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Is Jaylen Warren or Rico Dowdle the Steelers' starting running back? Should I draft Jaylen Warren or Rico Dowdle for fantasy football drafts?
The preseason is coming to a close, which means the 2026 season is just around the corner. Soon, we will be drafting for our home leagues. Whether you’ve been consuming fantasy content all offseason or are just trying to figure out a strategy today, Rotoballer has something for you.
One of the big advantages in fantasy football is being able to look at an ambiguous situation and pick the right player. A great example of that in 2026 is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backfield. Both Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle were top-24 scorers in 2025 and now find themselves on the same team.
Which Steelers running back is worth drafting in 2026? Read below to find out.
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Jaylen Warren 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
For a long time, fantasy managers have wanted to see an expanded role for Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren given his efficiency metrics. 2025 was another step in that direction.
Warren played a career-high 50% of the Steelers’ snaps last season, setting career highs in attempts (211), rushing yards (958), and rushing touchdowns (6). Unfortunately, Warren didn’t break fantasy thanks to modest receiving production (45 targets, 40 receptions, 333 yards, and two touchdowns) while splitting the backfield with Kenneth Gainwell.
Yards. After. Contact. Jaylen Warren 💪
BALvsPIT on NBC
Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/j5boo5AKzd— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2026
Still, Warren posted a solid RB19 finish in PPR points per game, averaging 13.5 per contest. There was initial optimism that Warren could take another step in 2026 with a new, offensive-minded head coach (Mike McCarthy) and the departure of Gainwell in free agency, but the signing of veteran Rico Dowdle tempers those expectations.
Warren will once again be in a time share in 2026 with a quarterback who likes to get the ball out quickly and an ascending offensive line. Still, if he can’t secure more passing work, it will be hard for him to finish much higher than a low-end RB2 in fantasy.
Rico Dowdle 2026 Fantasy Football Outlook
Few running backs have been as productive as Rico Dowdle over the last two seasons. Dowdle is one of five running backs who have had over 1,000 rushing yards and 200 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons. The other four names on the list are Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, James Cook, and Tony Pollard.
More impressively, Dowdle has produced that stat line on two different teams. The veteran running back mostly split touches with Chuba Hubbard in 2025, but still finished as the RB20 in PPR points per game (13.3) with arguably the best two-game stretch (sample size alert) of any running back in 2025 (53 carries for 389 yards and a touchdown with seven receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns).
There goes Rico Dowdle for 43 yards!
MIAvsCAR on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXnxV pic.twitter.com/4G1FS2SHgQ
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
Still, that didn’t stop Dowdle from being in a frustrating timeshare with Hubbard, a role that led to inconsistent production down the stretch.
Dowdle now reunites with Mike McCarthy, the head coach who helped him achieve his first 1,000-yard season in Dallas in 2024. Dowdle will once again find himself in a split backfield with an established veteran, but early reports indicate that he is set to see a 50/50 share. Depending on how those touches shake out (rushing vs receiving) could be the difference between him being a dependable RB2 or a boom-or-bust RB3 in fantasy.
Who Should You Draft in 2026 Fantasy Football?
Both Jaylen Warren (ADP: 76.8, RB27) and Rico Dowdle (ADP: 87.2, RB31) are being drafted well behind where they finished in fantasy scoring in 2025. The now-teammates each have their own advantages coming into 2026 as well.
For Warren, his familiarity with Aaron Rodgers from last season as well as his production as a pass catcher make him enticing for fantasy. However, Dowdle is familiar with new play-caller Mike McCarthy’s offense and is an underrated pass catcher in his own right. He can also be drafted a round later than Warren.
Both players are reasonable picks, but to me the cheaper option (Dowdle) is the better one for fantasy based on the ability he’s shown to handle a three-down workload while maintaining explosive plays. Warren will have more than enough utility in PPR formats, but time will tell how much of the rushing workload he’s given with a more physical running mate in the backfield in 2026.
Who Should I Draft Fantasy Football Tool
Read more about the free Who Should I Draft tool here.
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to draft...
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Draft? button to see who the recommended draft picks are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
Improvements For Who Should I Draft? You may have noticed our Who Should I Draft? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your 2026 fantasy football drafts. You'll see NFL player tiles with bye weeks, stats, and projections, ADPs, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their preseason fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research and updates them constantly throughout the preseason. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Draft
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Draft tool for 2026 drafts for Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle:
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