Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 17, 2024, 1:00 ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Network: CBS
Writer: Chris Helle (@ChrisHelleQBL on Twitter)
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson: Start, QB1
Lamar’s MVP-caliber season charges forward after last week’s shootout against the Bengals. He’s averaging 25.9 points per week in fantasy – his lowest output of the season was 16.4 points, which was still enough to be QB9 in Week 2. This week poses a tough against the Steelers defense, who held Jayden Daniels to only 8.6 points last week. The Steelers’ pass rush is relenting, but Jayden ran the ball only 3 times last week, and Lamar is averaging close to 9 rush attempts per game. Lamar’s worst rushing game this season was against the Broncos two weeks ago, where he had only 3 carries for 4 yards (both season lows by a wide margin) – yet he still threw for 280 yards and 3 TDs without an interception. Lamar’s insane pace may take a minor step back with the matchup this week, but his floor is well-established as a QB1 every week.
Running Back
Derrick Henry: Start, RB1
Justice Hill: Sit
Keaton Mitchell: Sit
It’s really quite unfair for opposing teams to face the thunder-and-lightning duo between Lamar and Henry. The two are simultaneously QB1 and RB1 on the season – even with Lamar’s success in the passing game and his own share of the rushing game, Derrick Henry has scored a touchdown every single week and leads the league in rushing yards. The Steelers do rank 4th in the fewest rush yards allowed per attempt, but they’ll have their hands full slowing down this Ravens offense. Lamar and Henry have accounted for 89% of this team’s rushes, so Justice Hill and Keaton Mitchell are fighting for scraps.
Wide Receiver
Zay Flowers: Start, WR2
Rashod Bateman: FLEX Option, WR4
Diontae Johnson: Sit
Zay Flowers is one of the most electric players to watch play when he’s involved. He’s leading the team in targets but has posted four games with 4 or fewer receptions. With that said, he’s averaging an incredible 6.8 YAC/reception, which goes to show it’s just a matter of getting the ball in his hands. In a divisional game against a high-end run defense, we should expect Zay to get those touches. Rashod Bateman is coming off his second game of the season with 8 targets, but he’s a touchdown-dependent asset that should only be considered throwing in your FLEX if there are no better options available. And despite acquiring Diontae Johnson from Carolina, his snap count dropped from 17 plays in his first game as a Raven down to only five plays last week.
Tight End
Mark Andrews: Start, TE1
Isaiah Likely: Sit
It took some time, but if you held onto Mark Andrews through the dark days of the early season, then you’ve been rewarded. Andrews now has 5 touchdowns over the last 5 weeks and had his season-high in targets, receptions, and yards last week. He’s been the TE3 between Weeks 6-10 and has taken back his role as the receiving TE that many believed to be Isaiah Likely through the first few weeks. Andrews’ chemistry with Lamar has hit its stride, and the Steelers are middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to TEs.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Russell Wilson: Start, QB1
The Ravens’ secondary has established itself as a pass funnel by allowing the 5th most yards per pass attempt in the league, but that’s not the only reason Russ should be in your starting lineup. He’s averaging 18.9 fantasy points, albeit the three games he’s started are a small sample size. His average time to throw is 5th most among starting QBs and has translated into the second-highest average intended air yards (10.0 aIAY). Even with that level of aggressiveness, his 105.9 QBR is 3rd highest among active QBs. We’ve been seeing vintage Russell Wilson these past few weeks, and this is a great matchup for him to make a statement in fantasy. The team will also need him if they’re going to keep up with the high-scoring Ravens offense.
Running Back
Najee Harris: FLEX Option, RB3
Jaylen Warren: FLEX Option, RB4
Pittsburgh runs the ball at the 2nd-highest rate behind only Philadelphia, but Najee Harris barely has an edge over Jaylen Warren in snap share. Unfortunately for both backs, Baltimore’s defense has allowed the fewest rushing yards per attempt. This may be a combination of good run defense, being weaker against the pass, and leading games forcing opposing teams to throw the ball more – but none of those factors are expected to change for this game. Najee and Jaylen are both skilled RBs, but neither is an elite talent nor has a big enough slice of the offense to work with. Najee’s touches are slightly more guaranteed than Warren’s; however, you may want to consider other options to fill your RB slot with this week.
Wide Receiver
George Pickens: Start, WR1
Mike Williams: Sit
Calvin Austin: Sit
Pickens is the WR1 on the List this week for a few reasons: talent, opportunity, matchup, and potential game script. We had seen flashes during the first half of the season with Justin Fields at QB, but many of the big plays and touchdowns were getting called back due to penalties or by video review. He’s now scored a touchdown in two of the three weeks with Russell Wilson at QB (he still had a TD called back from toe-tapping the same foot twice), but he’s also logged every game of over 18 yards per completion – a mark he hadn’t hit a single time during the first 6 weeks with Fields. The connection with Russ is clicking, and now they’re put in a plus matchup against a team that’s going to force them to keep up. Mike Williams may have caught the go-ahead touchdown last week, but he and Calvin Austin are far behind Pickens on the totem pole.
Tight End
Pat Freiermuth: Streaming Option, TE2
A touchdown last week saved Freiermuth’s fantasy day from what would have been a total bust: only 3 receptions for 17 yards. He’s the second receiving option behind Pickens in this offense, but the caveat is that it’s only 34 targets on the season (3.8 targets/game), whereas Pickens has nearly double that at 65 targets (7.2 targets/game). That ratio stays the same in the red zone, too, though, so expecting a passing-oriented game from Pittsburgh makes Freiermuth a potential option to pivot to if you need to fill your TE slot this week.