Jaylen Warren
vs Tucker Kraft

“Jaylen Warren Has a Ceiling Warren entered Sunday with 150 scrimmage yards through two games, then delivered 176 against CIN. His 49 receiving yards remind us he has multiple ways to produce when PIT cooperates. Even ole’ A A Ron looked like a HOF QB.”

“Jaylen Warren, who was limited in practice, is listed as questionable but is expected to play. With Dowdle out, Warren is set to be a bell cow in the Steelers offense. He has only seen a 56.4% opportunity share thus far, which likely climbs toward the 75% threshold with Dowdle out.”

“Warren’s matchup this week is against an improved Cincy run defense that, at best, is a neutral matchup, but I’m more worried about the matchup. Warren will need volume to overcome it, and he’ll likely get the touch count to do so. Cincy has allowed the 13th-lowest explosive run rate while having the second-highest rate of contacting backs at or behind the line of scrimmage.”

“The Pittsburgh offense has been dysfunctional this season, but Warren could be a frequent checkdown option for immobile 42-year-old QB Aaron Rodgers . Warren would also get the vast majority of Pittsburgh’s rushing attempts, and he’s been an efficient, underrated runner throughout his career. Quinshon Judkins has had 12 carries in each of his first two games and hasn’t had a run of 10 or more yards.”

““ Jaylen Warren has potential to be a full-on bust this upcoming Sunday. The Steelers offense looks horrendous, and the Bengals look like the real deal with a much improved defensive front line with the addition of Dexter Lawrence this offseason.”

“Meanwhile, Warren was far more efficient with his limited time on the field, leading the backfield in carries (10 to 8), rushing yards (46 to 15), and total opportunities (16 to 13). However, the broader concern here is the environment. Pittsburgh looks poised to remain a low-scoring offense.”

“I don’t know if Jaylen Warren is the handcuff in Pittsburgh, but he is a better fit for the offense than Rico Dowdle . He earned more touches, and until the Steelers get their offensive line issues straightened out, they won’t be able to run inside. Warren gives Pittsburgh more in the passing game, and his outside runs are where the Steelers need to attack at the moment.”

“Warren played 36.8% of the snaps, got 55.2% of the backfield opportunities, and had a 15% target share, scoring 10.3 PPR points with a lost fumble.”

“Warren already has three seasons under his belt with 300+ receiving yards, a threshold Dowdle has never touched. The Verdict: In Full PPR, fire up Jaylen Warren for the pass-catching floor. In Half-PPR / Standard fantasy leagues, I lean Rico Dowdle for the early-down volume and TD potential.”

“Jaylen Warren is my pick to be a league-winning running back in 2026. He finished as the RB18 in fantasy points per game last season while ranking sixth in missed-tackle rate, ninth in yards after contact per attempt, and third among running backs in yards per route run.”

“Kraft is still only 10 months removed from ACL surgery after tearing it in mid-November 2025. Even with that, he has seen a 63% route share over the past two weeks. While that is just outside the top 10 tight ends in usage, I expect his role to continue growing as the year goes on.”

“With Christian Watson and Matthew Golden dominating targets from Jordan Love – the pair have accounted for 50% of team targets at all positions – it is hardly surprising that Kraft has been left to pick up scraps as the clear third option in this Green Bay passing game. Sure, he may still be recovering from that torn ACL…but all reports heading into the season were that he was 100% good-to-go; so I am not buying it. Contrast this with Kelce and his almost sickening chemistry with Mahomes, and it looks as if Zeus could once again be near the summit of the TE mountain come the fantasy playoffs.”

“TE Tucker Kraft vs ATL If you have Kraft, make sure he is in your lineup tonight against Atlanta. The ramp-up happened quickly off the ACL injury, with Kraft’s snap involvement going from 66% in week one to 98% last week. The Packers’ offense struggled to get much of anything going last week, but the consensus seems to be that Kraft’s usage (or lack thereof) might have been the problem.”

“Given his current cost, Tucker Kraft is my favorite tight end to target this season, compared to the options ahead of him.”

“Christian Watson and Jayden Reed were given extensions, Tucker Kraft is back healthy, and first-round receiver Matthew Golden is entering his sophomore season.”