Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, December 28, 2025, 1 p.m. ET
Location: Huntington Bank Field, Cleveland, OH
Network: CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Aaron Rodgers: SIT
A-a-ron Rodgers hasn’t had one game with multiple touchdown passes since Week 9 and is set to be without top receiver DK Metcalf, who was suspended after an altercation with a fan in the stands against the Lions. The Browns are a bottom-five matchup for quarterbacks, and Rodgers is a bottom-five option for fantasy in Week 17.
Running Back
Jaylen Warren: START, RB2
Kenneth Gainwell: START, RB2
Kaleb Johnson: SIT
The dynamic running back duo in Detroit this week was on the Steelers’ sideline, with Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell giving zero flips about the Lions’ dominant run defense. Warren and Gainwell combined for 279 yards of offense and three touchdowns between them. The Browns have been demolished by the run since Week 13, allowing an average of 145.3 rushing yards per game and a league high nine rushing touchdowns. Warren and Gainwell are both startable as an RB2. If you’re surprised by Gainwell being that high, may I present you with the following evidence:
Kenneth Gainwell's acrobatic catch shifted momentum before halftime 🔥 @Steelers | @Accenture pic.twitter.com/EUO4qjF1nX
— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2025
Wide Receiver
DK Metcalf: : SUSPENDED
Calvin Austin III: SIT
Marquez Valdes-Scantling: SIT
Adam Thielen: SIT
DK Metcalf has been suspended for two games after the following altercation with a fan.
DK Metcalf appears to have an altercation with a Detroit fan pic.twitter.com/a478Zjg3tR
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 21, 2025
I’m not going to weigh in on who’s at fault or dig into any details. Without Metcalf in the lineup, no other Steelers receiver is startable against Cleveland, which has held opposing wideouts to the sixth-fewest fantasy points this season.
Tight End
Darnell Washington: SIT
Pat Freiermuth: SIT
Jonnu Smith: SIT
None of the Steelers’ tight ends are fantasy options, even with Metcalf out. But Darnell Washington is fun to watch play football, isn’t he?
DARNELL WASHINGTON IS A BEAST pic.twitter.com/cPD56eH6i0
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 22, 2025
Defense/Special Teams
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers’ defense is top five in sacks and turnovers forced, and gets to the second-lowest scoring offense in the NFL.
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Shedeur Sanders: SIT
Week 14 was fun, wasn’t it? Since Shedeur Sanders “broke out” with a three-touchdown performance against Tennessee, he’s thrown one touchdown and five interceptions, and shouldn’t be anywhere near your fantasy lineup.
Running Back
Dylan Sampson
Raheim Sanders
Quinshon Judkins suffered catastrophic season-ending injury against the Bills, diagnosed as a dislocated right ankle and broken fibula. With Jerome Ford on IR, Dylan Sampson is arguably the top waiver pickup for the week. Even if he doesn’t carry the load completely, his lack of competition paired with his PPR upside is worth starting against the Steelers. Sampson hasn’t played since Week 14 and is progressing, but the Browns are optimistic for him to be able to play Sunday. If he’s can’t, the next man up would be Raheim Sanders, whose 3.8 yards per carry in relief of Judkins did nothing to make him a consideration in fantasy.
Wide Receiver
Jerry Jeudy: SIT
Cedric Tillman: SIT
Isaiah Bond: SIT
The struggles of Shedeur Sanders prevents any Cleveland wide receiver from holding fantasy viability.
Tight End
Harold Fannin Jr.: START, TE1
Per usual, the only fantasy-relevant Cleveland Brown is rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. Fannin caught four of six targets for 34 yards and a score, and got into the end zone a second time on a 1-yard run, the first rushing touchdown of his career. His ceiling is capped by the Cleveland offense, and meh-at-best QB play. But he’s become a must-start tight end down the stretch, and could go nuclear in a top two matchup against Pittsburgh.
Defense/Special Teams
Cleveland Browns: STREAMER
There’s not much upside, but the Browns are a safe streamer in a game with an implied game total under 35 points at the time of writing.