After a dismal rookie year, wide receiver Calvin Austin III took a nice step forward as a sophomore. He made his way onto fantasy football rosters, but wasn’t a consistent weekly starter. With George Pickens, Van Jefferson, and Mike Williams all gone, could Austin have some Flex appeal as the potential starting WR2 on the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Should You Draft Calvin Austin III in Fantasy?
A 2024 fourth-round pick, Austin providing any semblance of utility to the Steelers and fantasy managers is already a win. After catching a mere 17 passes for 180 yards as a rookie, there wasn’t a ton of excitement surrounding Austin last season. To his credit, he stepped up.
Although Austin only managed 36 receptions for 548 yards and four touchdowns, it was still a marked improvement over the previous year. His target share doubled, going from 6.2% to 12.6%. A big part of this was the move to a more slot-centric role with Austin running 53.4% of his routes from there.
Austin went from an inefficient, seldom-used player to a big-play threat. His yards per target went from 6.0 to 9.4, which ranked 17th in the league, and his 15.2 yards per reception was 15th.
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With all that said, Austin still wasn’t someone fantasy managers could start every week. He only averaged 7.0 fantasy points per game. But he did have moments.
Calvin Austin pic.twitter.com/eouXRtfB9E
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) May 4, 2025
Austin posted 16+ fantasy points three times last season. Of course, it didn’t help that each one followed a game in which he caught one pass, making it unlikely anyone would start him. But we don’t care about whether fantasy managers were able to benefit last season; we’re concerned with whether we can use this information to help us this year.
The Steelers swapped out Pickens for the upgraded model, DK Metcalf. He will be the clear WR1 and will dominate targets. Beyond Metcalf, though, there’s an opening. The non-Austin options are 33-year-old Robert Woods, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, and Roman Wilson. Heading into the season, Austin should be considered the favorite for the WR2 role.
Traditionally, the WR2 role in a low-volume Steelers passing attack wouldn’t be something we care much about. But things may be a little different this season.
Even though Aaron Rodgers is nowhere near the MVP player he once was, it’s hard to fathom Rodgers running an offense that throws the ball fewer than 30 times per game, which is what the Steelers did in 2024. The absolute fewest amount of attempts Rodgers has ever averaged per game is 31.7.
If we can get Austin in a mostly full-time role, there is some deep sleeper appeal here. With a WR84 ADP, Austin is quite literally free. You can take him as the last player on your roster or leave him on waivers to see what happens early in the season.
Mason LeBeau’s Calvin Austin III Fantasy Projection
 I suppose someone has to break out and catch passes in this Pittsburgh Steelers offense, right? Even then, are we really using a draft pick on Austin? At WR95, no one else is, but should you?
No, probably not. This Arthur Smith-Aaron Rodgers offense is pretty easy to skip on unless you really like WR D.K. Metcalf or RB Kaleb Johnson. There will be some value somewhere, but there’s a good chance Rodgers spreads out the ball in a low-volume offense for a team that wins with defense.Â
Austin’s role is not secure, competing with Robert Woods, Scotty Miller, Ben Skowronek, and Senior Bowl darling Roman Wilson. If I’m taking a shot anywhere here, it’s on Wilson.Â
