Jaylen Warren, Rico Dowdle, and Germie Bernard have all gotten the beat-writer treatment this offseason. The fantasy math on all three tells a slightly different story than the camp-battle headlines.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers running backs Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson stand aside one another during training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Two Backs, One ADP Gap
Jaylen Warren finished 2025 as the RB19 in PPR points per game despite 2025 team MVP Kenneth Gainwell siphoning off nearly 200 combined carries and targets, totaling 1,291 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns on his own. SI's fantasy staff broke down the addition of Rico Dowdle, who joins Pittsburgh off a second straight 1,000-yard season in Carolina, in its Steelers backfield outlook, pegging Warren as the safer PPR investment of the two thanks to his receiving role, while projecting Dowdle for a more touchdown-dependent RB3 workload. Dowdle's current redraft ADP sits around RB32, a notable gap from a back who finished as the RB10 in points per game across the back half of last season.
The Receiver Room Tells a Similar Story
Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh's second-round pick out of Alabama, is drawing plenty of camp buzz as he competes with Roman Wilson for the WR3 job behind DK Metcalf and free-agent addition Michael Pittman Jr. That part of the story has already gotten a lot of attention locally. What's had less attention is what a free fantasy football draft assistant tool actually shows once you plug in the target competition: Bernard's touch profile at Alabama included real work after the catch and even some carries out of the backfield, giving him a wider fantasy floor than a typical rookie WR3 if he wins the job. RotoWire, the premium fantasy sports and sports betting data platform, lists him as one of the more versatile late-round rookie flyers in this year's class for exactly that reason.
Why the Offense Around Them Matters
Fantasy Life's team preview rated Pittsburgh's running back situation as the league's eighth-best supporting environment for the position, citing strong marks in yards before contact per carry despite Aaron Rodgers running one of the league's more conservative passing attacks. That's the case for treating this backfield split as an opportunity rather than a reason to avoid both players: a genuinely productive run-blocking situation with touches still up for grabs is a different proposition than a bad offense with an unclear timeshare.
"Warren already proved he can be a top 20 running back on scraps," an analyst said. "Give him a real workload instead of splitting touches three ways and the ceiling goes up, not down."
Where This Leaves Draft-Day Decisions
"I trust Tomlin-built backs more than most, but this era is McCarthy's show now," a fan said. "Watching how he actually splits the touches in August tells you more than any depth chart article will."
None of the three, Warren, Dowdle, or Bernard, needs to win an outright starting job to be worth a late-round pick. Warren's receiving role alone gives him a weekly floor most backup running backs don't have, Dowdle's touchdown equity makes him a live streaming option even in a timeshare, and Bernard's versatility gives him a path to relevance even as the No. 3 receiver. If you're revisiting where all three landed on your board, our own coverage of the running back competition is a good complement to this piece for the roster-battle context behind the fantasy numbers.
If wagering is part of how you follow the Steelers this season, keep it as entertainment rather than strategy. Pennsylvania bettors must be 21 or older, and free, confidential help is available through the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's resources and the national 1-800-GAMBLER helpline