Calvin Austin III Fantasy Football News | Shark Bites

Steelers WR Calvin Austin was knocked out of this morning game vs. the Vikings with a shoulder injury. He reportedly left the stadium in an ambulance with his arm in a sling. We’ll update Austin’s status when we know more, but it certainly sounds like this injury will cost him time.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin III heads toward training camp leading the competition for roles behind DK Metcalf. "I think that '2' spot is all Calvin's right now," WRs coach Zach Azzanni said in June. That quote came from ESPN's Brooke Pryor writing Austin up as Pittsburgh's biggest surprise player in early workouts. But don't ignore "right now" in the coach's message.

The Steelers are expected to finalize a trade today that will send WR George Pickens to the Cowboys. Josina Anderson reports Pittsburgh will get a 2026 third-round pick and a late-round pick swap in 2027 (Steelers sixth-rounder for Cowboys fifth-rounder). Pickens turned 24 in March and heads into the final year of his rookie contract.

Steelers WR George Pickens reportedly has a Grade 2 Hamstring strain and will likely miss next week's game against the Eagles. Pickens missed yesterday's game against the Browns as a game-time decision, but the injury appears to be more severe than describing this week.

Steelers WR George Pickens (hamstring) is inactive for today’s game vs. the Browns. Reports on his status for this one were positive this morning, but Pickens’ pregame workout must not have gone well. His absence leaves a huge hole in Pittsburgh’s passing game. Pickens has accounted for 24% of the team's targets, 24% of the receptions, 32% of the receiving yards, and 30% of the receiving TDs since QB Russell Wilson took over. WRs Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, and Mike Williams could all pick up extra targets, along with TEs Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. But we’ll also likely see the Steelers lean even more on the run game. Russell Wilson is not a recommended QB1 play with Pickens out.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin (concussion) was a full participant in Thursday's practice. He's on track to be cleared to play vs. the Browns this weekend. Austin has scored in two straight and three of his last five. But he's averaged just 3.4 targets and 2.2 catches across those five games. He'd be a flier in Week 14 fantasy lineups.

Steelers WR George Pickens scored early against the Bengals catching three of six targets for 74 yards and that lone TD. He also hurt the Steelers with a finger gun celebration that knocked the Steelers out of the red zone. The FG attempt after that was promptly blocked. Luckily, the team still got the win, but it is another

Steelers WR Calvin Austin sustained a concussion in Sunday's game vs. the Bengals. He caught both of his targets for 29 yards and a score before exiting. We'll track Austin's progress through the protocol this coming week. His absence should mean more snaps for WR Mike Williams.

Former Jets WR Mike Williams has been traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 Fifth Round pick. Williams was signed to the Jets as a free agent, but lost playing time to Allen Lazard. He was then buried after miscommunications with QB Aaron Rodgers and the Jets trading for WR Davante Adams. He should slot in as the WR2 for the Steelers.

Steelers WR George Pickens played just 34 of the team's 58 offensive snaps in Sunday night's loss to the Cowboys. HC Mike Tomlin said afterward that it was merely a load-management move.

Steelers WR Roman Wilson (ankle) has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the Falcons. He got in three limited practices this week, so he has a good chance to make his NFL debut in Week 2. Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin figure to operate as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 and 3 WRs in the opener, but neither is a viable fantasy play.

Steelers WR Roman Wilson is considered "week-to-week" with the ankle injury he suffered in Tuesday's practice, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "He could miss some time, but the injury does not appear serious," Fowler adds. It's relatively good news after Wilson had to be carted back to the locker room.

Steelers WR Calvin Austin has impressed throughout the offseason, from OTAs to minicamp, and is now in training camp. He has shown his versatility by playing inside and outside and running a variety of routes. He appears to be the second-best WR on the team since the start of the year.

Coming out of OTAs, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic says that he'd call Van Jefferson the Steelers' No. 2 WR "right now." He added that the answer certainly isn't clear yet. "To be honest, you can throw [Quez] Watkins, [Cordarrelle] Patterson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, Marquez Callaway and Denzel Mims in there as well," Kaboly writes. Notably, he didn't include Round 3 rookie Roman Wilson in that group. Kaboly also says he expects the team to "add a legit No. 2" before the start of the regular season.

Steelers WR George Pickens led the team in receiving with 75 yards and 4 catches in Week 3’s win vs. the Raiders. Second-year wideout Calvin Austin III had a nice performance as well, hauling in 2 of 6 targets with a 72-yard TD. Fantasy managers also saw a bounce back from TE Pat Freiermuth in the contest. He totaled 3 catches for 41 yards and a score on Sunday night. This is the best that the Steelers’ passing offense has looked all season. Still, we’re not going to get overly excited about this one, given the poor state of the offense. We’ll see if this unit can build upon their achievements in Week 4 vs. the Texans.

The Steelers announced on Monday that WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) is being placed on IR. The veteran wideout will now miss at least the next 4 games of the season. Johnson sustained this injury during the second half of Week 1 vs. the 49ers and didn't return to the contest. He also hadn't participated in practice at any point this week leading up to the Steelers' Week 2 primetime game vs. the Browns. Without Johnson in tow, the Steelers will look to see increased efforts from WRs Allen Robinson and Calvin Austin. Neither player is worth considering in most 10 or 12-team formats, though they are decent speculative deeper league adds. Expect to see a small bump in responsibility for TE Pat Freiermuth to supplement Johnson's contributions as a lower aDOT player in the Steelers' offense.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson (hamstring) has been ruled out for Monday night's game vs. the Browns. Insider Gerry Dulac reported earlier this week that Johnson is expected to miss four weeks, although he hasn't been placed on IR. That means the Steelers think Johnson has a chance to be back before four weeks. WR George Pickens was added to the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring and limited in practice. But he has no game designation, so he's expected to play vs. Cleveland. Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin will be Pittsburgh's top three WRs with Johnson out.

Steelers insider Gerry Dulac hears that WR Diontae Johnson is expected to miss four weeks with his hamstring injury. If that's the case, we could see Johnson land on IR on Saturday. He's still worth keeping stashed on fantasy benches. Johnson's absence opens up opportunity for WRs George Pickens, Allen Robinson, and Calvin Austin, plus TE Pat Freiermuth.

Steelers WR Diontae Johnson logged 3 catches on 6 targets for 48 receiving yards in Sunday’s loss vs. the 49ers. He looked to be on his way to leading the team in receiving prior to a third-quarter hamstring injury that saw him exit the contest for good. TE Pat Freiermuth caught a 3-yard TD at the end of the first half (his only catch on 4 targets) before being forced out of the game due to a chest injury. It’ll be vital for fantasy managers to stay on top of the injury reports this week in case either play misses Week 2 vs. the Browns. WRs Calvin Austin III (6 catches, 37 yards) and Allen Robinson (5 catches, 64 yards) both saw a lot of involvement by the end of Week 1, so perhaps they’ll be names to keep an eye on for waiver wire consideration.