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The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to face the New Orleans Saints in Paris on Sunday morning for their Week 7 matchup, but they may be without one of their running backs. Rico Dowdle, who appeared on the injury report earlier this week with a knee injury, is officially listed as questionable for the game.
Should Dowdle be limited or unable to play, Jaylen Warren could once again see an expanded role in the Steelers' backfield. This marks the second injury Dowdle has dealt with in his first season with Pittsburgh, as he previously missed three games with a toe injury.
After suffering the toe injury in Week 2, Dowdle returned in Week 6 and posted a season-high 7.9 fantasy points in the win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He seemingly sustained the current knee injury during that game, as the Steelers had not listed him on the injury report before last week. Ahead of the international clash with the Saints, Dowdle has been limited in practice all week.
Even if Dowdle is active on Sunday, he has yet to prove he is worth starting in fantasy football, with Warren being the more efficient back in Pittsburgh's backfield. Fantasy managers who have Warren on their roster are closely monitoring Dowdle's status, as Warren was a bona fide RB1 in Dowdle's absence earlier this season.
From Week 3 to Week 5, without Dowdle, Warren ranked as the RB5 in fantasy points per game (24.3). Advanced metrics also support the case that Warren has been one of the best running backs in football this year. Among 34 running backs with 50-plus attempts, Warren ranks third in yards per attempt (5.5), fourth in yards after contact per attempt (3.80), and eighth in missed tackles forced (21).
Key Analysis
If Dowdle is sidelined in Week 7, Warren becomes one of the top running back options against a New Orleans defense that ranks 32nd in rushing EPA (-0.00) and rushing success rate allowed (48.1%). The Saints also allow the most schedule-adjusted fantasy points per game to running backs (+6.6). All stats used are from PFF or Sumer Sports unless stated otherwise, and fantasy rankings and point totals are courtesy of FantasyPros.