NFL

Three of Washington’s four targets were designed screens away from pressure, signifying an intent to keep the towering tight end involved in the offensive game plan amidst the quarterback change in Pittsburgh. Even so, Washington has yet to return a usable fantasy score through seven games and can safely be left on the waiver wire.

Austin remains a distant third or fourth in the pecking order for targets in the low-volume Pittsburgh passing attack, keeping his fantasy value low moving forward. That said, his downfield role could lead to fantasy viability in deep formats for managers struggling through bye weeks.

Van Jefferson reeled in a four-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter from quarterback Russell Wilson against his father’s team, the latter of whom coaches for the Jets. He isn’t likely to return many startable fantasy weeks given the low pass volume of the Pittsburgh offense.

Freiermuth’s volume remained low following the change at quarterback for the Steelers, with Russell Wilson instead feeding alpha wide receiver George Pickens nine targets on 29 pass attempts. Even so, Freiermuth made his presence felt with catches of 30 yards and 21 yards in the win. The state of the tight end position keeps Freiermuth’s fantasy value afloat even through modest weekly volume.

Pickens’ nine targets handily led the team on a night no other pass-catcher saw more than four looks on 29 Russell Wilson pass attempts. The two connected from 11 yards out just before the half following a Beanie Bishop interception that gave the Steelers the momentum for the remainder of the contest. Most notable from the connection between Pickens and Wilson were the timing-based receptions on either back shoulder or over-the-shoulder catches, something Pickens had not developed with Justin Fields during the first six weeks of the season. Pickens should have another solid opportunity for elite fantasy production in Week 8 when the Steelers host the Giants.

Even though Warren played well behind Najee Harris, a dominating second half paved the way for the Steelers to run 66 offensive plays, giving Warren a path to a solid workload as the change of pace option in the backfield. Warren watched from the sidelines as Harris and quarterback Russell Wilson notched rushing scores, keeping his fantasy outing modest in the process. Up next for Warren and the Steelers are the reeling Giants at home in Week 8.

Harris did most of his damage in the second half after the offense struggled to get much going before the break, capping the game off with a touchdown from 10 yards out with under a minute left to play. Harris had a 30-plus-yard carry for the second consecutive game, vaulting him over the 100-yard threshold in the process. Most notably, he saw 21 carries to the 12 of Jaylen Warren, signifying he is still entrusted with the lead back role in Pittsburgh. Up next for Harris and the Steelers are the Giants at home in Week 8.

The Pittsburgh offense looked understandably shaky for most of the first half until an interception by rookie Beanie Bishop gave them momentum just before the half. Wilson would lead the team down the field and into the end zone to bring the Steelers within two points heading into the break. That momentum carried into the second half as Pittsburgh hung 24 points on a battered New York defense. The Steelers’ offense looked much more fluid with Wilson under center, with the veteran quarterback giving the offense an element of downfield ability they had sorely been lacking during the first six weeks of the season. Wilson made multiple “touch” throws based on timing and ball placement, with alpha wide receiver George Pickens doing most of the heavy lifting. The Steelers surged to 5-2 ahead of a Week 8 matchup with the reeling Giants at home.

Conklin fell further down the pass-catching ranks with the injection of Davante Adams into the offense, leaving the veteran tight end on the outside looking in when it comes to commanding consistent volume. Fantasy managers that grew accustomed to the volume he held prior to the coaching change in New York and addition of Adams might want to start making other plans at the position moving forward.

Lazard played mostly in 11-personnel alignments, which kicked Davante Adams into the slot in three-wide sets. Even so, he continued to be an impact player for the Jets, most notably hooking up with Rodgers on a back shoulder pass to move the chains in the second half for a 20-yard gain. He’ll now have to contend with Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, and Breece Hall in the target pecking order.