Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football Team Preview For 2026

Mike Tomlin's final season leading the Steelers was some of his finest work: 10-7 with an AFC North championship … along with a pedestrian +10 regular-season point differential (10th in the AFC) and an uncompetitive first-round playoff exit.

2026 Fantasy Football Team Preview for the Pittsburgh Steelers

The constant churn of good-but-not-good-enough squads led to big-time changes to this coaching staff and roster ahead of 2026:

Former Packers and more recently Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy is the new head ball coach for the black and yellow. Credit to McCarthy for being handy with a sledgehammer, having a Super Bowl win to his name (2010) and for winning 61% of his regular-season games—38th all-time, sandwiched between legends Bill Walsh and Tom Landry.
The team used four of its five top-100 draft picks on the offense, most notably drafting Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor with the 21st pick in Round 1 and Alabama WR Germie Bernard in the middle of Round 2. Of course, this all had to go down because the Eagles sniped them on USC WR Makai Lemon.
The offense also made some big-time additions before the draft, trading for longtime solid Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. and signing McCarthy's former bell cow Rico Dowdle in free agency. Reminder: McCarthy once described the veteran as "a bowling ball full of butcher knives” when they were together in Dallas.

What follows is a fantasy-focused team preview of the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2026 season. Make sure to check out Fantasy Life's rankings hub for updated player ranks all year long.

As always: It's a great day to be great.

Is Aaron Rodgers any good at football these days?

QB1: Aaron Rodgers (QB30)
QB2: Mason Rudolph
QB3: Will Howard
QB4: Drew Allar

On the one hand, the 42-year-old veteran does deserve credit for leading Pittsburgh to their best scoring offense rank (15th) in the post-Big Ben era. Rodgers remains capable of slinging the pill all over the field with the benefit of a clean pocket (and smelling salts); the problem is that the mobility is long gone, and the old man (understandably) isn't too keen on hanging onto the ball too long at the risk of taking hits.

This constant risk-averse mindset might be good for preserving Rodgers' health (and inflating receiving production from the team's running backs), but it's not exactly ideal for, you know, trying to field an overly explosive offense in the year 2026. Look no further than the Steelers' putrid season-ending performance against the Texans, which produced the single-worst playoff performance by a QB in EPA per dropback (-0.71) of the last 25 years.

Should you draft Aaron Rodgers in superflex?

Can both Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle return solid RB2 fantasy production?

RB1: Jaylen Warren (RB29)
RB2: Rico Dowdle (RB32)
RB3: Kaleb Johnson
RB4: Eli Heidenreich

It sure seems like the Steelers plan to keep both of their running backs involved on a weekly basis. RB coach Ramon Chinyoung had the following to say about their potential split in early June:

"But when it comes to Jaylen and Rico, Coach (McCarthy) will define that … He wants two fresh backs at all times. We'll find ways to make sure we get them on the field, and they have an ample amount of equal time on the field. But it'll define itself by scheme, by game plan."

While fantasy managers would always prefer their running backs get every single available touch, that's not really realistic outside of a few backfields in the year 2026—and it didn't stop Warren from racking up 1,291 total yards and 8 touchdowns (RB19 in PPR points per game) even with 2025 team MVP Kenneth Gainwell siphoning away 199 combined carries and targets on his own.

Looking for top-24 seasons from both Warren and Dowdle

Are both DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman nice clicks at cost?

WR1: DK Metcalf (WR32)
WR2: Michael Pittman (WR44)
WR3: Germie Bernard (WR68)
WR4: Roman Wilson
WR5: Ben Skowronek

Credit to Metcalf for working as the WR20 in PPR points per game last season despite not reaching triple-digit targets across 15 games. However, we did see six-year lows in receptions (3.9) and yards (56.7) per game, and the returns across the first eight weeks of the season (14.7 PPR points per game, WR19) compared to the second half of the season (10.5, WR31) were certainly eye-opening.

Of course, those numbers were achieved as the only show in town of this one-man passing attack. The newfound presence of Pittman, who got a three-year, $59 million deal to rock black and yellow for the foreseeable future, suddenly throws some questions into this pecking order. While Pittman's high-end flashes might not match Metcalf's, he's posted WR24, WR22, WR14, WR45 and WR27 finishes in PPR points per game during the last five seasons, with the latter two campaigns being influenced by a broken back and a literal Grandpa at quarterback.

Can Metcalf and Pittman complement each other for fantasy football success?

Is there a tight end in Pittsburgh worth betting on in fantasy land?

TE1: Pat Freiermuth (TE36)
TE2: Darnell Washington (TE39)
TE3: Robert Tonyan

The Steelers employ two of the league's only six tight ends with a total contract value north of $40 million. This is a testament to the ability of both Pat Freiermuth and human wrecking ball Darnell Washington, but unfortunately, the presence of *two* capable real-life tight ends usually results in *zero* overly relevant fantasy ones. This is reflected in the Fantasy Life projections, as neither Freiermuth (65 targets) nor Washington (40) rank inside the position's top-27 top-targeted options.

Maybe the absence of Arthur Smith and Jonnu Smith condenses things, but even then, it's tough to see either Freiermuth or Washington actually taking over meaningful volume in a passing game that is now much deeper at wide receiver than it was last year. Enjoy all the broken tackles and fun plays that Washington will inevitably rack up, but there are better late-round options at the position to target in fantasy leagues of all shapes and sizes.

Predictions for the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers

Win total prediction: The Steelers have added some capable playmakers to an offense with an ascending offensive line. The defense, while old, still has plenty of blue-chip caliber names in TJ Watt, Cameron Heyward and Jalen Ramsey. And yet, the old man under center, first-place schedule, and potential for regression in one-score games (7-3 in 2025) has me taking UNDER 8.5 wins in 2026.

Bold fantasy call: The Steelers enable not one but TWO top-24 running backs in PPR points per game for the second time in as many seasons.

Last season predictions: Under 8.5 wins (how dare I doubt Mike Tomlin), and Jaylen Warren puts up top-20 numbers in full-PPR formats (RB19 in PPR points per game!).