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← All windowsSunday Night · Week 10
Next up behind Jaylen Warren; depth chart RB2.
Rest of the stableLew Nichols (RB3), Travis Homer (RB4)ExpandCollapse
Lew NicholsRB30% rostered · free long shotSigned from the practice squad to the active roster Oct. 17 and now third in the room, but with Jaylen Warren handling a top-10 rushing workload and Rico Dowdle healthy again after a toe injury there is no evident path to touches. No 2026 usage evidence supports a defined role; he is injury insurance.
Injury history: No 2026 injury designation has been reported for him, and no Steelers running back was listed on the team's Week 8 injury report published Oct. 30. Missing injury data does not establish health.
42score
Travis HomerRB4change of pace0% rostered · free long shotVeteran third-down and special-teams back, promoted from the practice squad to the active roster Sept. 26 and now fourth in a room where Jaylen Warren plays nearly every meaningful down and Rico Dowdle is healthy again. Protection and coverage work are why he is rostered, not offensive touches.
Injury history: No 2026 injury designation has been reported and no Steelers running back appeared on the Week 8 injury report published Oct. 30; absence from a report does not establish health.
30score
Why this pick · the matrix
Evidence: low. Stash priority: 68/100. Scores are rankings, not probabilities.
Rostered in 63% of ESPN leagues when this board was built. Your league may differ; if he is taken, check the rest of the stable for a lower-rostered back.
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 | 46 | 174 | 17 | 13 | 82 | 1 |
| 2025 | 17 | 236 | 1076 | 50 | 39 | 297 | 7 |
Last 3 games with stats for PIT: 10.3 carries and 3.3 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 119 | 704 | 36 | 25 | 294 | 3 |
| 2025 | 16 | 211 | 958 | 45 | 40 | 333 | 8 |
Last 3 games with stats for PIT: 16.3 carries and 3.3 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
Rico Dowdle is listed RB2 on the Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart behind Jaylen Warren. Deterministic pick; the model overview was unavailable.
Backfield news: Max Hurleman: Out (espn_rosters)
Scouting: Available and useful but still the complement: he played through the Questionable tag in the 16-10 win over New Orleans in Paris for 86 scrimmage yards, described by the club as solid behind Warren and improving as the game went on. Jaylen Warren is the RB1 - 18 carries for 101 yards plus three catches for 36, a fourth 100-yard scrimmage game in five weeks. An RB3, not a lead back.
Starter injury history: No Steelers running back appeared on the team's Week 8 injury report published Oct. 30, and he carried a heavy workload into the bye, so no current 2026 absence is reported; missing injury data does not establish health. The index reflects earlier in-season issues, not any present designation.
Analyst write-up pending; deterministic pick shown.
Next up behind Chase Brown; depth chart RB3.
Rest of the stableSamaje Perine (RB2)ExpandCollapse
Samaje PerineRB2receiving11% rostered · likely freeVeteran complementary back and trusted blocker. Week 3 vs. PIT: three carries for nine yards plus one catch on three targets for five yards on 18 offensive snaps against Brown's 40, mostly in the first half, plus a 26-yard kickoff return. Reporting pegs him as rotational unless Brown misses time, and at 31 he is not a 15-carry answer.
Injury history: Durable veteran with no long injury absence in recent seasons, and he is not on Cincinnati's Week 4 injury report. At 31 he is used in a small, specialized role that keeps his workload low.
54score
Why this pick · the matrix
Evidence: low. Stash priority: 51/100. Scores are rankings, not probabilities.
Rostered in under 1% of ESPN leagues when this board was built. Your league may differ; if he is taken, check the rest of the stable for a lower-rostered back.
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 16 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0 |
Last 3 games with stats for CIN: 1 carries and 0 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
| Season | Games* | Carries | Rush yds | Targets | Rec | Rec yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 103 | 397 | 45 | 39 | 207 | 1 |
| 2025 | 17 | 232 | 1019 | 88 | 69 | 437 | 11 |
Last 3 games with stats for CIN: 10.7 carries and 5.7 targets per game.
*Games with a recorded stat line; not an attendance or injury measure. Stats exclude this game week. Source: nflverse
Tahj Brooks is listed RB3 on the Cincinnati Bengals depth chart behind Chase Brown. Deterministic pick; the model overview was unavailable.
Backfield news: No current injury notes available; availability is not independently confirmed.
Scouting: Listed RB3 behind Brown and Perine. Dated evidence has Brown at 40 Week 3 snaps and Perine at 18, leaving little for Brooks; his own 2026 carry and snap totals are not established by the sources checked here, so treat usage claims as unverified. Compact, powerful build makes him a plausible short-yardage fill-in, but he is unproven with almost no NFL volume.
Starter injury history: 2025: played all 17 games with no injury absence while setting career highs (1,456 scrimmage yards, 11 total TD), and has cleared 225 carries in back-to-back seasons without missing time. 2026: no Bengals running back appears on the Week 4 injury report, so he remains fully available.
Analyst write-up pending; deterministic pick shown.