Warren was a top-20 RB on a per-game basis in all formats last season, even in non-PPR, but the addition of running back Rico Dowdle and the reports from training camp about how Warren has struggled to unseat Dowdle as the so-called "1A" RB will push his value down a bit. Round 6 might be too rich of a price for Warren, even in full-PPR (wait an extra round or two if catches don't count). It's certainly possible for Warren to have a lot of receptions like Kenneth Gainwell had last year from Aaron Rodgers (73 catches in 2025), but the Steelers did a lot this offseason to improve its receiving corps, and Dowdle can catch the ball too. Plus, Dowdle's 61.5% success rate inside the 5 over the past two seasons is way better than Warren's 27.8%. It's also noteworthy that new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy not only coached Dowdle in Dallas in 2024 but brought him into the NFL as an undrafted free agent back in 2020. Warren is best thought of as a No. 3 running back.
Warren did not play in the Steelers' 28-9 preseason win over the Packers on Thursday, Chris Harlan of Triblive.com reports.
Both Warren and Rico Dowdle observed Thursday's game from the sidelines while depth backfield options Lew Nichols and Eli Heidenreich combined for 19 of the Steelers' 28 carries. Warren is listed ahead of Dowdle on the Steelers' first unofficial depth chart that was released Aug. 5, but the duo could see similar workloads in a balanced backfield, per Brian Batko of the team's official site.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Listed ahead of Dowdle
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Warren is listed ahead of free-agent addition Rico Dowdle on the Steelers' initial depth chart ahead of the preseason, Brian Batko of the team's official site reports.
As the incumbent starter, it's not surprising to see Warren's name atop the team's first posted depth chart, but Batko notes that coach Mike McCarthy is looking for a balanced backfield approach with a 1-2 punch, and Dowdle will no doubt see his share of touches in tandem with Warren. Also in the mix for depth slotting behind the top duo are Kaleb Johnson, Lew Nichols, Travis Homer and rookie Eli Heidenreich, but from a fantasy perspective, Warren and Dowdle, while working in what could turn into a 1A/1B situation are the names to know in the team's backfield ahead of Week 1.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: First-team split begins
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Warren and Rico Dowdle split first-team running back reps across the Steelers' first two training camp practices, Daniel Chavkin of SportsNet Pittsburgh reports.
Warren worked ahead of Dowdle on Wednesday but was the second running back up Thursday. While Warren remains the incumbent in this backfield and holds a steady role in the receiving game, Dowdle's arrival and familiarity with new head coach Mike McCarthy make this a murky situation. Warren's upside will depend on whether he can separate enough to avoid a full committee, and whether he or Dowdle gets distinct priority on early downs and near the goal line.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Slims down to 205 pounds
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Warren said Thursday that he's down to 205 pounds this season, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.
Warren is listed at 215 pounds on the team's official site, and he looks noticeably slimmer at OTAs this week, according to Adamski. Warren set career highs as a rusher last season, carrying the ball 211 times for 958 yards and six touchdowns as part of the Steelers' backfield duo with Kenneth Gainwell, who left in the offseason as a free agent to join Tampa Bay. Pittsburgh replaced Gainwell with Rico Dowdle, and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson is also in the backfield mix after rushing just 28 times for 69 yards as a rookie. Dowdle is more of a prototypical early-down runner at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, so perhaps Warren slimmed down to get quicker as a change-of-pace and satellite back after Gainwell was targeted 85 times in 2025. Across four NFL seasons, Warren has 167 career regular-season catches for 1,227 yards and two touchdowns.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Back to full participation Friday
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Warren (illness) practiced without limitations Friday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Warren missed Thursday's practice due to an illness, but his return to full participation Friday assuages any concerns about his availability for Monday's wild-card home game against the Texans. He's set to split backfield duties with Kenneth Gainwell against the stout Houston defense, which allowed the fourth-fewest rushing yards to running backs in the regular season.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Misses practice Thursday
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Warren (illness) didn't practice Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
With a 'DNP' to start the practice week, Warren's status now merits monitoring in advance of Monday night's playoff opener against the Texans. The running back has two more chances to practice before the Steelers assign game designations for that contest Saturday.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Leading rusher on 14 attempts
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Warren rushed 14 times for 66 yards while bringing in all five of his targets for 33 yards in Sunday's 26-24 win over the Ravens.
Warren continued to pace Pittsburgh's backfield in carries and yardage while RB Kenneth Gainwell poached a short rushing TD while leading the team in receiving (8-64-0). The 26-year-old Warren handled his first season as the team's starter adequately, producing a career-best 211-958-6 rushing line across 16 regular-season starts. Warren and Gainwell figure to continue complementing each other in a tandem effort against Houston's vaunted defense next Monday for the wild-card round of the playoffs.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Limited to 12 touches
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Warren rushed the ball 12 times for 64 yards in Sunday's 13-6 loss to the Browns.
The Steelers' backfield usage remained consistent from the last few weeks, with Warren serving as the primary rusher but losing out on opportunities as a pass catcher. He managed to make the most of his opportunity with long rushes of 15 and 13 yards, and his 5.3 yards per attempt marked one of his more efficient performances of the season. However, given the split backfield in Pittsburgh, Warren is reliant on finding the end zone to have a strong fantasy performance. He has a good chance of recording double-digit carries in a win-or-go-home matchup with the Ravens in Week 18.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Logs full practice Thursday
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Warren (hip) practiced fully Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Warren was limited at practice Wednesday, but the running back's return to a full listing a day later paves the way for him to maintain his key role in Pittsburgh's backfield Sunday against the Browns. In the Steelers' win over the Lions in Week 16, Warren was on the field for 49 percent of his team's offensive snaps, while working alongside fellow RB Kenneth Gainwell, a game in which Warren carried 14 times for 143 yards and two TDs to go along with two catches (on two targets) for eight yards. Look for Warren to continue to be a focal point in Pittsburgh's offense this weekend, when the team will be missing top WR DK Metcalf, who was suspended for the Steelers' final two regular-season contests.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Struggles through illness Monday
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Warren (illness) rushed 12 times for 33 yards while catching all three of his targets for 15 yards in Monday's 28-15 win over the Dolphins.
Warren was a late addition to the Steelers' injury report Monday with an illness, which may help explain his poor individual performance in his team's victory. Backup Kenneth Gainwell took advantage of the starter's limitations and finished as Pittsburgh's leading rusher on a team-high 20 touches. It was only the third time this season that Warren's backup reached double-digit carries, so fantasy managers shouldn't hit the panic button following Monday's backfield shift. A healthier Warren will have an opportunity to reestablish himself as the Steelers' primary back in a road matchup against the Lions on Sunday.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Suiting up Monday
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Warren (illness) is listed as active Monday against the Dolphins, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Pittsburgh added Warren to its injury report Monday as questionable for Week 15 action due to an illness, but it won't stop him from being available to the team's ground game. He's received double-digit touches in every contest this season en route to averaging 15.8 touches for 77.4 yards from scrimmage per game while scoring six total TDs in 12 appearances. Having said that, if Warren isn't 100 percent healthy, he could cede some of those reps to Kenneth Gainwell and even Kaleb Johnson.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Finds end zone as receiver
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Warren rushed the ball eight times for 13 yards in Sunday's 27-22 win over the Ravens. He added three receptions on three targets for 49 yards and a touchdown.
The Steelers' offense had an abysmal showing on the ground, as their 17 rushing attempts led to only 34 yards. Warren still led the backfield in attempts, but his only impact on the game came as a pass catcher, and in particular on a 38-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. Warren has been touchdown-reliant for the last several weeks due to his inefficiency as a rusher, but he has found the end zone in three straight contests and has five scores in his last six games.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: RBs to Start
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Warren didn't have a great game in Week 13 against Buffalo with 10 carries for 35 yards and two catches for 9 yards on four targets, but he scored a touchdown and finished with 12.4 PPR points. He's now scored a touchdown in two games in a row, and he has at least 11.1 PPR points in five of his past seven games coming into Week 14. The Ravens have allowed a running back to score at least 15.1 PPR points in six of their past seven games, and I like Warren as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in the majority of leagues in this matchup.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Saves day with score
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Warren rushed the ball 10 times for 35 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 26-7 loss to the Bills. He added two receptions on four targets for nine yards.
The Steelers' offense wasn't able to get anything going on the ground or through the air, though Warren did manage to record their only touchdown of the day on a one-yard plunge midway through the second quarter. He otherwise was limited to a long gain of 12 yards to turn in his second-lowest yardage total of the campaign. Positively, Warren has four touchdowns in his five games after tallying only one in his first six contests.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: RBs to Start
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I like Warren and Kenneth Gainwell (see sleepers) in this matchup with the Bills, but Warren should be considered a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He has scored at least 11.1 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he just had a season-high 18 carries in Week 12 at Chicago. The Bills are No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and eight running backs have scored at least 12.5 PPR points against Buffalo this season.
Warren (ankle) was listed as a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Both Warren and Aaron Rodgers (left wrist) upgraded to limited participation Thursday after sitting out Wednesday, so the Steelers may still wind up having both their top running back and starting quarterback available for Sunday's game at Chicago. Warren's return Thursday is a step in the right direction, but he could still carry an injury designation into Sunday's game unless he upgrades to full participation Friday. Backups Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson are both healthy.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Returns to practice Thursday
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Warren (ankle) is participating in Thursday's practice, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Per Batko, Warren is moving around well. Whether Warren is ultimately listed as a full participant or limited participant, his return to practice Thursday is an encouraging sign after he didn't practice Wednesday. Warren played only one snap after injuring his ankle in the second half of this past Sunday's win over the Bengals.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Unable to practice Wednesday
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Warren (ankle) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Warren continues to manage the ankle injury that knocked him out of Pittsburgh's win over the Bengals in Week 11. Though Warren downplayed the severity of his injury following that contest, his status for Sunday's road matchup against the Bears now appears uncertain. The combination of Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Kaleb Johnson will lead the Steelers' backfield versus Chicago if Warren is unavailable.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Not seen at start of practice
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Warren (ankle) isn't going through individual drills at the start of Wednesday's practice, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Warren downplayed his ankle injury after Sunday's 34-12 win over Cincinnati, but it's no surprise to see him absent from practice just three days later. He didn't play at all during the fourth quarter this past Sunday, and Kenneth Gainwell got more work than usual even before Warren's early exit. Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson will pick up the slack if Warren isn't ready to face the Bears this Sunday.
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Steelers' Jaylen Warren: May be limited in Week 12
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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he's "optimistic" that Warren (ankle) will be available for Sunday's game in Chicago, though the running back is expected to be a limited participant in practice to begin Week 12 prep, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Warren carried the ball 10 times for 62 yards and added two receptions for five yards before checking out of this past Sunday's 34-12 win over the Bengals in the third quarter after tweaking his ankle. The 27-year-old said after the contest that he could have returned to the game, but the Steelers opted to play it safe and let Kenneth Gainwell and Kaleb Johnson pick up extra reps. Tomlin's comments Tuesday support the notion that Warren's early exit was precautionary, and that he will likely be available in Week 12.
