Who Should I Start? Calvin Austin III or Ashton Jeanty

Monday, September 8, 8:44 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III enjoyed a breakout game in Week 1 and emerged as the team's No. 2 option in the passing game. During the offseason, Austin was competing for the No. 2 role alongside Roman Wilson and veterans Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek. However, during the victory over the Jets on Sunday afternoon, Austin was clearly deployed as the second option to DK Metcalf. In this game, Austin saw six targets (only one fewer than Metcalf) and was able to bring in four of them for 70 yards and a touchdown. The 26-year-old found the back of the end zone in the fourth quarter on an 18-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers. Seeing Austin receive five more targets than Skowronek, and Wilson not receiving any, suggests that the team views Austin as their No. 2 WR. As a result, managers in 3-WR leagues should look to target him off the waiver wire as he could hold WR3/flex value going forward.

Monday, September 8, 3:52 AM

Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty's NFL career started with a victory, though his efforts had little to do with the outcome. The Boise State product had 38 rushing yards on 19 carries and two receiving yards on two catches in the Raiders' 20-13 win over the Patriots in their 2025 season opener. Despite the disappointing stat line, fantasy managers should be encouraged by Jeanty's usage. The highly-touted rookie dominated the backfield opportunities, not only taking the lion's share of rushing attempts but finishing with an 86% snap share. Fantasy managers who took a chance on the sixth-overall pick from the NFL Draft might have to wait a bit longer before their investment pays off. Jeanty has a challenging matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.