Pittsburgh Steelers DVOA, Stats, & NFL Rankings

Pittsburgh Steelers running back/returner Cordarrelle Patterson (hamstring) was placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list on Wednesday. Patterson suffered the injury during offseason training and is not cleared to practice. The injury is thought to be day-to-day, but the team placed him on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list until he can return to the team. Patterson has familiarity with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and is likely to see the bulk of his work in the return game with some utilization in the running game as depth behind incumbent starters Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Patterson is best left undrafted in fantasy leagues but could find more work if an injury happened to either Harris or Warren.

It's highly probable that the Pittsburgh Steelers will label Cordarrelle Patterson as the Joker in his first year with the team. "Running back, kick returner, tackle, tight end I can do it all. Whatever they need me to do," Patterson said last month. The 33-year-old veteran floated from the RB room to the receiver room last year with the Atlanta Falcons under head coach Arthur Smith, who is now Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator. Patterson fully embraced the role in 2023 and was signed by the Steelers just hours after the NFL passed a new kickoff rule. He has returned 273 kicks in his career with an NFL-record nine touchdowns. Patterson was primarily a RB last year in Atlanta but had just 181 rushing yards and no TDs on 50 carries after posting a career-high 695 rushing yards in 2022. Pittsburgh hasn't offered clues on how they plan to use Patterson, but he'll most likely be used on kickoffs and as a depth option for the backfield.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back/wide receiver/return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson signed a two-year, $6 million contract this offseason to join the team, almost immediately after the new kickoff rules were announced. Patterson, the NFL's all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns (nine), was surely signed to help in that area, but Mark Kaboly of the Athletic believes he is likely to have a role on offense, too. "It's hard to imagine the Steelers gave him $6 million over two years to be only a kick returner," Kaboly wrote. "An accomplished receiver and running back over his career, Patterson will likely have a bigger role than being a specialist." The 33-year-old enjoyed his best season under current Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith when the two were in Atlanta in 2021. Patterson rushed 153 times for 618 yards and caught 52 passes for 548 yards and scored 11 total touchdowns. Pittsburgh has a strong running back duo in Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, but its wide receiver group behind George Pickens looks weak on paper. That said, don't be surprised if Patterson is mixed in along with Van Jefferson and third-round rookie Roman Wilson. It'd be a surprise the 2013 first-round pick is a weekly fantasy contributor, but he might be a bargain-bin DFS play with upside in 2024.

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Darnell Washington struggled last year during spring workouts, and nothing has changed a full year later. Washington has proven himself as a solid blocking tight end, but he's not going to be a 30-catch guy based on what we've seen from him in his second offseason. Even in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's tight-end-friendly scheme, fantasy managers in deeper leagues shouldn't expect Washington to have much more offensive output than he had last year, when he went for seven catches on 10 targets for 61 yards and no touchdowns in 17 regular-season games (seven starts). The 22-year-old former third-round pick last year out of Georgia doesn't figure to be on the fantasy radar in redraft leagues in 2024 unless Pat Freiermuth misses time with an injury.

If there is one wide receiver besides George Pickens who has a chance to have a big role in the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense this year, it's wide receiver Calvin Austin III. Austin continued to get better from the first day to the last during offseason workouts and will have a chance for a much bigger role this year with Diontae Johnson now in Carolina. In addition, receiver/running back/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson could have a key role as a gadget player on offense for Pittsburgh in 2024. The 25-year-old Austin will be competing with Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, Scott Miller and rookie third-rounder Roman Wilson for the No. 2 job behind Pickens in training camp. He caught only 17 of his 30 targets for 180 yards and a touchdown while also carrying the ball 11 times for 57 yards and a score in 17 games last year. Austin is one to watch this summer.