Roman Wilson. Pittman brings his season total in receptions to seven after missing Week 2 with injury and remains largely confined to the short areas of the field. The Steelers made good on their promise to increase their 12-personnel utilization against the Browns, and it was Pittman who saw his route participation suffer the most. Pittman is quickly bordering drop candidate territory ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Colts.
Freiermuth found the end zone late in the fourth quarter for his second touchdown of the season, tying fellow tight end Darnell Washington for fourth on the team with five targets. Washington managed to corral just two of his five targets but eclipsed the yardage total of Freiermuth with 27 yards while also adding a touchdown of his own. Both tight ends appear unlikely to contribute viable counting stats considering neither has seen more than five targets in a game during the first month of play.
Watson made very few mistakes through the air against a solid Pittsburgh defense, although a third quarter fumble on a scramble attempt and a fourth quarter interception on tipped pass at the line of scrimmage allowed the Steelers the runway to make the game interesting late. Watson also badly missed a wide open Harold Fannin on a third down play that would have allowed the Browns to ice the game, instead giving the ball back to Aaron Rodgers with under four minutes to play while up eight points. Rodgers would work his late-game magic to knot the game at 24 before Watson drove the Browns into field goal range to set up the go-ahead kick with 10 seconds on the clock. Watson had a 20-yard carry wiped from his ledger due to penalty that would have padded his counting stats further. The two turnovers notwithstanding, Watson played a largely clean game that saw the Browns improve to 3-1, currently alone atop the AFC North, pending the outcomes of the Ravens and Bengals games Sunday. The Browns turn the page to a Week 5 meeting with the Jets, where Watson will remain a surprising high-end QB2 in fantasy circles.
The rushing efficiency remains a big issue for Judkins and the Cleveland ground game, this time overcoming just 3.1 yards per carry with a short touchdown plunge and significant involvement through the air. The end result was the first start-worthy fantasy line for Judkins through four games. The poor performances on the ground don’t appear to be in line for remedy ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Jets, although Judkins could be headed for another robust workload considering the expected game environment between two teams whose identity is driven by their defense. He’ll be a volume-driven RB2 after seeing 27 of 32 available running back opportunities against the Steelers.
Concepcion continues to operate as the primary slot receiver for a Browns team clearly looking to their youth while phasing out veteran Jerry Jeudy, the latter of whom managed three reception on three targets for 36 yards against the Steelers. Concepcion has yet to lead the team in receiving while working in a short area role, with this the first game in his young career in which he gained more then a modest 43 yards. He’ll be a difficult start in fantasy circles when the Browns take on the Jets in Week 5.
The score was his third trip to paint in the previous two games after Fannin notched his first two touchdowns of the young season in a Week 3 win over the Panthers. Fannin appears to be behind both Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion in the target pecking order in Cleveland, but remains well ahead of veteran Jerry Jeudy as the third target in the offense. Continued fantasy production likely hinges on the play of quarterback Deshaun Watson, but Fannin appears set to return meaningful fantasy value for managers that invested a middle-round pick on his services this summer. Fannin remains a back-end TE1 ahead of a Week 5 meeting with the Jets on the road.
Rodgers was under constant pressure from an unrelenting Cleveland pass rush, taking five sacks while throwing two interceptions in the loss. The offense struggled to maintain consistent efficiency as the Steelers fell into a 21-7 hole in the second quarter, eventually requiring more Rodgers fourth quarter heroics to knot the game at 24 with under two minutes to play. That would be enough time for Deshaun Watson to get the Browns into field goal range for the go-ahead kick with 10 seconds remaining. With just one timeout in hand, the Steelers were forced into downfield aggression on the final play of the game, which resulted in the second of two Rodgers interceptions. The Steelers have now been involved in three one-score games through four weeks, something both Steelers fans and those familiar with head coach Mike McCarthy are all too familiar with - two of those games resulted in wins. Up next for Rodgers and the Steelers are the reeling Colts in Week 5, against whom Rodgers will remain a middling QB2 in fantasy circles.
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.
Hafley’s full quote is fairly non-committal. The first-year head coach was asked whether Willis could receive more designed rushes with De’Von Achane (knee) out for the year. Hafley said the game planning in that regard will “go game by game,” and be employed “situationally when we need him to.” For those hoping that Willis will consistently be involved in the run game, those outings could come, but the occurrences could be volatile. Willis remains a QB2 at this time.
The Browns enter Thursday Night Football without their starting center and right guard. Running the ball up the middle against the Steelers’ talented defensive tackle group could be challenging. Green will serve as the Browns’ emergency third quarterback.
The Eagles limited Smith’s practice reps last week, and he successfully suited up on game day, nabbing 6-of-8 targets for 65 yards. Apparently, the performance took a toll. The Eagles will likely be without their No. 1 wide receiver this week. Dontayvion Wicks will fill in as the team’s top receiver.
It’s possible that this is just a precautionary rest day, but those typically occur on Wednesdays. Price should be viewed as questionable to play in Week 4 against the Chargers. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald favorite, Zach Charbonnet (knee), returned as a limited participant. Backup RB Emanuel Wilson would likely get the start if Price and Charbonnet are both out this week.
Charbonnet is not guaranteed to play in Week 4 against the Chargers, but his return to practice is promising. Add him now. Seahawks rookie, Jadarian Price (chest), went from a limited session on Wednesday to sitting out on Thursday. Keep a close eye on this. Backup Emanuel Wilson would get the start if both Charbonnet and Price are sidelined, while George Holani handles passing downs.
Love told reporters that he plans to play in Week 4 against the Chargers. Fellow starting S Ty Okada (hamstring) was also limited today. Both players missed Week 3. Okada has not played at all this season, and may be more likely to make his 2026 debut in Week 5.
Concepcion ranks second on the team with 17 targets, but his chemistry with Watson remains a work in progress. The rookie wide receiver has turned a team-high 12 receptions into just 80 yards. Concepcion is FLEX-viable against the Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
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.
The Chargers’ speedy RB2 was seen wearing a walking boot after practice on Wednesday, but that didn’t keep him from practicing today. Mitchell scored a touchdown on a red zone carry last week and could continue rotating in against the Seahawks this week. He should be rostered in 12-team leagues.
Shipley is unlikely to be meaningfully involved if he ends up being active on Sunday. The Eagles’ RB3 is firmly in the questionable camp though.
Alexander caught up with Collins after the Texans’ star player logged his second consecutive limited practice. Collins should probably still be treated as sitting somewhere in the questionable-to-probable range, but this is great to hear. Collins is a WR1, as usual, if active.
Ramsey will attempt to play through a broken wrist this evening. He was limited in practice all week. The Steelers declared RB Rico Dowdle, QB Drew Allar, QB Will Howard, RB Eli Heidenreich, DL Kevin Jobity Jr. and DE Gabriel Rubio inactive for Week 4 against the Browns. Howard will serve as the emergency third quarterback.
Moore is again on track to play through his AC joint sprain, though the injury is still limiting him to some degree. Regardless, the Bills face the Patriots this weekend, and CB1 Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) has not yet practiced this week. Moore is a WR2 entering Week 4.
The Bills’ No. 1 cornerback is on the wrong side of questionable through two Week 4 practices. Fortunately, the Patriots’ wide receiver corps is nothing to write home about.
Both Brown and TE Noah Fant (abdomen) were limited today, putting them tentatively on track to play on Monday night against the Falcons. Neither player belongs in fantasy lineups, but their presence is helpful for QB Tyler Shough.
Another limited session keeps Collins in the questionable column as he attempts to return from a multi-week hamstring strain. The Texans would surely like to have their star wide receiver back for what could be a back-and-forth game environment against the Cowboys this week, but balancing short-term and long-term needs is critical. Stay tuned.