Fantasy Football Draft Debate: Rico Dowdle vs. Jaylen Warren

Going over which Pittsburgh Steelers RB fantasy managers should draft between Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren.

Aug 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (13) runs the ball against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a committee backfield once again in 2026, but with a new player now in their system. The two main RBs who will share the workload at the RB position in 2026 will be free-agent signing from the Carolina Panthers, Rico Dowdle, and RB entering his fifth season with Pittsburgh, Jaylen Warren.

With the uncertainty that split backfields often bring in fantasy football, here is a breakdown of who is the better fantasy pick between Dowdle and Warren in 2026.

Jaylen Warren

Aug 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren (30) rushes the ball against the New York Jets during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Many people ahead of the 2025 season thought that Warren’s main competition for carries would be rookie RB from Iowa, Kaleb Johnson. That ended up not being the case, as Johnson mainly sat on the bench and RB Kenny Gainwell rose to relevance.

The main way Gainwell made an impact was with his pass-catching ability. Warren, in his NFL career, has been a solid pass-catcher, but nowhere near the level of Gainwell, who is one of the most elite receiving backs in the league. In 2025, Gainwell had 73 receptions, which was the most out of any player on the team.

That volume alone allowed Gainwell, despite just having 537 rushing yards, to finish as RB16 in fantasy football PPR formats. Warren finished as RB17. He had 958 rushing yards, 333 receiving yards, and eight TDs in 2025. 

Warren, heading into 2026, could take on a bigger receiving role, with him having more success than Dowdle in his career as a pass catcher. He had 40 receptions last season and, back in 2023, he had 61 receptions.

Rico Dowdle

May 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (13) participates in OTA drills at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dowdle, for a brief moment, was on his way to being a waiver wire pickup that won fantasy leagues in 2025. In Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins, he had 234 scrimmage yards and a TD. In Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys,s he had 239 scrimmage yards and a TD. That pace of being the RB1 in 2025 for Dowdle quickly dropped. In his remaining 11 games, he had over 60 rushing yards just twice. He ended the season as RB18 in PPR.

Dowdle, now in a new situation, makes for an interesting pairing next to Warren. Their primary strengths are both as rushers, and in that department, Dowdle may have the edge. Over the past two seasons, he has had over 1,000 rushing yards. He has still been a contributor in the past two seasons of his career as a receiving threat–Dowdle had 39 receptions in 2024 and 39 receptions in 2025.

Final Verdict

When it comes to who is the better fantasy draft pick between Warren and Dowdle, Warren is.

The margins are slim. But Warren’s experience with QB Aaron Rodgers, who is playing in the final season of his career, and him also being a slightly better receiving threat give him a higher ceiling than Dowdle in fantasy football in 2026. 

There is still certainly a way for Dowdle to be the better fantasy RB between him and Warren. It will just be difficult because he will likely have to come from behind to do it, as he will likely start off with less volume than Warren.