Pat Fitzmaurice· Aug 16, 2026
Fitz avoids Quinshon Judkins at his mid-fifth-round price given the injury, weak Browns offense and remade line, and fades Rico Dowdle, predicting Jaylen Warren is Pittsburgh's primary back with Dowdle in a smaller role.
“My money is on Warren as Pittsburgh’s primary running back this year, and it’s possible Dowdle has a smaller role than some expect.”
published in writing · FantasyPros · read the original →
4 checkable claims — 2 depth chart calls and 2 fantasy bust calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.
It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 2 unsettled calls enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the room on 1 and below it on 1.
Where this call stands in the room
Rico Dowdle · 2026 season11 calls from 8 pundits between 1 and 2. Pat Fitzmaurice said 2. the room's median is 1. not settled yet
Every dot is a call somebody published on the same question. Where the dots land says where this take sits, not whether it is right — nothing here is settled yet. Hover a dot for the name and number; click it to read that take.
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Who this take is about
4 checkable claims in this take
Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.
Quinshon Judkins to fall short of his draft cost (the middle of the fifth round)
“Judkins’ current ADP has him coming off the board in the middle of the fifth round, which isn’t egregious. But you’d probably be better off with one of the receivers available in that range”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Depth Chart CallsRico DowdlePittsburgh SteelersAug 16, 2026
Rico Dowdle to be 2nd on the depth chart
“My money is on Warren as Pittsburgh’s primary running back this year, and it’s possible Dowdle has a smaller role than some expect.”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- Fantasy Bust CallsRico DowdlePittsburgh SteelersAug 16, 2026
Rico Dowdle to fall short of his draft cost (RB32, 86th overall)
“it’s possible Dowdle has a smaller role than some expect”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Jaylen Warren to be 1st on the depth chart
“My money is on Warren as Pittsburgh’s primary running back this year”
Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
What others said about the same people
- Pete PriscoScore Predictions · Cleveland BrownsHit · 100Prisco picks every Week 3 game with exact scores, highlighting upsets by Tampa Bay over Minnesota and Cleveland over Carolina, and expects the Giants to rally behind Jameis Winston.
- Bryan DeArdoRoster Spot Calls · Drew AllarHit · 100A CBS Sports piece lays out Pittsburgh's quarterback pecking order: Aaron Rodgers starts, Mason Rudolph is the No. 2, rookie Drew Allar sits at No. 3 and Will Howard is fourth, with the Steelers expected to keep all four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster rather than trading Howard.
- Nick PedoneRoster Spot Calls · Isaiah BondHit · 100Previewing the Browns' preseason finale, Pedone says five receivers — Jerry Jeudy, KC Concepcion, Denzel Boston, Isaiah Bond and Tylan Wallace — are very likely to make Cleveland's 53-man roster, leaving one final spot open for Luke Floriea and others.
- Jack MarkowskiRoster Spot Calls · Will HowardHit · 100Markowski writes that Howard now appears locked into the 53-man roster, that Pittsburgh is unlikely to move Rudolph, and that Rudolph has the inside track to be the backup behind Aaron Rodgers.
- Nick PedoneRoster Spot Calls · K.C. ConcepcionHit · 100Reading the Browns' first depth chart, Pedone projects Deshaun Watson as the Week 1 starting quarterback, lays out the full projected starting offensive line with Parker Brailsford as backup center, expects KT Leveston to make the roster as guard depth, and names Jeudy, Concepcion, Boston and Bond as roster locks with Tylan Wallace as the fifth receiver.
- Kevin PatraRoster Spot Calls · Mason RudolphHit · 100Patra argues the Steelers are increasingly likely to keep four quarterbacks on the initial 53-man roster, with Mason Rudolph and third-round pick Drew Allar both safe, leaving Will Howard's spot as the only real question.
More depth chart calls
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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- Bill HuberDepth Chart Calls · Chris McClellanMiss · 0Huber's first Packers rookie progress report projects second-round cornerback Brandon Cisse to hold onto his spot with the No. 1 defense, third-round defensive tackle Chris McClellan to start in Week 1, and fifth-round lineman Jager Burton to be the team's top interior backup rather than a starter.
- Rich HribarDepth Chart Calls · Malik WillisHit · 100Hribar previews the Week 1 Dolphins-Raiders game, calling Malik Willis a strong floor-based QB2 for fantasy, noting Kirk Cousins is the Raiders' starter and not a Week 1 streamer in 1QB leagues, and listing expected defensive starters for both teams.