Opinions are all over the place about who will start at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The cold truth is Mike Tomlin will decide when he gets ready. But that won’t keep Steelers fans from reacting to the depth chart order of the two signal callers.
According to a post on X by ESPN NFL reporter Brooke Pryor, the Steelers gave Wilson the nod over Fields on the team’s first depth chart.
What this means in real terms is anybody’s guess. It could be meant to motivate Fields to up his game and wrestle the spot from Wilson. It could be a deference to the decorated veteran. Or it could be a matter of appeasing the longtime NFL player. And, of course, it could be Wilson really is the dude who will start.
Steelers QB Justin Fields is pushing hard
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields (2) is pressured by safety DeShon Elliott (25) during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Barry Reeger-USA TODAY Sports
Ask around and it’s pretty clear Fields is making a case to seriously challenge Wilson for the starting role. But let’s get dirt real. Fields has a career record of 10-28. And he’s now on the roster of a team that hasn’t experienced a losing season in 17 years under Tomlin.
Would Tomlin hand the keys to Fields and risk the franchise’s impressive streak? Let’s get further real. Wilson has a career record of 115-72-1. He’s a former Super Bowl champion. And anybody who follows the game know he’s one play away from having two.
But … and this is a big but … Wilson’s record in two years with the Denver Broncos ended at 11-19. In other words, the new and not improved version of Wilson isn’t all that much better than Fields.
So now it’s time to back to Tomlin. He told Up % Adams that it’s a battle, plain and simple.
“Justin Fields has absorbed a lot of responsibility since coming into the league,” Tomlin said. “It’s probably a great opportunity for him to work alongside, day to day, somebody at his position that’s done it longer and done it at a high level. But rest assured, both guys are gonna be given an opportunity to show their skills over the course of the next month. And I’m excited about watching them sort themselves out.”
When the Week 1 decision comes, it won’t be a surprise to see Wilson win the battle. His veteran leadership likely gives the Steelers a better chance early on. But he likely won’t have a long leash. In fact, even one subpar performance in a loss will be greeted with calls from the fan base to make a change. Not that Tomlin would listen to it in any kind of decision-making sense, but he knows whatever everybody else knows. Fields has talent — and much younger legs.
This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.
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Three must-draft wide receivers in fantasy football
The 2024 NFL season is rapidly approaching, which means fantasy football drafts are about to ramp up. The wide receiver position has never been more important in fantasy than it is today. While it’s imperative to attack the position early in drafts, there are still plenty of talented wideouts available outside of the first two rounds. With that in mind, here are three wide receivers you shouldn’t leave your 12-team ESPN PPR fantasy draft without.
Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins The 25-year-old was one of the most disappointing selections in fantasy drafts last season. Even though the Dolphins boasted the second-highest scoring offense in the NFL, Waddle, who caught 72 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns, finished as the WR34 overall after being drafted as a top-12 wideout. However, missing three games due to injuries and Miami’s emergence of one of the league’s top rushing attacks played a significant role in Waddle’s lackluster fantasy output. While he still won’t be the No. 1 option in the Dolphins passing game, Waddle’s fantasy outlook for 2024 is extremely promising, especially for a player being drafted in the fourth round on ESPN.
On the surface, Waddle’s 2023 stats indicate he regressed considerably from 2022, though his per-game stats and underlying metrics suggest there shouldn’t be much cause for concern. On a points-per-game basis, Waddle finished as the WR21 last season (14.2 PPR ppg), which isn’t a dramatic decline from the 15.2 PPR points per game he averaged in 2022 when he finished as the WR8 overall.
Additionally, Waddle ranked eighth among wideouts in yards per route run in 2023 with a career-high 2.52, according to Pro Football Focus. The Dolphins should remain one of the NFL’s top passing offenses in 2024, and they could get into more shootouts after losing star DT Christian Wilkins in free agency, boosting their offensive players’ fantasy values. As one of the focal points of an elite passing offense, expect Waddle to bounce back in the touchdown department this season and, in turn, have a similar fantasy finish to his 2022 season. Tank Dell, Houston Texans Quarterback C.J. Stroud’s sensational 2023 rookie season made the Texans offense a surprise fantasy goldmine, producing breakout stars Nico Collins and Dell. After acquiring four-time Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs earlier this offseason, Houston’s offense should be even more explosive in 2024, but its now crowded receiving corps presents a dilemma in fantasy drafts. If you want to draft a piece of the Texans offense this season, prepare to pay a premium.
As per ESPN’s draft rankings, Collins is ranked as the WR15 and No. 26 overall player in fantasy, whereas Diggs is coming off the board as the WR25 and No. 46 overall player. With the upgrades made to the receiving corps, it’s hard to imagine Collins replicating his 1,297-yard, eight-touchdown 2023 season in 2024 and living up to his fantasy price tag. Not to mention, it’s unclear where the 30-year-old Diggs will find himself in the pecking order for targets or if he can rebound from the disappointing finish to last season.
As a result, Dell — ESPN’s WR28 — is the best Texans wideout to target from a value perspective. Dell, a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, showed why Stroud asked Houston to select him, catching 47 passes for 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games as a rookie. From a points-per-game standpoint, Dell finished as the WR19 in PPR scoring formats. He might not have the same massive spike weeks he had last season, but Dell should still have several outings with at least 20 PPR points, making him an ideal WR2 or FLEX in fantasy. Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs Rice’s legal issues have forced him to fall dramatically down fantasy draft boards.
The SMU product is facing eight charges due to his involvement in a multi-car accident in March. Rice was also a suspect in an assault that took place at a Dallas nightclub in May, though no charges were filed. In all likelihood, Rice will receive a multi-game suspension, but that doesn’t mean it will come this season. Last month, Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters that he hadn’t “heard anything” regarding a potential Rice suspension. Considering the first civil suit against Rice will begin trial on Dec. 9 (h/t KMBC 9 News), it’s possible Rice won’t be disciplined by the NFL until 2025.
We saw a similar situation unfold with Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who was suspended for the first three games of last season due to his February 2022 battery arrest. Unless his situation changes before your fantasy draft, Rice, who was the WR4 overall from Week 12 to the end of last season, should be a target in the late seventh round. While Rice faces competition for targets from new additions Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy, he should still be the top wideout on an offense with the potential to be the NFL’s best.
The New York Knicks are all in on their championship pursuit in the coming season. Despite some critics openly questioning the Villanova core’s championship potential, fans are excited to see the chemistry translate to wins in the playoffs. Moreover, they have a good enough roster to compete with the best in the Eastern Conference.
However, the fact that the Knicks are title contenders doesn’t always provide good news to every player on the roster. Since Jalen Brunson and company will be actively gunning for the title, this means that some of the team’s younger players may not get enough minutes to help them develop next season. Tyler Kolek is among the players who might not get a turn with the Knicks in the coming regular season. While many within the organization highly rate the Marquette product’s talent, the team’s status as a contender might kill off any chances of him getting meaningful minutes.
Tyler Kolek may not get minutes due to crowded New York Knicks guard room Kolek is among the three rookies the Knicks picked for the coming season, so not all rookies would be getting extended minutes. Moreover, Tom Thibodeau is known for running short rotations, so it will be an uphill battle for the 23-year-old Kolek to get regular minutes with the squad. Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley laid out a possible scenario for the 34th pick of the 2024 Draft to crack the rotation, but it’s easier said than done.
Per Matthew Legros of Empire Sports Media: “Even running with a nine-man rotation will leave some capable contributors out in the cold. Three of those bench spots would go to Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and probably Miles McBride (though there’s plenty congestion at point guard). A fourth would belong to whichever backup big New York signs to support oft-injured starter Mitchell Robinson,” Buckley wrote. “You know who doesn’t get floor time in that scenario? Tyler Kolek, whom the Knicks traded up to get at No. 34, for one. He is one of the more polished prospects in this rookie class, and he looked the part at summer league.
Still, if there are only nine openings, he’d have to unseat McBride to claim one.” Tyler Kolek might not get minutes for the New York Knicks right away, but his college career shows that he’s more than ready to step up when needed. In his final year with the Golden Eagles, the Cumberland, RI native averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 7.7 assists. As long as Kolek keeps his head down and focuses on what he can control, opportunity will come knocking at his doorstep.
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The trick is that, at that point, Jansen was a member of the Blue Jays. In fact, he was even at the plate for Toronto at the time of the suspension. About a month later, Jansen was traded from the Blue Jays to the Red Sox. If Jansen were to enter the suspended game for Boston, it would make him the first player in known MLB history to play for both teams in the same game. Perhaps the best part? There is a plausible pathway to this happening. Reese McGuire, who was catching for Boston in that game, was designated for assignment after the Red Sox acquired Jansen. Toronto will obviously have to pinch-hit for Jansen, but the Red Sox might have no choice but to insert Jansen as their catcher to finish off the game. Jansen is aware of the possibility, though he does not quite know the specifics. “I don’t even know how this works. I’ve heard about it a couple times,” Jansen said recently, via David Adler of MLB.com. “That’ll be funky, right?” It would be very funky, and there appears to be a real chance of it happening. Anyone who appreciates a good statistical oddity might want to mark their calendar for this one.
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NFL scout makes huge prediction about Falcons’ Kirk Cousins, Michael Penix Jr.
Shortly after the Atlanta Falcons surprisingly made quarterback Michael Penix Jr. the eighth overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, multiple analysts mentioned how Atlanta could name Penix their full-time starter in the spring of 2025 even though the club signed veteran Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180M contract that included $100M guaranteed this past March.
For a lengthy piece produced by Jeremy Fowler and Marc Raimondi of ESPN, an unnamed “veteran league scout” said that “it’s hard to believe Penix would sit for the two years that align with Cousins’ contract guarantees.” Penix turned 24-years-old in May, while Cousins will be 36 when the upcoming season gets underway. “Ideally, you’d like for (Penix to be the backup longer),” the scout explained. “I don’t think that will happen. With a few exceptions, that’s just not the trend in the NFL.”
As recently as last week, Falcons owner Arthur Blank declared that Cousins “is our franchise quarterback” and “our starting quarterback” who ideally has “three to four great years in front of him” atop Atlanta’s depth chart. With that said, some have already linked Cousins with the Dallas Cowboys as Dallas starter Dak Prescott remains in the final year of a deal that prevents the Cowboys from trading or tagging him. A source “with direct knowledge” confirmed to ESPN that the Falcons spending pick No. 8 of this year’s draft on any quarterback “never came up as even a remote possibility” during free-agency conversations between the club and Cousins.
While Cousins seemingly has handled the situation as professionally as one could, it’s possible both he and the organization could want to go their separate ways if the Falcons fail to reach the playoffs in January 2025. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Atlanta as the betting favorite at -120 odds to claim the NFC South division crown for the 2024 season. Even if the Falcons achieve that goal, their front office could explore moving on from Cousins if he fails to guide the team to a postseason victory or if he ends the campaign as an injured spectator after he suffered a torn right Achilles last October.
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