Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, October 29th @ 1:00 PM ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Betting Odds: JAX -2.5, 42 total via PFF.com
Network: CBS
Writer: Matthew Cava (@cavaM_ on Twitter/X)
Jacksonville Jaguars
Quarterback
Trevor Lawrence (Start, QB1)
The fear was that, on a short week, Trevor Lawrence wasn’t going to suit up last Thursday against the Saints. He was truly a pregame warmup decision, but ended up not only starting but also rushing for a career-high 59 yards; brace and a knee injury be damned. Lawrence was efficient through the air as well, completing 20 of 29 attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown. Having had a few days extra rest, he’s set to face a Steelers defense that is allowing the 15th-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. Through seven weeks, Lawrence only owns an 8:3 passing touchdown to interception ratio, keeping him on the low-end QB1 trajectory until he shows more consistency.
Running Backs
Travis Etienne Jr. (Start, RB1)
Make it three straight weeks for Travis Etienne Jr. with at least two rushing scores in a single game. Against the Saints – one of the toughest run defenses in the league – he found the end zone twice, although he only had 53 yards off 14 carries. He’s yet to rush for over 100 yards since Week 5 (136), but if he continues to find the end zone at this rate, fantasy owners won’t stress the yardage totals. The Steelers are allowing an average of 19 fantasy points to RBs this season according to CBS Fantasy, but Etienne will remain firmly on the RB1 map. For what it’s worth, Pittsburgh did just allow injury fill-ins Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson to rush for a total of 127 combined yards last week.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
Christian Kirk (Start, WR2), Calvin Ridley (Start, FLEX), Jamal Agnew (Sit), Evan Engram (Start, TE1)
Christian Kirk has firmly overtaken Calvin Ridley as the preferred target for Lawrence. Since Week 2, Kirk has averaged 16.8 full-PPR points a week, compared to Ridley’s 8.78. Kirk enters Week 8 having scored in back-to-back games, whereas Ridley hasn’t found paydirt since Week 4. The Steelers’ defense has been fairly poor against WRs this season, allowing the 5th-most points across the league. Ridley could be in line for a bounce-back game, but Kirk is the receiver to continue to trust as a solid WR2 with WR1 upside if Lawrence and he can get in a groove.
Evan Engram is coming off a five-for-45 game against the Saints, who have been strong against TEs. Pittsburgh is in that same boat, allowing the 25th-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Kenny Pickett (Sit)
Kenny Pickett may have played a solid game in the win against the Rams last week, but his stats do not translate for fantasy relevancy. He completed 17 of 25 attempts for 230 scoreless yards, but a box score like that won’t be enough to get the job done against the Jaguars. Then again, it’s something to build on considering Jacksonville is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing QBs this season. With no teams on BYE this week, Pickett can remain on your wire.
Running Backs
Najee Harris (Start, RB2), Jaylen Warren (Sit)
Both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren found the end zone against Los Angeles, but it was Harris who had the more productive game overall. He turned 14 carries into 53 yards and the score, adding three receptions for 15 yards. Warren, who came into the game averaging 11.2 full-PPR points per week since Week 4, finished with just six carries for 32 yards and the touchdown, and one reception that went for -1 yards.
Warren will remain a pivotal bench stash, but should be considered a matchup-dependent option for your lineup on the weekly. Brace for Harris to continue to post modest numbers; considering he has yet to hit the century mark on the ground in any game this season.
Wide Receivers/Tight End
George Pickens (Start, WR3), Dionate Johnson (Start, WR3)
George Pickens posted over 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time in his NFL career last week, catching five of eight targets for 107 yards. His eight targets were two more than a returning Diontae Johnson (hamstring), who had five grabs for 79 scoreless yards in his first action since Week 1. As Johnson gets acclimated back into the offense, over time he will eat into Pickens’ target share, but both receivers should still hold fantasy relevancy on the weekly in an otherwise unthreatening WR room in Pittsburgh. The Jaguars are allowing the 11th most fantasy points to wide receivers this season.
With Pat Freiermuth placed on IR (hamstring), the next men up are Connor Heyward and Darnell Washington. Both are not viable streaming options in his absence.
I can’t anymore with these intrusive ads. Very poor placement.