The Pittsburgh Steelers will travel to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13. Here’s the final injury report and start-sit advice for every skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy football impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 13 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
And if you’re looking for all the latest injury updates around the league, our Final Week 13 Injury Report is live and updated with the very latest for all 32 teams.
Russell Wilson, QB | PIT
Wilson’s Injury Status for Week 13
Wilson is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Wilson
The Russell Wilson “moon balls” get a lot of attention, and they are fun, but over 39% of his attempts in all five of his starts have traveled less than five yards downfield (season rate: 45%), a style of play that introduces an awfully low floor for a veteran without elite support or high-end rushing abilities.
Wilson has been held under 14 fantasy points in three of his past four games, and he’s only a bomb or two away from the bottom completely falling out.
Those are long-term concerns. I’m not comfortable entering the fantasy playoffs banking on Wilson, but I’m just fine going into Week 13 with that being the case. This season, 10.1% of deep passes thrown against the Bengals result in a touchdown, and if Wilson can hit on one (maybe even two?), he’s going to have a chance to finish as a QB1 this week, even with all 32 teams in action.
I suspect he’ll be a popular DFS play this week, and I don’t think that’s necessarily wrong — just be careful in assuming that any production put up this weekend is predictive of what to do as we navigate December.
Jaylen Warren, RB | PIT
Warren’s Injury Status for Week 13
Warren is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Warren
Jaylen Warren played a season-high 56.7% of the snaps against the Browns and upped his season rate in percentage of carries gaining 5+ yards to 34.7%. With Najee Harris’ production fading, could Warren finally be given the work we’ve been begging for at the exact right time?
I loved that he cashed in a three-yard touchdown last week, and the upcoming schedule figures to put pressure on this offense to throw more than they want.
- Week 13 at Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 14 vs. Cleveland Browns
- Week 15 at Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 16 at Baltimore Ravens
- Week 17 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
That’s the type of schedule that favors Warren over Harris. I have the two ranked next to each other for the rest of the season, both in the Flex tier, a damning move given the edge in volume Harris currently holds.
There’s always a risk involved with a player whose 14 touches last week feel closer to a projectable touch ceiling, and I don’t think that is going to change this weekend or moving forward. That said, if the recent trends are sustained, Warren is positioned to be the most valuable member of this backfield down the stretch.
Najee Harris, RB | PIT
Harris’ Injury Status for Week 13
Harris is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Harris
We entered this season with concerns about Najee Harris’ efficiency, and we fell for it. You and me both. We fell for three strong weeks, and I’m disappointed in us as a collective.
- Weeks 6-8: 25.2% over expectation, 16.7% stuff rate, and 20.4% explosive rate
- Weeks 10-12: 26.8% under expectation, 29.1% stuff rate, and 9.1% explosive rate
That’s not to say that he can’t be trusted in fantasy lineups. I still believe in the trajectory of this offense as a whole, and Harris finishing with at least 18 touches in five straight games holds significant value this time of year, but I think the week-winning upside that we had some access to earlier is gone.
The Bengals are a vulnerable defense as a whole, but running backs have produced 10.5% under expectations against them this season; with them coming off a bye, they figure to be as fresh as a team can be this time of year.
Proceed with caution, both for Week 13 and the rest of the way.
George Pickens, WR | PIT
Pickens’ Injury Status for Week 13
Pickens is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Pickens
After clearing 16 PPR points in three of four games, George Pickens fell flat in the elements against the Browns on Thursday night, turning seven targets into just 8.8 points.
I’m not worried.
The Steelers continued to take shots to him (Week 12: 20.6 aDOT) and that is where he is going to produce when not playing in a borderline blizzard. We saw him haul in one of those deep passes (31-yard juggling reception) and if there isn’t some sort of miscommunication and/or an off-target throw in the end zone, fantasy managers would have left last week feeling very different.
How many times do you think a receiver has cleared 17 PPR points against the Bengals this season?
That number sits at 11 through 11 games. That number is enough to play Pickens with confidence without context, but let’s highlight some of the names on that list.
- Diontae Johnson (Week 4): 21.3 PPR points
- Tylan Wallace (Week 10): 20.5
- Xavier Legette (Week 4): 19.6
- Cedric Tillman (Week 7): 18.1
- Rashod Bateman (Week 10): 17.4
It hasn’t just been the upper tier of receivers that have taken full advantage of this vulnerable secondary – anyone on the field has a chance. Russell Wilson has made it clear that he trusts Pickens in a major way and that gives him the potential to return WR1 value this weekend.
Mike Williams, WR | PIT
Williams’ Injury Status for Week 13
Williams is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Williams
On paper, Mike Williams makes a lot of sense for this offense, and maybe he will acclimate with time. But we are in the business of building a winning roster for Week 13. Despite the plus matchup, it’s impossible to call Flexing Williams anything more than a prayer.
Williams’ snap shares with Pittsburgh:
- Week 10 at Washington Commanders: 12%
- Week 11 vs. Baltimore Ravens: 31.1%
- Week 12 at Cleveland Browns: 28.4%
He’s seen one target as a Steeler, and of course, it was a 32-yard score. Pittsburgh was playing the long game when they acquired the deep threat, and we don’t have that luxury right now. Williams can be stashed in deep roster situations, but if you’re chasing a playoff berth, he’s not the type of player that needs to remain rostered.
Pat Freiermuth, TE | PIT
Freiermuth’s Injury Status for Week 13
Freiermuth is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Freiermuth
We entered Week 12 with concerns about Darnell Washington’s upward trending snap share, but Pat Freiermuth clearly has Russell Wilson’s trust, which resulted in a respectable four-catch, 59-yard outing against the Browns in the snow last Thursday night.
Freiermuth has caught 35 of 40 targets this season (13 of 14 from Russell Wilson), and I was encouraged by the Steelers experimenting with working him down the field a bit in Week 12. It’s a tiny sample, and I’m not adjusting my per-target upside projection, though it was good to see him haul in a pair of passes thrown 10+ yards downfield (he had one such catch in his previous five games).
With the bye behind him and a net positive matchup grade over the next month, I have Freiermuth penciled in as a fringe TE1, just ahead of the streamer tier, and a player you can hold onto.
Joe Burrow, QB | CIN
Burrow’s Injury Status for Week 13
Updated at 6:45 PM ET on Monday, December 9
Burrow is active for tonight's game.
Burrow (right wrist) fully practiced this week and will face the Steelers on Sunday. He did not receive any injury designation on the final report of the week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Burrow
If you remove the weird Week 1 loss to the Patriots, Joe Burrow’s 17-game pace is 4,869 passing yards, 46 touchdowns, and seven interceptions (2011 MVP Aaron Rodgers: 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns, and six interceptions).
Burrow has strung together three straight top-two finishes (in those games: 1,035 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception), and while projecting that level of success against an elite defense that gets the benefit of the mini-bye, there’s no way to drop him outside of the top six at the position this week.
Chase Brown, RB | CIN
Brown’s Injury Status for Week 13
Brown is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Brown
Chase Brown has three straight top-10 finishes, a streak not amassed by Alvin Kamara, Breece Hall, Jahmyr Gibbs, or De’Von Achane this season. He’s been nothing short of special, and there’s really no reason to think we will see that change any time soon.
Brown has at least five receptions in three consecutive games (82 touches with 16 coming in the red zone over that stretch) and has ripped off a 20-yard carry in four of his past six contests. The efficiency on the ground hasn’t been there lately (last five games: 3.6 yards per carry), but as a focal point of this elite offense, there’s no reason to nitpick.
Khalil Herbert, RB | CIN
Herbert’s Injury Status for Week 13
Herbert is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Herbert
Khalil Herbert, for me, isn’t in the same tier as a Ray Davis or Tyler Allgeier handcuff, and thus he can be cut loose as the value of every single roster spot increases down the stretch.
Chase Brown is being used as a true bell cow, and while Herbert is technically the next man up, his playing just 3.9% of Cincinnati’s offensive snaps since being acquired indicates that, even should an injury occur, this team isn’t ready to unleash the former Bear.
Instead of hanging onto Herbert, I’d rather roster a boom/bust receiver that has access to a weekly ceiling and can thus help me out if I’m in desperation mode.
Ja’Marr Chase, WR | CIN
Chase’s Injury Status for Week 13
Chase is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Chase
The last time we had the pleasure of watching Ja’Marr Chase ball, he was busy scoring twice against the Chargers, his fourth multi-TD reception game of this season. In the history of this beautiful game, only three times has a player under the age of 25 had more such games in a single season:
- Gary Collins (1963)
- John Jefferson (1978)
- Rob Gronkowski (2011)
For the season, Chase has produced 38.1% over expectations and has seen the end zone in five straight games. In previous seasons, I’d worry about a floor performance against an elite Steelers defense that is rarely beaten down the field (third lowest opponent passer rating on bombs through 12 weeks), but Chase’s aDOT is 18.3% lower than Tee Higgins’ this season.
The Bengals offense operates with essentially no room for error due to the limitations of their defense, and that has elevated Chase from Tier 1 to WR1 in my weekly rankings.
Tee Higgins, WR | CIN
Higgins’ Injury Status for Week 13
Updated at 6:45 PM ET on Monday, December 9
Higgins is active for tonight's game.
Higgins returned from a three-game hamstring injury absence in Week 11. He was limited for all three practices ahead of Week 13, but fantasy managers shouldn’t be concerned.
While Higgins worked on a practice field for the club’s first practice of the week, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said this was part of a plan for Higgins’ recovery. Cincinnati listed “rest” as the reason for Higgins’ limited status for all three practices this week, and did not give him any designation entering Sunday’s game.
Higgins came back with a vengeance in Week 11, putting up nine catches on 13 targets for 148 yards and a touchdown while finishing as fantasy’s WR2. Injuries have cost Higgins five games so far this season, but the pending free agent is averaging six catches for 82 yards per healthy contest.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Higgins
How good is Higgins?
Ja’Marr Chase is a walking highlight reel, and that results in Higgins’ statistical star not shining quite as bright as it should. His on-field target share is 27.4% this season, 4.6 percentage points ahead of his previous career high and a level of involvement that has allowed him to record four straight games with over 75 receiving yards (four touchdowns in those games).
The target volume is one thing and the 116 air yards per game is another (20 more than any other season of his career). I don’t mean to put undo pressure on Cincinnati’s tandem, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
2004 Marvin Harrison Sr. and Reggie Wayne:
- 26.5% PPR production over expectation
- 2.24 PPR points per target
- 16.6% of receptions were touchdowns
2024 Chase and Higgins:
- 28.4% PPR production over expectation
- 2.29 PPR points per target
- 14.4% of receptions were touchdowns
Higgins’ name may not come with the same fanfare as that of Chase — it should. Both receivers are matchup-proof options that are more than capable of putting your fantasy team on their shoulders for the remainder of the season.
Mike Gesicki, TE | CIN
Gesicki’s Injury Status for Week 13
Gesicki is not listed on the injury report this week.
Week 13 Start-Sit Advice for Gesicki
The last time we saw Mike Gesicki was Week 11 against the Chargers, a zero-catch performance that left fantasy managers disappointed in a game in which the Bengals scored 27 points.
We’ve seen the role come and go for Cincy’s TE (five games with fewer than three targets and four games with over four targets), but Gesicki is consistently given the opportunity to earn targets, which is enough for me if I’m streaming the position.
Over the past two weeks, Gesicki has run a route on 87 of 115 Joe Burrow dropbacks (75.7%). This team is only going to go as far as the offense will take them, and it’s clear that they are plenty comfortable with their fate in the hands of their franchise quarterback.
Gesicki’s floor is a low one, but with a ceiling volume projection that is well ahead of the other tight ends in this tier, he’s plenty viable, even in a tough matchup.