Steelers vs Jets – Week 1 Fantasy Football Preview
A low-total slugfest with plenty of storylines — Aaron Rodgers faces his former team, while Justin Fields gets a shot at revenge against Pittsburgh.
Line: Steelers -3 | Total: 38.5
Vegas projects this to be one of the lowest-scoring games of Week 1, with a total of just 38.5. Both defenses ranked strong in multiple areas last year, so efficiency will be at a premium. But the revenge narratives for Rodgers and Fields add some extra intrigue in a game where fantasy managers may need to temper expectations.
Quarterbacks
Aaron Rodgers, Steelers – Faces a Jets defense that was one of the toughest against quarterbacks. The revenge angle keeps eyes on him, but the matchup limits him to a QB2 streamer in most formats.
Justin Fields, Jets – Now under center for New York, Fields runs into a Steelers defense that also graded in the top third against QBs. His rushing keeps him fantasy-viable, but he profiles best as a low-end QB1 in this spot.
Wide Receivers
DK Metcalf, Steelers – A difficult assignment, as Sauce Gardner and the Jets secondary were among the stingiest units against wideouts. Metcalf is still a startable low-end WR2, but upside is capped.
Garrett Wilson, Jets – Pittsburgh has a tougher than average WR defense, especially with the offseason addition of Jalen Ramsey to an already loaded defense, but Wilson’s role as the clear alpha keeps him safe as a solid volume-based WR2.
Running Backs
Jaylen Warren, Steelers – Jets’ run defense was strong in 2024 and should be again this season, creating a challenging draw. After getting an extension, Warren enters as the lead back for Pittsburgh. Warren’s passing game usage gives him flex-level value in PPR.
Kaleb Johnson, Steelers – The rookie will be role-dependent, and porbably need a TD to be useful for now leaving him as a low floor flex at best.
Breece Hall, Jets – Pittsburgh can smother the run, but Hall’s expected passing game workload and explosiveness keep him locked as a low-end RB1 even in a tough matchup.
Braelon Allen, Jets – Likely to rotate in behind Hall. The matchup keeps him in bench stash / deep flex territory and will need to prove he has earned more than a short yardage/TD role to be more than that.
Tight Ends
Jonnu Smith, Steelers – The Jets defend TEs fairly well, which caps Jonnu’s appeal. If the Steelers deploy him more as a WR we could be in for a surprise. For now, he’s a mid TE2 option.
Mason Taylor, Jets – Pittsburgh ranks above average for TEs, making Taylor a upside piece. Intriguing if he can take over the role of 2nd or 3rd option in the passing game. Strictly a TE bench stash until he proves otherwise.