Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Isaiah Spiller

Tuesday, September 29, 1:13 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (toe) was present, but he was not participating in the period of practice open to the media on Tuesday, according to Nick Farabaugh of Penn Live. Dowdle did not play in the Week 3 win over the division-rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday due to a right-toe injury that he suffered in the Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots, which led to Jaylen Warren being used in a workhorse role. Travis Homer and Lew Nichols III combined for just six offensive snaps. Warren handled a season-high 17 rushing attempts for 127 yards and also caught three of his four targets for 49 yards as a receiver. The 27-year-old jump-started the Steelers' offense on the day after they looked very slugging in the first two weeks of the 2026 season. Dowdle is not trending in the right direction to make his return on a short week on Thursday Night Football against the division-rival Cleveland Browns. If Warren is held out for a second straight week, Warren will be a must-start in all traditional fantasy football lineups as the Steelers' workhorse. After back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons the last two years with the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers, Dowdle is off to a slow start in the Steel City.