Week 1 Depth Chart Release: Rico Dowdle Fantasy Stock Down, Jaylen Warren Stock Up
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The Pittsburgh Steelers, who are set to have a split backfield in the 2026 season between Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren, just released their official depth chart for their Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Warren is listed as their RB1, and Dowdle is listed as their RB2. Here is a breakdown of how that affects them fantasy football-wise.
Fantasy Impact: Jaylen Warren
The fact that Warren is the listed RB1 is the least surprising outcome out of any other possible scenarios. He has been with the Steelers for his entire NFL career, and he was the listed RB1 for Pittsburgh going into the 2025 season. The fact that he is the listed RB1 for 2026 still slightly boosts his fantasy value.
Warren in 2025 had 958 rushing yards, 333 receiving yards, and eight TDs. He could see more volume as a pass catcher for 2026, with RB Kenny Gainwell now being on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gainwell in 2025 led all Steelers players with 73 receptions.
In PPR fantasy formats last season, Warren finished as RB17. His current ADP in ESPN PPR fantasy formats is RB27.
One RB whose ADP is higher than Warren's at RB25 that fantasy managers should draft Warren over him is Rhamondre Stevenson. His stock has been rising with TreVeyon Henderson’s injury, but his value will likely only see a short-term spike in fantasy. Henderson was the clear lead back for New England in the back half of last season, and he should inevitably win that role back when he is healthy.
Fantasy Impact: Rico Dowdle
This slightly hurts Dowdle’s fantasy value. He still certainly has a chance to become the Steelers' RB1; it will just not be right away. Dowdle proved last year that he is capable of doing just that when he overtook the RB1 spot from Carolina Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard.
Dowdle in 2025 had 1,076 rushing yards and seven TDs. In PPR fantasy formats, he finished as RB18. Dowdle’s ADP currently in ESPN PPR formats is RB29. He certainly has higher upside than a couple of RBs in that ADP range, with Tennessee Titans RB Tony Pollard being one of them.
Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle Week 1 Fantasy Outlook
The Falcons could be an ideal opponent for Dowdle and Warren to have meaningful fantasy production against. In 2025, they allowed the ninth-most rushing yards per game, 126.2. They did do a good job of keeping opposing RBs out of the end zone, allowing just 13 total TDs to opposing RBs on the season. That resulted in the Falcons allowing the 18th most PPR fantasy points per game to RBs in 2025.
Dowdle, as a former player on the Carolina Panthers, played the Falcons twice in 2025 and struggled. In his first game against them, he had 10 rushes for 30 yards, and in his second game he had 19 rushes for 45 yards.
With the depth chart release and his receiving upside, fantasy managers should feel comfortable starting Warren. With Dowdle, he should be benched in Week 1. Fantasy managers should wait to see how he is utilized before inserting him into their starting lineup, especially given how he performed against them last year.
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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