The Pittsburgh Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as head coach, reuniting him with 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers was already with Pittsburgh in 2025, but he chose to return for what he says will be his final season after McCarthy’s hiring; reporting indicates Rodgers also encouraged the Steelers to bring McCarthy aboard. 1877
Pittsburgh remade its offense around Rodgers. George Pickens was traded to Dallas, while DK Metcalf arrived from Seattle and Michael Pittman Jr. joined as a projected second receiver. In the backfield, Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle are expected to share meaningful work.
The Steelers play New Orleans in Paris in Week 7, the first NFL regular-season game in France
Mike McCarthy, Year One: Back With His Guy
Mike McCarthy enters 2026 as the Steelers’ head coach after a 49–35 regular-season run with Dallas from 2020 through 2024. He replaces Mike Tomlin, whose 18-year tenure made him one of the NFL’s longest-serving coaches. McCarthy previously won Super Bowl XLV with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and the two reunite in Pittsburgh with Rodgers entering his age-42 season.
Pittsburgh has reworked its offense around the quarterback–coach reunion. DK Metcalf is the clear top receiver after George Pickens was traded to Dallas, while Michael Pittman Jr. gives Rodgers an experienced possession target. Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle are expected to share backfield work, making the workload uncertain but giving the offense two versatile runners.
The Steelers retained Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington as their primary tight ends. They also selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar with the 76th pick in the third round, positioning him as a developmental option behind Rodgers.
McCarthy’s offense has historically emphasized timing throws, spread formations, play action, and multiple receiver options. The approach could suit Rodgers’ current stage of his career, but it remains uncertain how much Pittsburgh’s passing volume will increase and whether the offense can support multiple consistent fantasy starters. The Steelers play home games at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Fantasy football implications: McCarthy’s system historically produces multiple top-24 receivers in fantasy. Because Rodgers feeds multiple options in rhythm rather than locking onto one target, Metcalf, Pittman, and Warren all carry legitimate fantasy value. Furthermore, the return of Freiermuth in a system that has historically featured tight ends prominently makes him a streaming option worth monitoring. As a result, Pittsburgh has four or five players worth drafting — none of whom are worthy of an early pick, but all of whom carry meaningful upside at their discounted ADPs.
Aaron Rodgers: The Most Interesting Late-Round QB in Fantasy
Aaron Rodgers enters his age-42 season after leading Pittsburgh to its best scoring offense of the post–Ben Roethlisberger era in 2025. The Steelers ranked 16th in scoring, while Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions with a 94.8 passer rating. 1907
Rodgers last surpassed both 4,000 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns in 2021. He remains capable of efficient, turnover-controlled passing, but he offers almost no rushing value and ranked 23rd among 28 qualified quarterbacks in QBR last season. 1908
Mike McCarthy’s arrival reunites Rodgers with the coach under whom he won Super Bowl XLV. Pittsburgh’s 2026 offense is expected to pair timing concepts with a vertical passing attack, giving DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., and Pat Freiermuth potential roles in the passing game. That does not guarantee elite volume or production, especially with Rodgers at this stage of his career.
Fantasy verdict: Rodgers is a low-ceiling QB2. In standard one-quarterback formats, leave him undrafted unless you specifically want a late backup; he is better treated as an in-season streaming option against favorable defenses. He has more draft value in superflex and two-QB leagues, where a starting quarterback remains a useful roster asset.
Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle: The Most Evenly Split Committee in Football
Jaylen Warren finished as a low-end RB2 in PPR points per game in 2025, producing career highs with 211 carries for 958 yards and six touchdowns, plus 40 receptions for 333 yards and two receiving scores. He did so while Kenneth Gainwell handled major rushing and receiving volume before leaving for Tampa Bay in free agency. 1925
Pittsburgh added Rico Dowdle, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards in both 2024 with Dallas and 2025 with Carolina, averaging 4.6 yards per carry in each season. Dowdle reunites with Mike McCarthy, who made him Dallas’ lead back late in 2024, but Pittsburgh also has 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson. The result projects as a committee rather than a backfield with one guaranteed workhorse.
Fantasy verdict: Warren is the preferred PPR option because of his receiving skill and demonstrated efficiency, while Dowdle offers more conventional rushing and touchdown upside. Warren’s ADP around Round 7 and Dowdle’s later cost properly account for the committee risk. Treat both as RB3/RB4 candidates rather than fourth- through sixth-round starters; Fantasy Life currently ranks them RB29 and RB32, respectively
DK Metcalf: The Physical Freak Who Needs the Right System
DK Metcalf is one of the NFL’s most unusual size-speed athletes at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds with 4.33-second speed. In 2025 with Pittsburgh, he caught 59 of 99 targets for 850 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. The 850 yards were his lowest total in a season with substantial playing time, but he remained Pittsburgh’s leading receiver and produced a 22.5% target share with 1.98 yards per route run.
Metcalf enters 2026 with Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy, creating a plausible rebound path if Pittsburgh increases passing efficiency and preserves Metcalf’s downfield and red-zone role. Comparisons to Rodgers’ connection with Davante Adams should be treated cautiously: Metcalf’s physical profile and route usage differ substantially from Adams’.
Fantasy verdict: Metcalf is a WR3 with realistic WR2 upside at the appropriate price. Draft him for target-share and touchdown upside, while recognizing the risks of a 42-year-old quarterback, a new offensive system, and meaningful target competition from Pittman and Freiermuth.
Michael Pittman Jr.: The Quiet PPR Machine
Michael Pittman Jr. is a reliable short-to-intermediate receiver who caught 80 passes for 784 yards and seven touchdowns on 111 targets for Indianapolis in 2025. His 72.1% catch rate was a career high, while his 8.17-yard average depth of target and five receptions of 20 or more yards underline his role as a possession-oriented receiver rather than a primary vertical threat. 1960
Pittsburgh acquired Pittman to work alongside DK Metcalf, giving Aaron Rodgers an experienced chain-moving option. Steel Curtain Network projects Pittman for 75 receptions, 850 yards, and four touchdowns, with meaningful slot and middle-of-field usage—not a guaranteed fantasy WR1 workload.
Fantasy verdict: Pittman is a PPR-oriented WR3/WR4 value in the eighth or ninth round, where he is commonly drafted outside the top 40 wide receivers. He has a realistic path to 100 targets and weekly flex utility, but his ceiling depends on Rodgers’ efficiency, Pittsburgh’s pass volume, and whether Metcalf absorbs most of the high-value red-zone and downfield targets.
2026 Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule
The Steelers have six standalone primetime or special windows in 2026 — highlighted by a historic international game in Paris, France in Week 7 and a Black Friday home game against Denver in Week 12. The bye falls in Week 9 — a well-timed midseason rest. Pittsburgh closes with four AFC North games in the final five weeks — two against Baltimore and one each against Cleveland and Cincinnati.
| Week | Opponent | Location | Day/Time | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta Falcons | Home | Sun 1:00 PM ET | FOX |
| 2 | New England Patriots | Away | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 3 | Cincinnati Bengals | Home | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 4 | Cleveland Browns | Away | Thu 8:15 PM ET | Prime |
| 5 | Indianapolis Colts | Home | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 6 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Away | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | Paris, France | Sun 9:30 AM ET | NFL Network |
| 8 | Cleveland Browns | Home | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 9 | BYE WEEK | — | — | — |
| 10 | Cincinnati Bengals | Away | Sun 8:20 PM ET | NBC |
| 11 | Philadelphia Eagles | Away | Sun 4:25 PM ET | CBS |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | Home | 🦃 Black Friday 3:00 PM ET | Prime |
| 13 | Houston Texans | Home | Sun 8:20 PM ET | NBC |
| 14 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Away | Mon 8:15 PM ET | ESPN |
| 15 | Baltimore Ravens | Home | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 16 | Carolina Panthers | Home | TBD | — |
| 17 | Tennessee Titans | Away | Sun 1:00 PM ET | CBS |
| 18 | Baltimore Ravens | Away | TBD | — |
Fantasy note: The Week 9 bye is perfectly placed before the fantasy playoff push. The Paris game in Week 7 kicks off at 9:30 AM Eastern — Metcalf and Pittman could have their stat lines in before most American managers finish breakfast. The back-to-back Sunday Night Football games in Weeks 10 and 13 are marquee matchups against Cincinnati and Houston. Pittsburgh closes with Baltimore at home in Week 15, Carolina at home in Week 16, Tennessee on the road in Week 17, and Baltimore on the road in Week 18. The two Ravens games could have major AFC North and playoff-seeding implications, while the Week 18 kickoff time remains TBD.
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FAQ
Who is the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach in 2026?
Mike McCarthy, hired after Mike Tomlin resigned following the 2025 season. McCarthy previously won a Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay and spent five seasons as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.
Is Aaron Rodgers worth drafting in fantasy football at age 42?
He is a late-round streaming QB2 only. Rodgers has not thrown for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in five seasons but led Pittsburgh’s best scoring offense since the Big Ben era in 2025. Draft him in the final rounds as a volatile starter backup.
Should I draft Jaylen Warren or Rico Dowdle in fantasy football?
Neither is reliable as a standalone starter given the committee. Warren has the PPR edge as the pass-catching back. Dowdle is the early-down and goal-line option. If forced to pick, target Warren slightly ahead of Dowdle in rounds 5-6.
Is DK Metcalf worth drafting in Pittsburgh?
Yes — at his WR32 ADP. Metcalf is physically elite and enters a McCarthy-Rodgers system that historically targets big receivers on intermediate routes. He is a WR3 with weekly boom potential.
Is Michael Pittman Jr. undervalued in fantasy football?
Yes — significantly in PPR formats. Pittman is a precise route runner who catches 78-plus percent of his targets and projects as Pittsburgh’s PPR WR1 in McCarthy’s rhythm-based system. Target him in rounds 8-9.
Does Pittsburgh play internationally in 2026?
Yes — Week 7 in Paris, France against the New Orleans Saints at 9:30 AM Eastern on NFL Network.
What is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ bye week in 2026?
Week 9.
What stadium do the Steelers play in?
Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
How long has Commish Kit been making fantasy football draft boards?
Since 2002 — Commish Kit started in Daly City, California, and moved to Austin, Texas in 2012, making 2026 its 24th season in business.
