NFL Player News

Lloyd (5'9/210) enrolled at South Carolina in the spring of 2020, and managed to make a positive impression. But the redshirt freshman was unable to help the Gamecocks on the field last fall, as a torn ACL suffered early in fall camp ended his 2020 season before it even began. Lloyd has been given a clean bill of health and, as a result, he will have every opportunity to have an impact in the Gamecocks backfield. Kevin Harris is well-positioned to lead the way this fall, but Lloyd won’t lack for touches, either.

Freiermuth salvaged his fantasy day on a shuttle pass in the fourth quarter, which he took into the end zone from six yards out to give the Steelers a 17-13 lead with under five minutes remaining. Even so, the modest volume appears to be a consistent trend for the veteran tight end, particularly if Justin Fields continues to start under center. Freiermuth’s next chance to return a usable fantasy week comes in Week 6 when the Steelers travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders.

Pickens was locked down for most of the evening by a Cowboys secondary that funneled most of the production to ancillary pieces of the Pittsburgh offense. Quarterback Justin Fields targeted eight different pass-catchers on his pedestrian 27 pass attempts, largely due to the control the Steelers defense exerted on the game environment. Pickens should find more room against the floundering Raiders in Week 6.

Harris handled the bulk of the backfield work for a Steelers team playing without Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson. That said, he remained inefficient against a Cowboys team that had surrendered 145.8 rush yards per game over the first four games of the season. Harris’ fantasy managers are likely better off searching for additional help in the backfield either through trade or the waiver wire.

The Steelers controlled the game environment throughout with a suffocating defense, taking their first lead of the game on the opening possession of the second half after the teams combined for just nine points during the first two quarters of play. Fields has demonstrated improved ball security, taking just one interception into Week 6. That said, he did put the ball on the ground again against the Cowboys but recovered the fumble. A Dallas defense missing both EDGE players was able to generate consistent pressure on Fields in the backfield, even after losing another EDGE in the second quarter. Even so, the pedestrian performance sees the Steelers drop to 3-2 after consecutive losses, made possible by a late game-winning touchdown by Jalen Tolbert on fourth-and-goal with under 30 seconds remaining to play. Fields’ hold on the starting quarterback job appears to be safe as the team prepares to face the Raiders on the road in Week 6.

Ferguson finished third on the team in targets behind Jalen Tolbert and CeeDee Lamb but outproduced the veteran alpha wider receiver in the yardage column thanks to consistent blanket coverage. Ferguson should see more consistent target totals in the immediate future with Brandin Cooks on injured reserve, something that is likely to manifest again in Week 6 when the Cowboys host the Lions.

Lamb was blanketed in coverage by a Joey Porter shadow in addition to safety help throughout, which opened up room for Jalen Tolbert and Jake Ferguson to finish with more receiving yards than the veteran alpha. Lamb is likely to be more involved moving forward, particularly considering Brandin Cooks’ placement on injured reserve earlier in the week. His next chance to return WR1 production will come at home in Week 6 when the Cowboy host the Lions.

Tolbert led the team in both targets and receiving yards on a night CeeDee lamb was blanketed by Joey Porter. He was injured late in the fourth quarter, eventually forcing the Cowboys to take a timeout before a first-and-goal from the four. He eventually gutted it out and did not miss a play, scoring the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-goal from four yards out after a Rico Dowdle fumble at the goal line was recovered by quarterback Dak Prescott. The production was particularly encouraging considering it was the first game since the team placed wide receiver Brandin Cooks on injured reserve with an infection in his knee. Tolbert is likely to be busy in Week 6 when the Cowboys host a Lions team fresh off their bye.

A week after seeing only 10 offensive snaps, Elliott took a backseat to Rico Dowdle, the latter of whom turned 22 touches into a career-high 114 yards from scrimmage and a score. Any residual fantasy value remaining with the veteran back appears to be fading into the wind.

Dowdle had a relatively modest first half before erupting in the fourth quarter, most notably gaining 58 yards on the touchdown drive to start the final frame which culminated in a 22-yard touchdown reception. Even so, a fumble at the goal line after an athletic Superman dive from Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts almost cost the team the win, but quarterback Dak Prescott fell on the football to preserve a possession that would ultimately end in a game-winning score by wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. Dowdle could find the sledding tough against the Lions in Week 6.

Prescott also lost a fumble on T.J. Watt’s 100th career sack, but saved the game on the final drive after a Superman dive from Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts at the goal line jarred the ball loose from Rico Dowdle’s hands. The veteran signal caller pounced on the football and kept the drive alive, ultimately scoring on 4th-and-goal from one yard out when he connected with Jalen Tolbert to left front pylon on a crossing/rub route. It was far from a clean game for Prescott after committing three turnovers, but his late-game heroics allowed Dallas to walk out of Pittsburgh with a 3-2 record before a home date with a Lions team fresh off their bye week.