In the 26th of a 32-part series, we are featuring all National Football League teams with a prediction of where each team will finish within their division, key off-season acquisitions and their top fantasy stars. Here are the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Key Off Season Acquisitions
There are five new Steelers players Pittsburgh acquired in the offseason. They are cornerback Jamel Dean of Cocoa, Florida, running back Rico Dowdle of Gaffney, South Carolina, defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, safety Jaquan Brisker of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. of Woodland Hills, California.
Dean signed a three-year contract worth $36.75 million on March 13. He played the last seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl in 2021. In 2025, Dean had 46 combined tackles (38 solo tackles and eight assisted tackles), two quarterback hits, one tackle for a loss, three interceptions for 74 yards, one pick six, nine pass deflections, two forced fumbles and one sack.
The pick six was for 55 yards and came in a 29-27 Buccaneers win over the New York Jets on September 21. The sack, first quarterback hit, first forced fumble, and tackle for a loss came in a 30-19 Buccaneers win over the San Francisco 49ers on October 12. The second quarterback hit and second forced fumble, came in a 23-3 Buccaneers win over the New Orleans Saints on October 26.
Dowdle signed a two-year contract worth $12.25 million on March 13. He is joining his third NFL franchise after four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and one season with the Carolina Panthers. This past season with the Panthers, Dowdle had 236 rushes for 1076 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns along with 39 catches for 297 receiving yards and one touchdown catch. The touchdown catch was for 36 yards and came in a 30-27 Panthers win over the Dallas Cowboys on October 12.
Joseph-Day signed a two-year contract worth $11 million on March 16. He is joining his fifth NFL franchise after three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams (2019 to 2021), two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers (2022 and 2023), one season with the San Francisco 49ers (2023), and two seasons with the Tennessee Titans (2024 and 2025). This past season in Tennessee, Joseph-Day had 41 combined tackles (22 solo tackles and 19 assisted tackles), six tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, two sacks and one fumble recovery. In 2022, Joseph-Day was part of the Rams team that won the Super Bowl.
Brisker signed a one-year contract worth $5.5 million on March 16. He played the last four seasons with the Chicago Bears. In 2026, Brisker had 93 combined tackles (52 solo tackles and 41 assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss, three quarterback hits, one interception for 32 yards, eight pass deflections and one sack. The interception came in a 25-24 Bears win over the Washington Commanders on October 13, and the sack and tackle for a loss came in a 26-14 Bears win over the New Orleans Saints on October 19.
The Indianapolis Colts traded wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. of Woodland Hills, California to the Pittsburgh Steelers with a seventh round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft for a sixth round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on March 13. Pittman Jr. has spent the last six seasons with the Colts. In 2025, he had 80 catches for 784 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Fantasy Star
The Steelers have the ninth ranked defense in the NFL. The franchise has historically been known for its defense and this year is no different. It wa a solid season last year for linebacker Patrick Queen of Ventress, Louisiana, who had a team high 120 combined tackles.
Projected Finish
The Steelers won the AFC North a year ago, and the acquisition of Dowdle should improve the running game as he was excellent last year in Carolina. However, on paper, the Steelers are not as strong this season as the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, and I have them finishing third in the AFC North.
