Pittsburgh Steelers Depth Chart
- AFC North
- Stadium
- Heinz Field
- Head Coach
- Mike Tomlin
- Offensive Coordinator
- Randy Fichtner
- Defensive Coordinator
- Keith Butler
- Special Teams Coach
- Danny Smith
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (ankle) practiced in full the last two days and was taken off the Week 2 injury report. Conner will be active this Sunday against the Broncos, but he might play second fiddle to Benny Snell Jr. after Snell replaced the injured Conner in Week 1 against the Giants and ran for over 100 yards on the ground. Conner couldn't stay healthy last year as the team's lead back, so perhaps this will become more of a backfield committee in 2020 to preserve Conner's health. Snell is probably the more attractive RB3/flex this week, but both running backs are hard to trust because of the uncertain playing time split.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (ankle) and wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Diontae Johnson (toe) all returned to practice on Thursday. Conner, who was an injury disappointment in 2019, was injured in the season opener and gave way to an efficient Benny Snell Jr. If Conner can avoid setbacks on Friday, he should be ready to go for Week 2 against the Broncos, although it's fair to wonder how much time he'll split with Snell. Snell will be the more attractive RB3/flex for fantasy managers until the Steelers show that they're willing to go back to Conner as the featured back. Smith-Schuster and Johnson should both be fine and could both feast against a young and inexperienced Denver secondary. Smith-Schuster had two touchdowns in Week 1 and is a must-start WR1. Johnson is more of a WR3/flex with upside now that Ben Roethlisberger is back and healthy.
Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner (ankle) did not practice on Wednesday. Conner left Monday night's win over the New York Giants during the second quarter after injuring his ankle and did not return. Head coach Mike Tomlin did indicate to reporters on Tuesday that they weren't ready to rule Conner out of Week 2's matchup against the Denver Broncos but the running back is certainly trending in the wrong direction. It is looking unlikely that the injury-prone running back will be able to play in that contest. Benny Snell Jr. saw 19 carries in Conner's absence and would be a solid RB2 if Conner is ruled out.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (toe) missed practice on Wednesday, according to reports. Johnson also missed time last week with what appears to be the same ailment, as he was held out of the Wednesday and Thursday sessions before getting a full practice in on Friday. So far, there are no reports that his toe injury got worse during Week 1's win over the New York Giants, where Johnson played on 55 of 64 offensive snaps and caught six balls on 10 targets. Fantasy gamers shouldn't worry about Johnson's Week 2 status as long as he's able to practice by Friday. Treat Johnson as an upside WR3 for Week 2.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) missed practice on Wednesday. The veteran wide receiver was joined on the sidelines by Diontae Johnson in the team's first session since their Monday night win over the New York Giants. It is possible that the Steelers are just giving their top receivers some extra rest on a short week ahead of their Sunday showdown against the Denver Broncos. Smith-Schuster played on 55 of 64 offensive snaps last week on the way to catching six balls for 69 yards and two scores. As long as Smith-Schuster is able to return to at least a limited practice by Friday he is likely to play Sunday. Consider JuJu a low-end WR1 for Week 2 as long as he suits up.