Steelers Dynasty Fantasy Football Overview: Is Kaleb Johnson the Best Asset Already? Is it Time to Bail on DK Metcalf?
Taking a look at the top Pittsburgh dynasty offensive players going into the 2025 season.
Let's go over another dynasty fantasy football overview of an NFL team. We'll tackle the Pittsburgh Steelers here.
We have already looked at the Eagles, Chiefs, Lions, Bills, Ravens, Vikings, Commanders, Chargers, Packers, Texans and Rams. I plan to cover every NFL team, so keep checking back for more!
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Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers is the team's starting quarterback for the 2025 season. He's 41 years old, so he's nowhere near my top-10 dynasty QB list.
He showed he has a bit of gas left in the tank while playing 17 games last year. Rodgers had 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while adding 94 yards and a score on the ground.
He has redraft appeal in the right matchups, and should only be rostered by contending dynasty teams, and probably ones with deeper rosters, or in two-QB setups. If you're rebuilding, trade Rodgers for any future asset you can.
Mason Rudolph is the team's top backup, while Skylar Thompson is another veteran backup option. Rookie Will Howard is the dynasty asset to pay a bit more attention to.
Rudolph is 30 years old, and seems destined to be a backup QB for the rest of his career. Thompson is 28 years old and seems to be on a similar path.
Howard is 25 and was the team's sixth-round pick this offseason. There's not a ton of expectations with that late a pick, but if he can learn from Rodgers for a season, there's a chance Howard gets a crack at the starting role in 2026.
Howard is worth stashing in some really deep dynasty leagues right now, but it's probably Rudolph who will back up Rodgers this coming year.
Running Backs
Jaylen Warren is the veteran leader in the backfield, while rookie Kaleb Johnson is the young, future lead back. Kenneth Gainwell, Trey Sermon and Cordarrelle Patterson are some other notable names on the backfield depth chart.
Warren has split the backfield with Najee Harris over his career, and now Warren is likely to split the workload with Johnson. Warren won't ever crack my top-10 dynasty RB list, but Johnson has a chance to make the list someday.
Warren is 26 years old, and still should have a couple decent seasons in him. He's more of a depth option right now, but could be a bit more valuable if he leads the Pittsburgh backfield. He doesn't have much trade value, but he's getting close to being just a player to roster on a contending dynasty team - he is a good backup option, and can be worth starting several times in a season.
Johnson has a chance to really shine as his career progresses. He's just 21 years old and was the team's third-round pick this offseason.
Splitting the workload with Warren in his rookie season means he won't always be startable in fantasy leagues, but it could lengthen his NFL career, so dynasty owners should be fine with that development, if it ends up happening.
Johnson can be rostered in most dynasty leagues, but should be viewed more as a secondary option going into his first season. In the future, he could be a weekly starting back for you.
Gainwell has between 400-550 total yards in each of the past four seasons in Philly. He's 26 years old, so he's got a couple years before he starts fading out I think.
Gainwell is just a handcuff option if you roster Warren and/or Johnson. I don't think Gainwell will do all that much for the Steelers, but there's always a chance he joins another team and has a better outlook there, so his dynasty value hasn't quite evaporated yet.
Sermon is also 26 years old and will be joining his fourth team over five seasons. He topped out at 258 total yards and two scores, and that came last season in Indy.
Again, I don't see Sermon accomplishing much in Pittsburgh, but he's got a bit of dynasty value remaining yet, so he's at least worth mentioning.
Patterson is 34 years old, but his versatile skillset keeps him in the league. He has very little dynasty value left, but is worth mentioning because he'll likely carve out a role on this year's team.
Wide Receivers
DK Metcalf is the lead wideout for Pittsburgh, while Calvin Austin III and Robert Woods are the other projected starters at this point. Scotty Miller, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are the top backup wideouts.
None of those are near the top-10 dynasty wideout list for me. I'm not sure any of them could ever get there either.
Metcalf is 27 years old, so he won't make the list as he gets older. He had 992 yards and five touchdowns last season over 15 games with Seattle. He could bounce back a bit with Rodgers throwing to him, but with the team's uncertainty at QB after this year, Metcalf's dynasty value isn't as high, and it's only going to drop.
Metcalf is someone I'd only roster on a contending dynasty team, otherwise I'd sell him before his value plummets any lower.
Woods is 33 years old, so he's a better redraft option. He hasn't gone over 500 yards in back-to-back seasons, and while it's possible he could this season, his long-term outlook isn't very good.
He can be rostered in some deeper dynasty setups, but that should only be by contending teams. Don't waste a roster spot on a 33-year-old receiver.
Austin is going into his third season, but is already 26 years old. He went for 548 yards and four scores last season, so most are expecting another jump this coming year.
His age holds him back from being a better dynasty asset, but he's an OK asset to own for all dynasty owners. If he really takes off, he could be a sell-high candidate for the rebuilding dynasty owners out there, especially if your rebuild is years in the making.
Wilson is an intriguing asset still. He was the team's third-round pick in 2024, but only got in one game last season.
He could supplant Woods at any point and make a name for himself finally. There were high hopes for him going into his rookie season, and if he stays healthy, he could surprise and turn himself into a better dynasty asset. He's worth taking a gamble on in some deeper setups, especially for the rebuilding squads out there.
Miller is 27, while Skowronek is 28, so neither are good dynasty assets, especially while buried on the depth chart. Injuries or poor performances ahead of them could thrust them into larger roles, but they'd be short-term fantasy assets, not long-term value guys. Both could be cut before the season too, and Pittsburgh could add guys to the wide receiver room after cutdown day.
Tight Ends
For as weak as the wideouts are, the tight end tandem of Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith is pretty good. Darnell Washington and Connor Heyward are some depth options.
Neither Freiermuth or Smith are on my top-10 dynasty tight end list, but that's because of their ages.
Smith is 29 years old and is coming off his best season. He had 883 yards and eight scores over 17 games. I expect him to be the team's top tight end by the time the season ends.
He's likely to not be as good a fantasy option, but the lack of proven pass catchers in Pittsburgh means he could also perform even better. Smith is a dynasty asset to roster for contending teams, otherwise I'd sell him while his value is sky high - it's likely to only drop from here.
Freiermuth is 26 years old, so he's a touch better dynasty asset in my eyes. He had 653 yards and seven touchdowns last season.
I think he'll regress from that mark, unless Smith is utilized more as a wide receiver, thus keeping Freiermuth on the field at tight end often. The addition of Smith is a knock for Freiermuth though, and it's hard to see his value ever being higher, so I'd again be inclined to sell him if my dynasty team wasn't a contender.
Washington was a third-round pick back in 2023, and is still just 23 years old, but he has just 261 yards and a score over 34 games. There's a bit of dynasty value remaining yet, but he needs to show something this year to remain somewhat relevant. Only roster him in really deep dynasty setups.
Heyward has 385 yards and two scores over 51 career NFL games. It'd take injuries to get him involved this season. I mention him in case he gets cut from the roster and lands in a more favorable spot. His dynasty value is very, very low, and it's unlikely to ever grow too much.