The Pittsburgh Steelers have been wheeling and dealing lately with their quarterback position, and if you’ve been paying attention to what they’ve been doing, it makes sense. The Steelers have a team that can contend for the playoffs in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The one thing that the Steelers have lacked is production from the quarterback position. The Steelers drafted quarterback Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, but he didn’t seem to progress as much as they had hoped. This offseason, the Steelers went looking for another option. The answer they came to was Russell Wilson. Wilson was released from the Denver Broncos and was one of the top quarterback free agents this offseason. This offseason, Russell Wilson signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year, $1.21 million deal (vet minimum) and will likely be the starting quarterback for the team in 2024. Shortly after, the Steelers traded Kenny Pickett to the Philadelphia Eagles and then traded for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, reshaping their quarterback room for the foreseeable future. The best thing about these moves and Russell Wilson looking like the starter for at least the 2024 season is that the Steelers finally have a quarterback that can move the ball down the field. But that’s not all.
Steeler Nation, Here We Go
The Steelers haven’t had a solid passing game over the last two seasons under Kenny Pickett so it makes sense why the Steelers front office opted to move on. Since 2022, the Steelers’ passing attack finished at the league’s bottom half with a 24th rank in 2022 and 25th in 2023. Kenny Pickett didn’t evolve as a passer at the pace the Steelers thought. Pickett finished 2,404 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and nine interceptions while finishing with a 63% completion rate in 2022, and Pickett’s production didn’t improve in 2023 as Pickett’s numbers dropped as he went 2,070/6/4 with a 62% completion rate. Wilson’s arrival gives the Steelers a better option at quarterback. During those same seasons, Wilson finished as the 13th-ranked quarterback in 2022 with a 3,524/16/11 passing line and then a 3,070/26/8 in 2023. Even with the Broncos passing offense not being “world breakers” during Russell Wilson’s tenure, it was still much better than the Steelers over Wilson’s two years as it finished 19th overall in 2022 and 24th (yup, still better than the Steelers) in 2023.
Russell Wilson’s impact will also be felt throughout the Steelers receiving corps. George Pickens gets an upgrade from the quarterback position now that Wilson is under center and should be at least a bit more appealing to fantasy managers after being drafted at his ADP of 35 last year. Pickens has big play ability and is strong in the contested catch game but Pickens still needs a quarterback that isn’t gunshy about fitting the ball into tight windows to allow Pickens to use his talents to make plays. We saw that during the last few games of the season after backup quarterback Mason Rudolph stepped in for the injured Kenny Pickett. Over the final four weeks of the regular season, Pickens saw 33 targets catching 23 of those targets for 478 yards and two touchdowns. Over that span, Pickens would clock in as the WR10 for fantasy managers, including a fantasy playoff crusher against the Cincinnati Bengals, where Pickens went off for 195 yards and two touchdowns for 31.5 fantasy points.
Also keep in mind that the Steelers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, cementing George Pickens as the top wideout option for the team. That doesn’t mean that other pass catchers won’t be able to benefit from Wilson’s presence, either. Tight end Pat Frieremuth would also gain some interesting fantasy value with Wilson now in the fold. Friermuth was one of the worst fantasy tight ends last season in total advanced metrics, according to Fantasydata.com, ranking 26th overall. With just 308 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 47 targets in 2023, he is a far cry from his 2022 production, where he totaled 732 yards and two touchdowns.
Russell Wilson’s 2024 Fantasy Impact
As it stands, Russell Wilson should be viewed as a later-round quarterback in redraft and two-QB leagues. Wilson was coming off draft boards as the QB18 during the 2023 fantasy draft season. With this in mind I don’t see that changing too much. There are so many options that you can chose from like Anthony Richardson from the Indianapolis Colts or even Jared Goff from the Detroit Lions, players who will likely come off the boards before Russell Wilson is even considered. That should mean that you shouldn’t keep an eye on Wilson should he slide out of the draft and start the season on the waiver wire. Over the first five weeks of the fantasy season last year, Russell Wilson was a top 10 fantasy quarterback as the QB8 during that timeframe. Wilson was averaging 19.6 FPPG and 12th in passing yards with 1,210 yards while coming in fifth in passing touchdowns with 11.
On top of that, Wilson took care of the ball, accounting for just two interceptions to kick the season off and throwing just eight total during the season. Wilson would finish with a 26:8 touchdown to interception ratio. That’s pretty good for a team flipping the script on you not even halfway into year. That’s also pretty good for a quarterback many feel is “washed up”.
Fantasy managers should also remember that Russell Wilson still has some wheels left, as he averaged 4.3 yards per attempt last season. Wilson carried the rock 80 times for 341 yards and three touchdowns. While he’s no Lamar Jackson or Kyler Murray, you can’t count Wilson out to take off if there’s nothing downfield for him to capitalize on. Wilson’s scramlbing ability will also help out the Steelers running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, as it gives opposing defenses another piece to worry about taking off from the backfield. Harris and Warren complement each other already as they represent the “thunder and lightning” aspects of a backfield, respectively, as Harris is the bruising thumper, while Warren can strike quick for chunk plays. Both backs produced a 4+ y/a or better in 2023 and could get better looks with a competent quarterback in Russell Wilson starting for the Steelers.
Wrap It Up
Russell Wilson isn’t going to be the highly sought-after quarterback during the 2024 fantasy drafts. It’s even likely that you’ll be able to get him off the waiver wire after your fantasy draft is done (unless you’re in a league that likes to stock up on QB2’s in a one QB league like my leagues are), but Wilson does have some low-end value heading into the new fantasy year. Wilson lands in a better spot than what the Denver Broncos were sporting. The Broncos opted to “blow it up”, trading or releasing several players so far this offseason. With Wilson in Pittsburgh looking to showcase that his talents haven’t faded and that he can continue his career as one of the better quarterbacks in the league, Wilson’s fantasy value should be ripe for the taking for those “late round QB” fantasy strategists out there.
Wilson finished the fantasy season as the QB15 in FPPG with a 17.1 average on the year. That’s just point 4 points behind Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (wild, right?) and better than Trevor Lawerence and Matthew Stafford. I wouldn’t sleep on Wilson heading into the season but you just might able to take the “wait and see” approach on him before your drafts. Don’t be surprised if you end up seeing him on a “must-add” on a waiver wire article this season. Wilson isn’t washed just yet.
