RotoViz Newsroom will be a new series of articles dedicated to offering concise analysis on current NFL storylines, with a focus on actionable data for the present fantasy football landscape.

How it started (June 11th):

OC Arthur Smith on the #Steelers QB competition.

“Russ is in the pole position. It’s a competition, obviously. Once we get to Latrobe, I’m sure things will heat up. Both of those guys knew that however they were acquired.” pic.twitter.com/zntlz77t5l

— Aaron Becker (@Aaron_M_Becker) June 11, 2024

How it’s going (August 7th):

Mike Tomlin announced there is definitely a quarterback competition brewing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pre-Season performances will weigh heavier than practice reps – making each game showing worth watchpic.twitter.com/RA1C2xZTbz

— Loyal Ricks Jr. (@LoyalJRicksJr) August 7, 2024

The latter comment was made before the Steelers’ first preseason game, but little has changed in either direction to separate Justin Fields and Russell Wilson in the race for the Steelers’ starting quarterback job. Wilson was nursing a calf injury for the majority of training camp and into the first preseason game, giving Fields an opportunity to pull away. In his first game action for the Steelers, Fields’ play was characteristic of his career up to this point: an equal mixture of athletic prowess and seemingly avoidable negative plays.

Wilson was deemed healthy enough to start the second preseason game, but the offense floundered during his five drives. They failed to record a first down on three of his drives, while also failing to put any points on the scoreboard.^[1]Chris Boswell missed a 52-yard field goal on Wilson’s final drive. After entering the game, Fields created some plays with his legs, but didn’t fare much better overall, despite leading the team to their only score of the game — a 43-yard field goal.

The overall ineptitude of Pittsburgh’s offense wasn’t solely to be blamed on the QBs. Neither was given much time to operate behind a patchwork offensive line. Tomlin agreed after the game (via Mike DeFabo of the Athletic):

“We’ve got to do a better job in pass protection than we did, not only on possession downs but just in general,” Tomlin said. “I was really upfront with the group about it. That can’t be a problem for us.”

Due to the overall struggles of the offense, it seems like we are no closer to an answer than we were at the beginning of August – another idea that Tomlin stated following the game:

“It’s somewhat of an incomplete study because you don’t get to see (Wilson) operate or us operate or us establish rhythm or personality when you’re not winning possession downs,” Tomlin said. “And we weren’t.”

Based on the ambiguous state of the Steelers’ quarterback competition, how should fantasy managers be playing the two Pittsburgh signal callers?

The FFPC Superflex ADP for the Steelers’ QBs has been wild since Fields was traded to Pittsburgh on March 16. With the aggregate of drafters now preferring Fields over Wilson as a fantasy play, several factors suggest that the market is playing this situation correctly.

Neither quarterback is a stranger to playing behind shaky offensive lines. Both have a reputation for taking too many sacks. Both like to hold onto the ball while trying to extend plays. Yet only Fields still has the requisite athleticism to consistently avoid immediate pressure and create on-the-fly with defensive lineman barreling down on him. Fields also provides an improvement on the archetype of QB that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith preferred leading his offense in Atlanta, although he acknowledges that the decision is not his to make this time around.

Asked about the QB competition, Arthur Smith said: “That’s not a decision I have the burden to make.”

The OC said he’ll give his opinion and collaborate with Omar Khan and Art Rooney. But it’s Mike Tomlin’s call at the end of the day.

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) August 20, 2024

If Wilson gets the nod to start the season, his ineffectiveness in an offense that poorly suits his current form should eventually lead to him giving way to Fields. Fields’ proclivity to take sacks in bunches will surely continue to drive his real-life coaches mad, but fantasy managers will happily reap the rewards that he brings on designed runs and improvised scrambles.

The Advanced Stat Explorer shows that Smith has made good use of rushing quarterbacks. The duo of Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder averaged 5.8 carries per game in 2022, while the combination of Ridder and Taylor Heinicke averaged 4.1 carries per game last year. When Fields is in the game, he could end up at the top end of those numbers, and possibly surpass them. After averaging 6.2 YPC across his career — and with a history of breaking long runs — six carries per game could go a long way in returning fantasy value.

Listen to Shawn Siegele and Ben Gretch discuss Justin Fields’ Superflex ceiling on a recent episode of Stealing Bananas.

Either through inefficiency or injury, seeing Fields miss some starts after initially claiming the QB1 spot would not be a surprise. Still, he offers considerably more upside than Wilson on a per-game basis, and should be the only Pittsburgh QB fantasy managers should be considering in leagues that start only one QB. Wilson could make for a reasonable floor play on desperate Superflex teams on the assumption that he will see playing time at some point in the season. But he shouldn’t be counted on to deliver either consistent or high-end production.