Recent Rico Dowdle News Raises Jaylen Warren's Fantasy Value For Week 4
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The Pittsburgh Steelers will have an early game this week, as they take on the Cleveland Browns on Thursday Night Football. That is not ideal for fantasy managers hoping to play the Steelers RB2, Rico Dowdle, and certainly not so with recent news regarding the Pittsburgh RB.
Rico Dowdle Injury Update
Dowdle in Week 2 against the New England Patriots suffered a toe injury, which eventually led to him being ruled out of the contest. He did not practice at all in the lead-up to the Steelers' Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and was ruled out ahead of the matchup. As their Week 4 TNF matchup against the Browns nears, he did not practice in any capacity on Tuesday, Sep. 30.
It feels like things are trending toward RB1 Jaylen Warren taking on a workhorse RB role, as he did in Week 3 again. If Dowdle does somehow get the ok to play on Thursday, fantasy managers should not start him. He would likely be limited, and the one full game he did play in Week 1 was not encouraging for his fantasy outlook. Against the Atlanta Falcons, he logged eight rushes for 15 yards and two receptions for six yards.
Jaylen Warren Week 4 Fantasy Outlook Without Dowdle
Jaylen Warren went off in Week 3 against the Bengals with Dowdle out. He had 17 carries for 127 yards and three receptions for 49 yards. In PPR fantasy formats for the week, he finished as RB8. He did this against a defense that was D/S1 in fantasy through the first two weeks of the season. With the sure volume that Warren will have—his snap share in Week 1 was 37% and in Week 3 it was 90%—he is a good start in fantasy this week, but Cleveland should still challenge him.
The Browns have been one of the more vulnerable rushing defenses to this point in the season. They are currently allowing the 10th most rushing yards per game in the NFL, 120.3. They have been good at limiting receiving production to opposing RBs. Especially in their first two games of the season, notably against RBs with high pass-catching upside, a category in which Warren is in.
In Week 1, the Browns held Jacksonville Jaguars RB1, Bhayshul Tuten, to one reception for 22 yards. In Week 2, they held Tampa Bay Buccaneers RB1, Bucky Irving, to four receptions for one yard.
What To Do With Jaylen Warren In Fantasy After Week 4
Warren has the potential to put together another top-10 RB week in Week 4. He is currently a great sell-high candidate in fantasy; if he accomplishes that, he would be an even greater sell-high fantasy player. Warren is hitting his fantasy ceiling early in 2026.
Dowdle, if he does miss this week, should not be out much longer. His injury is currently listed as day-to-day. When he does come back, he will warrant a significant role in Pittsburgh’s backfield. That being the case, even if Warren continues to pefrom well while he is out.
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Gray Deyo is a Nashville-based sportswriter who graduated with a sports management bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He has covered prep sports, college sports, the WNBA, and the NBA for the past four years. In addition to writing for SI, Gray also currently contributes to Prep Girls Hoops