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.
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.
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.
Falcons WR Drake London (groin) is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Vikings. That leaves Atlanta with WRs Van Jefferson, KhaDarel Hodge, Mack Hollins, and Scotty Miller. Seriously. TEs Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith should draw more targets with London out. RBs Bijan Robinson and Cordarrelle Patterson could also play expanded roles in the passing game.
The Rams traded WR Van Jefferson and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Falcons for a 2025 sixth-rounder, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Jefferson played just two snaps for Los Angeles last week with WR Cooper Kupp back. He'll find opportunity for playing time in Atlanta, with Mack Hollins currently serving as the No. 2 WR. But, considering WR Drake London and TE Kyle Pitts have struggled to find enough volume, Jefferson is a long shot for fantasy relevance.
The Rams will place WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) on IR, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That knocks Kupp out for at least the first four games of the season. Hopefully he's ready to go come Week 5 and the hamstring trouble doesn't resurface. Kupp is certainly worth stashing in all fantasy leagues. Van Jefferson figures to operate as Los Angeles' No. 1 WR with Kupp out. We'll see how the WR corps shakes out behind him. TE Tyler Higbee should also see a bunch of targets sans Kupp.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Rams WR Cooper Kupp (hamstring) has been ruled out for Week 1 vs. the Seahawks. The veteran wideout sustained a setback in rehabbing his hamstring late last week and sought the insight of a specialist in Minnesota on Monday. In speaking on 'NFL Live', Schefter added that Rams HC Sean McVay has not ruled out the possibility that Kupp could be placed on IR. Kupp's absence for Week 1 was a somewhat expected move. The real risk now is that a stint on IR would mean that the fantasy star would miss the first four games of 2023 at a minimum. Managers looking to replace Kupp could look to Van Jefferson, as he's now the presumed Rams WR1. We'll continue to monitor this situation as more information becomes available regarding a potential prolonged absence.
The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue wrote recently that Rams WR Van Jefferson would take over as the team's WR1 should teammate Cooper Kupp (hamstring) not play in Week 1. HC Sean McVay shared on Thursday that Kupp's game status is uncertain after the veteran suffered a setback in his injury recovery the same day. The season-long fantasy impact of this news may not be much, but take note of Jefferson as someone to look at for relief in deeper leagues or certain DFS formats. See where these Rams wideouts appear in our current WR rankings.
Rams beat writer Cameron DaSilva writes that “in all likelihood,” the team will use a rotation at WR3. Van Jefferson holds the WR2 role behind Cooper Kupp. But we’ll see training camp sort the depth chart beyond that, with Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowrenek, and Puka Nacua as leading contenders. Atwell brings big-play appeal, making him a late-round option in best ball leagues. Nacua, though, has drawn the most buzz this offseason. The real takeaway is that Kupp remains a strong candidate to lead the NFL in targets.
Rams OC Mike LaFleur praised rookie WR Puka Nacua for his efforts at OTAs. “He’s a good-sized kid. He’s got a good frame to him. He catches the ball really effortlessly,” LaFleur said on Wednesday. “He can stay grounded through the catch and so he is doing a good job with it. And particularly moving him around quite a bit, not babying him at all with the motions and the alignments and stuff like that and so he’s doing a good job. You can tell, all you have to do is look at these – especially the young guys – just look at their eyes when they’re in the huddle and you can tell the guys that are swimming, the guys that aren’t and he definitely has a calm demeanor about himself and is fitting in nicely.” Nacua will compete for rotational snaps behind Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson. The 5th-round pick is much more intriguing in dynasty formats.
The Rams are finalizing a trade to send WR Allen Robinson to the Steelers, pending Robinson passing a physical. No word yet on the compensation, but the Rams probably aren't getting much. Robinson is set to count $18 million against the 2023 salary cap and has been one of the least efficient WRs in the NFL over the past two seasons. He ranked 86th out of 101 qualifying WRs in yards per route run in 2021 and 90th out of 96 last year. Robinson figures to slide in as Pittsburgh's #3 WR behind Diontae Johnson and George Pickens. He's not an exciting fantasy pick. The Rams, meanwhile, are left with Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, and Ben Skowronek atop the WR depth chart. We'll see if they add to the position.
Update: Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers are getting Robinson and the 251st overall pick of this year's draft in exchange for the 234th overall pick. The Rams are also paying $10.25 million of Robinson’s salary. The Steelers will pay the remaining $5 million. If you needed confirmation that Robinson's tank is empty, there you go.
The Rams are hiring Mike LaFleur as their new OC, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. LaFleur replaces Liam Coen, who left Los Angeles after just 1 season to return to his previous post as Kentucky's OC. LaFleur struggled as Jets OC the past 2 years, with both of those teams finishing bottom 8 in both total yards and points. Like Rams HC Sean McVay, LaFleur comes from the Shanahan coaching tree, so there should be plenty of synergy here. McVay will still be running the show, though, so don't expect a big change to the Rams' play calling.
Rams WR Ben Skowronek will miss the rest of the season with a calf injury, HC Sean McVay said Tuesday. Skowronek joins WRs Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson on the sideline, leaving the Rams with WRs Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Brandon Powell, Austin Trammell and Lance McCutcheon.
Rams WR Allen Robinson (foot) is "not likely" to play vs. the Chiefs today, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Robinson was set to serve as Los Angeles' de facto #1 WR with Cooper Kupp out. Los Angeles is now down to WRs Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Brandon Powell, Tutu Atwell and Lance McCutcheon. TE Tyler Higbee is the favorite to lead the team in targets today -- but this is a passing game to try to avoid with QB Bryce Perkins likely making his 1st career start.
Rams WR Cooper Kupp has been diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. A source tells Schefter that it "doesn't sound good." No timetable is given, but high-ankle sprains are generally 4-6 week injuries. So, for now, Kupp owners should brace to be without him until at least Week 15 -- and possibly longer. Kupp leaves behind a massive 30% of Rams targets. Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek and Tyler Higbee should all pick up extra volume, but this Rams passing game could be a disaster with Kupp sidelined.
Rams TE Tyler Higbee caught all 8 of his targets for 73 yards in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, leading the team in all 3 categories. WR Ben Skowronek checked in 2nd among Rams with 7 targets in a game that saw the team lose Cooper Kupp to injury. WR Allen Robinson ranked 3rd with 6 targets and finished 2nd in catches (4) and yards (44).
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