The Pittsburgh Steelers came back down to earth with a bit of a bump following their Week 4 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. However, there were encouraging signs on offense in the 27-24 defeat. QB Justin Fields appears to be growing in confidence and the ball was moving down the field with a bit more regularity than in recent years.
Pittsburgh hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Monday in Week 5, in a difficult-to-predict game-script. With these defenses, it could be a low-scorer, but with the Cowboys offense, we could see it could go big. Let’s take a look at the fantasy football outlooks for the Steelers’ main weapons:
Steelers’ QB Fantasy Outlook: Justin Fields
Justin Fields gets the nod to start in Week 5, and his ability in the running game makes him unignorable in fantasy football. His passing can sometimes leave something to be desired, but the Steelers are seeing him improve steadily.
Fields threw for 312 yards and a TD against the Colts, adding 55 yards and 2 TDs on the ground for 31.98 fantasy points. This was the first time a Steelers QB has had a 300-yard passing game since Sept. 2022’s 38-3 defeat to the Bills. Fans are hoping this is a sign that better offense is forthcoming in the Steel City.
Unless you have a truly elite QB, you should start Justin Fields against a Dallas Cowboys defense that has conceded 104 points in four games.
Justin Fields’ point range: 10-30; Prediction: 20.5
Steelers’ RB Fantasy Outlook: Najee Harris
Najee Harris is the fantasy-relevant RB in Pittsburgh, although Cordarelle Patterson has put in two 6-7 point games (HPPR). With Jaylen Warren and Patterson both questionable ahead of Monday’s game, neither are good picks even if they play.
As for Harris, his dominating the backfield can only be a good thing for his fantasy owners against a Cowboys team who are 32nd against RBs. Dallas is conceding an average of 29.40 ppg to the position, and it feels like Najee Harris could be about to get his first TD of the season.
Najee Harris’ point range: 8-25; Prediction: 16.5
Steelers’ WR Fantasy Outlook: George Pickens
As Najee Harris is set to dominate the backfield in Week 5 for the Steelers, the only Pittsburgh WR you should consider in fantasy football is George Pickens. Calvin Austin followed up his explosive TD and 17.50-point day (HPPR) with one catch for 17 yards in Week 5. At the same time, Van Jefferson has not got going in Pittsburgh.
George Pickens is clearly a special talent, but the team often struggles to get him the ball or you see his catches called back for O-line penalties. Pickens suffers from a lack of TDs, as do all the Steelers’ offensive weapons (barring Justin Fields).
However, he is coming off a 113-receiving-yard performance, and if this game does see a lot of points on the board you’d expect Pickens to be involved.
George Pickens’ point range: 4-25; Prediction: 12.5
Steelers’ TE Fantasy Outlook: Pat Freiermuth
Fantasy owners of Pat Freiermuth were finally rewarded after three painful weeks, and the Steelers TE got a TD and 57 yards for 14.20 points in Week 4. Pittsburgh has finally started to notice that they have some very potent TEs in Freiermuth and Darnell Washington, and the former is the one to target in fantasy football.
Freiermuth has regularly seen a good target share in Pittsburgh and rarely drops his targets, having caught 17 of 20 in 2024. He has a high ceiling and for the position, a solid floor, so unless you have an elite TE on your roster, you should start Pat Freiermuth in Week 5.
Pat Freiermuth’s point range: 4-17; Prediction: 8
Also read: Fantasy Football Week 5 Defense Rankings & Streamers ft. Seahawks, Patriots & Broncos