The Pittsburgh Steelers managed only 41 offensive snaps in their dismal 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Despite clinching a playoff spot, many players on both sides of the ball underperformed, which inevitably affected their fantasy stock. Here is this week's fantasy football recap:
- Offense -
One of the few standouts for the Steelers' offense yesterday was tight end Pat Freiermuth. In their loss, Freiermuth recorded his sixth touchdown of the season along with 22 receiving yards on three receptions. As expected, he made no movement and remains at No.12 among tight ends with 130.2 fantasy points.
Receiver Calvin Austin III has blossomed into one of the top deep threats on the team. In Sunday's contest, he registered the longest offensive play for the Steelers: a 31-yard reception off a flea-flicker midway through the third quarter. He led all Steelers pass catchers with 65 yards on five receptions. As he continues to elevate his level of play, he also "elevated" up the fantasy charts, now ranking 65th among receivers with 97.2 fantasy points.
As for quarterback Russell Wilson, he struggled early in the contest and finished with a modest 128 passing yards on 14 completions, a passing touchdown, and 13 rushing yards. After dropping to No.28 last week, he remains at the same spot this week with 128.2 fantasy points.
On the ground, both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren were rendered ineffective by the Eagles' defense. They combined for a paltry 26 rushing yards on 10 carries. This week, Harris (14 rushing yards) remains at No.20 among running backs with 174.7 fantasy points, while Warren (12 rushing yards) moved down one spot to No.40 with 91.6 fantasy points.
-Defense-
Despite the overall struggles on both sides of the ball in this game, the Steelers' defensive line came to play, led by All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt, who made All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson's life miserable for much of the contest. When it was all said and done, Watt finished the game with seven tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and two quarterback hits. It's only a matter of time before Watt retakes the No.1 spot, but for now, he's listed at No.2 among linebackers with 148.9 fantasy points. His counterpart, Alex Highsmith, was just as disruptive, finishing the game with six tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit. After being left out of the Top 100 last week, Highsmith jumped up a whopping 19 spots to No.84 with 59.6 fantasy points.
In the middle, rookie Payton Wilson was quietly productive with six tackles, one run stop, and a pass deflection. For his efforts, Wilson moved up three spots to No.75 among linebackers with 66.5 fantasy points. Teammate Patrick Queen moved up three spots to No.35 with 100.0 fantasy points after recording a team-leading 11 tackles and one quarterback hit. Veteran Elandon Roberts did not make the Top 100 after registering just four tackles against the Eagles.
On a final note, veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward did not register any splash plays but only moved down one spot to No.5 among defensive linemen with 104.7 fantasy points.
Week 16 Steelers Fantasy Stock
- Buy -
QB Russell Wilson
DL Cameron Heyward
LB TJ Watt
WR Calvin Austin III
LB Alex Highsmith (low)
TE Pat Freiermuth
LB Patrick Queen (low)
- Sell -
RB Cordarrelle Patterson
S Minkah Fitzpatrick
CB Joey Porter Jr.
WR Van Jefferson
CB Donte Jackson
DL Larry Ogunjobi
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