Steelers' QB battle headlines preseason fantasy stories | Fantasy Football Happy Hour | NFL on NBC

we're starting positional previews today first ones will be tight ends which includes our season long bets for some of the biggest names of the position but first a lot of football to catch you up on from the weekend as the preseason is officially in the books and I was just going to say this is the biggest draft week of the season right this is the big and leading up to this upcoming weekend which is the biggest draft weekend of the year and so what we're going to do this whole week is we're going to first off we're going to update you everything you need know over the weekend and we're do tight ends today but also it's going to be every day it's going to be positional ranks like it's going to be a running back day then it's a wide receiver quarterback we're going go through all the positions get you ready for big drafts this weekend but before we do that the preseason week three reaction for teams that played their starters we have to start with the Steelers and Matthew you brought up the football night in America pod you had a really interesting response when quarterback came up take a listen come November the Steelers starting quarterback will be whom Justin Fields they have to see what they got out of this kid at some point I think I don't think they'll be in the uh the hunt so Justin Fields okay I I'd love to say Kyle Allen just for fun but I think Russell Wilson's going to hang on to the job they've got some tough games early they got some Prime Time games they understand what they're trying to do offensively and defensively and I think Mike Tomlin is going to make a decision he's going to stick with it for as long as he can yeah I agree I think Mike Tomlin says hey we're going to win games on defense they just need Russell Wilson to do what he did last year if he can just be that same guy they'll be in it and they'll stay with him nighttime pro bowler in in Seattle the formula was run the football play great defense Russell make a handful of plays during the game that's what we're trying to recreate there in Pittsburgh they have the right guy in Arthur Smith to do it I still think he'll be their starting quarterback maybe not the uh the hero we need but the one we deserve Matthew Perry standing alone on an island on an island Fields Island that's exactly like standing on a field I guess I mean you've got you've got a couple of Super Bowl champions on that desk you got you know Mike Florio and you know super smart but I'm just going to tell you I I don't think Russell Wilson is the long-term answer in Pittsburgh just I don't right I mean he's on a he's on a very short contract here and I don't I I understand what they're saying and I would argue that if the Steelers are in the hunt then I agree with all the everyone else that's on that panel there if if the Steelers have a legit shot but you just think about that division with Cleveland and Cincinnati and Baltimore a you know what I mean and that basically you're saying like hey Russell Wilson we just need to be a game manager I Justin Fields is a guy who was a former top 12 pick who was considered you know he's a first round pick over all and so he has made some brilliant plays this preseason he's also made some like head scratching like what are you doing kind of plays and so my argument here is is that uh is that Justin Fields is potentially a franchise quarterback he he potentially also isn't but I just feel like they've got him on this dirt cheap deal and that at some point I don't think Russell Wilson is the future in Pittsburgh Justin Fields might be he also might not be but I feel like Pittsburgh's going to have to give him an extended look to figure fure out hey next year do we need to start over at the quarterback position or is Justin field somebody that we can build around long term because there are some skills in there we Conor we saw it at Ohio State absolutely and I I'm interested in you know this is going to be a good defense we know that it's a team that can win ugly they're going to want to run the ball does Fields rushing ability just simply give them more right simply give them more for an offense that in theory Jay doesn't need a lot they don't need to be a superstar top five top 10 offense with how the defense is and how they play under Tomlin and does that little extra rushing element from Fields eventually give him the edge maybe not September and you didn't say that but maybe down the line where they're like man we just need an ounce more and we're going to flip some of these one- score games yeah I think last year Russell Wilson was 18th in PFF grade he was 18th in EPA per play by the ey test he was about the 18th best quarterback in the NFL and there's no reason to think that he should really get better he just Sams have lost the step athletically he's just everything that made Russ special the speed the Deep ball like that has largely migrated to last year he was checking down so much more so I think that Russell Wilson he just kind of is what he is and there's this idea that here's what that team wants that they want to be this defense ball control team like I think on offense they want to be a team that runs the ball and I think that Arthur Smith would surely prefer to have the upside of Justin fields and prefer to have that rushing upside and the threat of fields and what it unlocks in the Run game now seems like they're going to start with Russ I think what helps Russ is that the first part of their schedule is the easier part where they don't get they don't have to play Baltimore or Cleveland either of those top two orite defenses until after their by so the first 10 weeks they don't play either of those teams even though they're in division so I suspect it is going to be Russ but I would say that it is great greater than 50% chance that Justin Fields gets in there at some point as the starter and just to point about how run-heavy they want to be again this is this is a step that I've used in relation to Lamar Jackson but I think it's relevant here that since Lamar Jackson became the starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens Ravens running backs Ravens running backs are averaging 4. eight yards per carry which is best in the NFL again we've done this study but like the more mobile the quarterback the more open lanes there are for running back so to your point the threat of Justin Fields I think would open things up for nii Harris and Jaylen Warren and just we know how run heavy uh Arthur Smith wants to be I mean honestly like the Falcons stuck with Desmond Ritter much longer than they should have been and I I would argue that it is because of the threat of Desmond Ritter's legs that that's why that happened cuz you know the passing was not great not where he wanted to be some other interesting nuggets from the Steelers offense van Jefferson 93% route participation with Russ he looks to be their wide receiver to Matthew and then a more interesting scenario that could be a commit committee Pat FR with 60% route participation with Russell Wilson this preseason this could be a committee with Darnell Washington yeah we forget how much they like Darnell Washington and you know he was highly touted coming out it's interesting like I thought Fri MTH might be a sleeper just because Arthur Smith teams have traditionally you know you go back to like the Laney Walker you know and they've actually tried to I know everyone that's ever had Kyle Pitts on their fantasy team is screaming at the screen right now going like what are you talking about but I'm just they have tried to Target the tight end Smith J Smith resurrected no I know that was the problem but also to your point about jnu Smith like again like um Arthur Smith likes big bodied tight end so maybe maybe they want especially given the fact that they want to um run the ball as much maybe Washington on the field more than anyone that's drafting fmuth would like to like to like to be but like as we wait to find out what's going to happen with Brandon auk at the moment van Jefferson who had some nice moments with the Rams to your point is just suddenly like no one is drafting van Jefferson and we don't think that it's going to be a great passing offense but if you're in a deep league and we're all like we're all in an 18 Team league like if if if you're in a deep League you're Michael Smith is in his crazy deep leagues like van Jefferson is suddenly on the radar as somebody who you know is going to play more than I think people realize okay you have a chance to win $1 million in the NBC sweep Stakes on Yahoo fantasy just download the redesign Yahoo fantasy app or go to nbcsports.com fantasy million for additional details what are you waiting for hey it's Matthew Barry from nbcsports.com and rotor. comom and I want to thank you so much for watching whatever it is you just watched or if nothing else being too lazy to click out of the autoplay after this video started after whatever it is 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