Who Should I Start? Van Jefferson or Quez Watkins

Wednesday, November 13, 9:52 PM

Per Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Van Jefferson (quad) was officially a non-participant for the team's first practice ahead of Week 11. The fifth-year wideout is a new addition to the injury report, as he seemingly picked up a quad ailment sometime between Sunday's victory over the Washington Commanders and Wednesday. Jefferson may have sustained the injury during the win. However, it did not seem to hamper him as he operated in his typical capacity as Pittsburgh's WR2 despite not recording a reception. The severity of the injury is unknown, but head coach Mike Tomlin did not comment on the 28-year-old, suggesting it might not be that big a deal. If the former Florida Gator can't suit up for this weekend's divisional clash against the Baltimore Ravens, it would open the door for newly acquired wideout Mike Williams to see an uptick in usage.

Friday, August 30, 6:01 PM

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced on Friday that they re-signed wide receiver Quez Watkins to their practice squad after releasing him earlier this week. Watkins will return to Pittsburgh as extra receiving depth to begin the 2024 campaign behind George Pickens, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller and rookie Roman Wilson. The fact that the 26-year-old wasn't able to impress the coaching staff enough during training camp and the preseason to win a 53-man roster spot in one of the weakest WR rooms in the league pretty much says all you need to know about Watkins. He was a sixth-round selection by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 out of Southern Mississippi and racked up 98 receptions on 147 targets for 1,249 yards and six touchdowns in his four years in Philly over 49 games (25 starts). Watkins is well off the fantasy radar for now in Pittsburgh.