The Pittsburgh Steelers' backfield quietly became the offseason's most complicated fantasy question. The Steelers kept three backs on the final roster, and the split between the top two decides real value heading into Week 1.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (13) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The Dowdle-McCarthy Connection That Changes Everything
Rico Dowdle signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal with Pittsburgh after two straight 1,000-yard seasons in Dallas under Mike McCarthy. According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, that history explains why Dowdle should lead Jaylen Warren on early downs. Dowdle averaged 20.3 carries per game over Dallas' final seven 2024 games, a pace projecting to roughly 345 carries if McCarthy leans on him the same way. That's no guarantee in a different scheme, but the coaching continuity is real. Dowdle had 235 carries in 2024 and 236 in 2025 with Dallas, both crossing 1,000 yards.
Why Jaylen Warren Still Matters
Warren isn't fading out. He caught 61 passes in 2023, more than Dowdle has ever managed. Warren also posted a career-high 958 rushing yards last season. Warren went undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2022 and earned his way up through special teams.
What This Means for Fantasy Managers
A backfield split like this separates good drafters from bad ones, since neither Dowdle nor Warren is a clean workhorse pick. Anyone building a roster around Pittsburgh's backfield should check current nfl starting lineups rankings and snap-count projections rather than trusting last year's numbers, since McCarthy's arrival reshapes the math for both players, and that shift alone could be the difference between a bench stash and a start-worthy flex play most weeks down the stretch.
The early-season usage in Weeks 1 and 2 will tell the story fast. If Dowdle gets 15-plus touches while Warren stays under 10, that's the workhorse scenario Graziano is predicting. If the split stays closer to even, Warren's receiving work could make him the safer weekly option despite the smaller role, and either outcome should reshape how both backs get drafted and started the rest of the way, especially in PPR formats where a 40-yard, five-catch day can outscore a 90-yard, no-catch afternoon for the back getting more carries on paper.
The Bigger Picture in Pittsburgh's Backfield
As Steeler Nation noted, Warren is arguably the more complete back of the two once you factor in pass protection and route running, and that skill set doesn't disappear just because Dowdle has the coach's history on his side. Eli Heidenreich, a seventh-round pick, rounds out the depth chart but isn't expected to factor into the split unless one of the top two gets hurt.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Eli Heidenreich (29) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh's offense is going to run through this backfield more than most rosters around the league, given how much Rodgers wants to protect himself from pressure. That makes the Dowdle-Warren question one of the more consequential position battles in the AFC heading into the regular season, not just for the Steelers but for anyone with a roster spot riding on the answer. Fantasy managers who wait on this backfield in drafts may find both names gone by the time the picture clears, so it's worth settling on a lean now rather than reacting after Week 1 usage locks in the pecking order for good.
The receiving numbers matter more than they usually would here too. Warren caught 61 passes in an offense that struggled to move the ball consistently, and Rodgers has spent his career leaning on backs out of the backfield rather than absorbing extra hits down the field, which points toward more targets for whichever back proves he can pass-block reliably in pressure situations. Dowdle brings a different kind of value, since McCarthy used him on early downs in Dallas specifically because he could finish runs between the tackles without needing a fullback lead, and Pittsburgh's line was built with exactly that kind of interior push in mind this offseason. None of that guarantees either player a clean workhorse role, but it does mean the winner of this split, whenever it becomes clear, is likely to be a weekly must-start rather than a matchup-dependent flex, and that's worth planning around now instead of scrambling for waiver-wire answers three weeks into the season.