The Pittsburgh Steelers will face the Washington Commanders in Week 10. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Steelers skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Russell Wilson, QB
Russell Wilson has at least 260 passing yards without a pick in both of his starts this season, a level of production that may not seem extraordinary. But when you consider that the only other quarterbacks to string together two games like that this season are Lamar Jackson, Jared Goff, and Justin Herbert, it’s a little more impressive.
Speaking of Herbert, part of the problem in his profile is the same as Wilson’s — his team doesn’t want him to put up gaudy numbers as that is not their preferred path to victory.
A player like Joe Burrow is put in a position to fall into fantasy value because that is what his real-life NFL team needs from him. However, if Russell Wilson can complete 70% of his passes and move the chains, Pittsburgh is fine with that and doesn’t need 300+ yards and a multi-touchdown showing.
That’s why I can’t yet rank him as a top-15 option. I could see him being as efficient as Aaron Rodgers or Matthew Stafford, but the volume is likely to lag. Without much rushing left in his profile at this point, I’ll need to see him give us 20+ fantasy points again before projecting it within his range of likely outcomes.
Jaylen Warren, RB
It feels like we’ve been asking the Steelers to feature their most explosive back for years, and they’ve finally listened — it just happens to be Najee Harris.
Jaylen Warren has yet to clear a 50% snap share in a game this season. Without a 20-yard gain on his 2024 résumé, what motivation does this team have to lean on him coming out of the bye?
This Pittsburgh offense is moving in the right direction under Russell Wilson, and that optimism requires Warren to stay on rosters as a handcuff to Harris. However, expecting him to be on the Flex radar at any point in the short term is far more optimistic than I am willing to be.
Najee Harris, RB
Joe Mixon, Bijan Robinson, and Najee Harris were the only running backs to post top-17 numbers at the position in Weeks 6, 7, and 8. Do I trust Harris at that level? Not even close, but there is no denying that he has looked spry lately. Given his role, facing the fourth-worst red-zone defense in the NFL doesn’t seem like the spot for the good times to stop.
Last week, all three Giants with a first-quarter rush attempt against the Commanders had a gain of 10+ yards in the first 15 minutes (Tyrone Tracy Jr., Devin Singletary, and Daniel Jones). These past three games for Harris have seen him produce 25.2% over expectation, the second-best three-game run of his career (Weeks 11-13, 2022). That sort of form in this matchup lands him inside of my top 20 this weekend.
George Pickens, WR
It seems to be possible that Russell Wilson is capable of unlocking the raw talent that resides within George Pickens. Pittsburgh’s clear WR1 has a 40+ yard reception in both Wilson starts, and while those splash plays aren’t always going to hit, the willingness to explore downfield shots is encouraging.
The Commanders are the third-worst defense by EPA against receivers this season. While they’ve looked better of late, they still have some holes in their secondary, and if the Steelers are playing from behind, Pickens should clear 11 PPR points for a third straight game.
The addition of Mike Williams could prove to lower Pickens’ ceiling with time, but we’ve seen these recently dealt receivers play under one-third of the snaps in their team debut, making this less of a Week 10 issue.
Pat Freiermuth, TE
We are 47.1% of the way through the regular season for the Steelers, far beyond the acceptable range for a player to have 24.7% of their fantasy points come from two receptions, but that is the case for Pat Freiermuth.
This offense has taken steps forward under Russell Wilson but at the expense of their tight end, who has posted two of his three lowest snap shares this season since the quarterback change. I understand wanting to target this Washington defense who, even after a nice stretch, still ranks 27th in opponent passing touchdown rate this season — but this isn’t the way to do it.
Patty Football is hardly a top-20 tight end for me this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders Insights
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: After this game, Pittsburgh has four straight games against divisional opponents, including both Cleveland games.
QB: Russell Wilson has thrown for 542 yards and three touchdowns in his two starts this season – no player had that stat line through two weeks this season.
Offense: The Steelers averaged 2.55 points per drive in Weeks 7-8 under Russell Wilson, the seventh-best rate in the NFL over that stretch and a 29.4% improvement over Pittsburgh’s rate through the first six weeks.
Defense: Pittsburgh went into their bye with the utmost confidence in their defense – after creating pressure on just 18.5% of opponent dropbacks in Weeks 6-7, they sped up the Giants 53.5% of the time in Week 8.
Fantasy: Joe Mixon, Bijan Robinson, and Najee Harris were the only running backs to post top-17 numbers at the position in Weeks 6-7-8.
Betting: Under tickets have come through in eight of Pittsburgh’s past 10 road games, and they’ve covered 12 of their past 16 away from home.
Washington Commanders
Team: The Commanders are seeking to start 5-0 at home for the first time since 1991. That was the season of their last Super Bowl title.
QB: Behind Jayden Daniels, this offense is turning the ball over a league-low 0.33 times per game. That’s the lowest average through nine weeks this millennium (second place: 2020 Packers, 0.38).
Offense: The Commanders reach the red zone on 48.8% of their drives, the only offense in the league with a rate of even 43%.
Defense: The Commanders own the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL (9.1%).
Fantasy: There are two receivers to score 15-plus PPR points in four straight games this season, both of which are active streaks. The names? Justin Jefferson and Terry McLaurin.
Betting: The Commanders are 4-0 ATS at home this season, covering the spread by an average of 11 points per game.