Jaylen Warren

A ZeroRB darling, Warren suffered a hamstring injury in the offseason that threatened to hold him out of the Steelers' Week 1 opener. While he did play in the game, Mike Tomlin was determined to limit his snaps in the opening month because of the injury. Warren totaled 19 touches over the first three weeks of the season and then missed two games with a knee issue. He eventually returned to a part-time role, operating as a change-of-pace back while also getting work as the team's primary option on passing downs. Warren's role ebbed and flowed depending on the game state, but he never passed Najee Harris on the depth chart despite looking like the team's more explosive back late in the year. While better than Harris, Warren's numbers also took a hit in 2024. He averaged 4.3 yards per carry compared to 5.3 in 2023. Warren finished the year with 120 carries for 511 yards and 38 catches for 310 yards. With Harris set to hit free agency, there's a chance Warren gets a larger cut of the backfield in his fourth NFL season. However, Mike Tomlin's reluctance to give him a full-time role suggests Pittsburgh will bring in another back if they let Harris walk.

Warren was dealing with a rib injury, but it was still surprising to see the tailback receive 10 fewer touches than Najee Harris (12-36-1, four catches for 20 yards) in the season finale. Warren looked like the much faster and better playmaker when he did touch the ball, but game script and stubbornness saw him essentially be a non-factor. Expect to see more Warren in the Wild Card round, especially if Harris (undisclosed) can't play next weekend/Monday.

Warren is playing very well at the moment, banking RB21 and RB8 finishes over the last two weeks. He practiced in full over the last two days over the last two days so fantasy managers can expect him to handle his typical workload against a Bengals defense that just placed star DT Sheldon Rankins on the reserve/non-football illness list.

Warren was limited for Pittsburgh's first practice of the week on Tuesday. A full session before the final report means he will be good to go for Saturday's game. The Steelers can still win the AFC North with a win and a Baltimore loss, so we will see all of their starters for the regular season finale. Coming off a 16-touch, 115-yard game versus the Chiefs, Warren is finally in the RB2 ranks, just in time to help zero fantasy managers.