June 23, 2025

Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Calvin Austin III is entering his third year in black and yellow, and now he has a quarterback who can take full advantage of him as a downfield weapon. If anyone can unlock the full potential of Austin's 4.3 speed, it's Aaron Rodgers. The problem, however, is that he plays in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's offense, which is extremely run-heavy and primarily utilizes the running backs and tight ends in the passing game. Newly acquired stud receiver D.K. Metcalf will get his fair share of targets, but the Steelers traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, which should open up a larger role for Austin as the team's explosive deep threat. He will be competing with sophomore receiver Roman Wilson this offseason, but Austin should be the favorite to win the number two position behind Metcalf given his knowledge of the offense. The question remains as to how much fantasy value there is in the Steelers' WR2, and if last season is any indication, the answer is not much. Austin finished last year as Pittsburgh's second-leading receiver in each of receptions (36), yards (548), and targets (58). He also put a handful of explosive plays on tape that turned heads and resulted in four touchdowns. Despite this, he only finished as the WR79 in PPR leagues. Another issue with Austin is that he was primarily on the field in 3WR sets, which resulted in an underwhelming 53% snap share. Currently, Austin is going undrafted as the WR85 in early ADP, so if managers believe in him, he is a free pick at the end of the draft, but given his skill set and his boom-or-bust stat lines, it only makes sense to throw a dart on him in best ball formats.--Frank Dyevoich, Esq.