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Roman Wilson Is A Must-Add Fantasy Football Wide Receiver With Michael Pittman Jr. Set To Miss Weeks Due To Injury

The latest update on the injury to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and the fantasy football impact.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (14) is introduced for a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (14) is introduced for a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. has re-injured his foot and is now set to miss multiple weeks. There is even a chance that the team will place him on injured reserve at some point over the next few days. This is a tough blow for an already mediocre passing attack after the team traded for Pittman this offseason, but it could open the door for some other budding stars to potentially step up.

Fantasy Impact

WR Michael Pittman Jr., Pittsburgh Steelers

It sounds like this could be a lengthy absence, stretching at least three games and perhaps well beyond that. If you have an empty IR slot, you can throw Pittman in it, but it's probably safe to just drop him.

Through three games, he has just seven receptions for 89 scoreless yards. Now he's looking at an extended absence with little reason to believe he's going to be overly productive once he is able to return. It's more likely that one of their young wide receivers steps up and cuts even further into his role than it is that he comes back and breaks out.

WR DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers

Metcalf has seen no shortage of targets, but the production has not matched the opportunity. He has been targeted 33 times, turning those targets into 16 receptions for 213 yards and a touchdown.

There is no reason to believe that he won't continue to see around 8-10 targets per game, but there is also no reason to expect that he'll suddenly become any more efficient. We don't think much will change for Metcalf, whose volume probably won't increase much beyond where it already is. He will continue to be a volatile flex option with a high ceiling and low floor despite all the targets.

WR Roman Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Wilson is the wide receiver who will benefit the most from Pittman's absence. He can become a weekly starter due to this news and may become even more trustworthy than Metcalf.

We have seen Wilson be much more efficient than anyone else in Pittsburgh, turning 24 targets into 14 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He has seen exactly six targets in every game this season. With a few more targets now available, he has potential WR2 upside in the Steelers' offense. You should be racing to the waiver wire to pick him up.

WR Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers

We are significantly less confident in Bernard than Wilson, but this could also open the door for him. He has seen just 11 targets this season, with eight of them coming in Week 2, when Pittman was out, which gives us some hope, but he seems comfortably behind Wilson in the pecking order.

Since Week 2, he has been targeted just three times. This is a player to keep on your radar; however, he would only be a speculative add at this point.

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Mark Morales-Smith
MARK MORALES-SMITH

Mark Morales-Smith is a father of five, a former college football scout and semi-pro football player. Morales-Smith is a long-time competitive fantasy football player with well over a decade of professional writing experience at multiple high-level sites, including Sports Illustrated, FullTime Fantasy, FantasySP, and more.

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