RB · PIT · GWTTKB

Jaylen Warren — fantasy football 2026

Every game, every stat category, and what the board says. 13.57 points per game in 2025, an ADP of 83.3, usage worth 12.6.

27 years old · 4 seasons of experience · 2022 draft class

Updated 2026-08-16 · free, no account, no paywall
Every figure below comes from our database. Where a stat is not held, the row is absent rather than zero.
ADP 83.3
Consensus across 4 books, standard deviation 14.3, 30.3 picks between cheapest and priciest. Cheapest on espn, priciest on underdog.
SLEEPER74.4
ESPN104.7
YAHOO76.6
UNDERDOG70.6
CBS77.6
FFA62

Draft-room facts

Goes aroundRound 7, pick 11 in a 12-team draft
Positional rankRB27
Bye week9
ADP standard deviation14.3 picks

What we project for 2026

Our board has him at 192.7 points, 12 per game — 686 rushing yards, 4.7 rushing TDs, 46.1 catches. That is RB4, 62 overall.

The range runs from a floor of 8.4 points per game to a ceiling of 18.9, with the median at 12. Boom rate 58%, bust rate 29%. The spread is the actual bet, not the middle number.

He goes at 83.3 on consensus and our board has him 62. We rank him 21.3 picks better than the room drafts him, so the market is underpricing him — that is the disagreement worth acting on.

Our written view

specifically upgraded mid-analysis on the strength of one stat: Pittsburgh threw to the RB position at the 2nd-highest rate in the NFL last year (behind only San Francisco) — meaning even a clear early-down loss to Kaleb Johnson still leaves Warren with real receiving-game volume.

hold · medium conviction · 2026-08

The offense he plays in, 2026

Pittsburgh Steelers returns 4 of 6 continuity slots, replacing hc, oc. Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Mike McCarthy as head coach, Brian Angelichio calling it. The offense projects to 33 pass attempts a game at medium confidence and 25.3 rushes.

In: Drew Allar (qb2), Michael Pittman Jr. (wr2), Germie Bernard (wr3), Kaden Wejen (wr6), A.T. Perry (wr7), Rico Dowdle (rb2), Eli Heidenreich (rb4). Out: Calvin Austin III (wr2), Adam Thielen (wr4), Kenneth Gainwell (rb2), Jonnu Smith (te2).

The projected carry split across the offense:

Jaylen Warren 50.2%
Rico Dowdle38.2%
Kaleb Johnson9.6%
Eli Heidenreich2%

Our written view on this offense in 2026

Key additions: Traded for and Signed Michael Pittman Jr to 3 year $59M deal. Signed RB Rico Dowdle to 2/$12M deal in free agency. Drafted WR Germie Bernard in 2nd round, Drafted OT Max Iheanachor in 1st roud to beef up line. Drafted QB Drew Allar in the 3rd round. Drafted G Gennings Dunker 3rd roud (depth). Bringin in HC Mike McCarthy & Brian Angelichio as OC.

Key departures: RB Kenneth Gainwell left in free agency to Bucs. LG Isaac Seumalo left for Cardinals. WR Calvin Austin III left in free agency for Giants. HC Mike Tomlin & OC Arthur Smith (Ass) are both gone.

Notes: Drafted Bernard round 2 Steelers traded up. Steelers traded for Michael Pittman Jr. who is aging but will elevate the passing game. DK Metcalf looks to get back on track in 2026 & establish himself as WR1. Crowded WR room. Steelers drafted WR Riley Nowakowski in the 4th round & he will likely operate as WR5 or return specialist. Signed Rico Dowdle to 2 year deal in free agency. Warren is slotted to be 1A and Dowdle 1B, but any injury to either back makes the other a home run hit in fantasy for 2026. Aaron Rodgers SHOULD return to Steelers, but also drafted Drew Allar (bad QB but good prospect who should be rostered because he can progress. Zero floor on Allar but the ceiling is very high if he gets better.)

How the volume number was reached: Same QB Aaron Rodgers returning — anchor to 2025 actuals (32.4 att/g); Regressed 53% toward league mean 33.5, floored at 30 → 33 att/g; New OC Brian Angelichio — pass rate and tempo may shift; New HC Mike McCarthy.

How the carry projection was built

Projected carry share50.2%
Projected carries per game10.4
Projected carries, full season177
Last season, carries per game13.1

That is a reduction of 2.7 carries a game against last season, inside a team projection of 25.3 rushing attempts a game.

Basis: prior usage blend. Carry share is the strongest forward predictor we have measured at the position, so this number carries more weight than any efficiency figure on this page.

Offensive environment: PIT rates 21.3 against a league average of 23, 1.6 below it on opponent-adjusted least squares (multi-capture merge).

2026 schedule

Opponent-adjusted run defense faced, against 2025 ratings. Positive is an easier slate.

Full season-0.4 · neutral
Weeks 1–6+0.5 · neutral
Weeks 12–17-6 · harder
Fantasy playoffs (15–17)+4.2 · easier

Read this narrowly. Our own testing found that season-long strength of schedule does not survive as a draft input — defensive quality is among the least stable team properties year to year, and a preseason slate is built on last year's identities. The playoff-weeks column is the only one we would let break a tie, and even then it is a tiebreaker rather than a reason. The finding.

What happened when he missed time

From the absence record rather than a depth chart — who actually gained when he was out.

SeasonGames missedMain beneficiaryTheir PPR gain
20242Cordarrelle Patterson+5.8
Read the full Jaylen Warren study →

Dynasty context not redraft

Everything in this section is about his dynasty trade value — what he is worth as a long-term asset in the trade market. It is not a forecast of his 2026 fantasy scoring. A player can be a fine redraft pick while his dynasty value falls, and the reverse. The redraft read is above; this is a different question with a different answer.

Where he sits in the dynasty value cycle

His dynasty value has moved +15% over the last twelve months. The market cycle classifies him as stable.

For context on how long this lasts at the position: the average career at his position produces 1.7 elite seasons and 2.4 startable seasons.

The five most similar seasons, and what their dynasty value did next

Matched on production profile — production-driven (pedigree ignored). The last column is how that player’s dynasty value moved the following year — a market outcome, not a scoring one.

PlayerSeasonTheir PPGSimilarityNext year
Raheem Mostert202317.865%-48.5%
Devin Singletary20239.864%-18.7%
Devin Singletary202211.163%+25.8%
Chuba Hubbard202310.761%+95.8%
Zack Moss202312.160%-2%

Of the 5 with a following season on record, 2 gained value, 2 lost it and 1 held roughly flat.

Four years of dynasty value

02,0004,0002023202420252026
Monthly superflex value, 2022-03 to 2026-07. From 0 to 3,254, peaking at 3,723.

The player

Draft capital and athletic profile

Height5′8″
Weight204 lb
40-yard dash4.55s
Vertical31.5″
Broad jump119″

Availability and volatility

Career PPR per game10.4
Week-to-week variation0.5
Boom rate25%
Bust rate13.5%
Games missed per season0.8
Injury historyHamstring, Knee
Correlation between his posted line and his actual score-0.24

That correlation is how closely the books’ posted line tracked what he actually scored, week to week. A higher number means the market has him figured out and there is less to exploit; a lower one means his weeks are harder to price.

Injury type matters more than games missed. Measured across our injury database, knee and foot returns stay below a player’s pre-injury baseline for all three of the first games back, while hamstring returns over-recover by the third.

The record, season by season

2025 · PIT · 16 games

His best game was Week 16 against DET — 29.1 PPR on 16 touches and a 5.3% target share, in a game that finished 29-24. His worst was Week 17 against CLE at 6.4, on 12 touches, final score 6-13. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 2 times. In the 9 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 15.8; in the 7 decided by more, 10.7. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 12.6 points per game. He scored 13.57, 4.4% above it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1NYJ34-3213.92222113716.9%45%
2SEA17-3117.444861448012.9%58%
3NE21-1413.156341847027.3%80%
6CLE23-98.32211115206.9%53%
7CIN31-3319.8453116127015.2%65%
8GB25-359.32311136209.4%62%
9IND27-2016.922-2163125.7%56%
10LAC10-2511.12221147007.1%46%
11CIN34-128.7225106206.9%28%
12CHI28-3112.8000186810%50%
13BUF7-2612.42491035118.2%56%
14BAL27-2215.2334981319.1%50%
15MIA28-157.833151233011.1%45%
16DET29-2429.12281414325.3%49%
17CLE6-136.4000126400%32%
18BAL26-2414.955331466011.4%37%

Production

Receptions40
Targets45
Receiving yards333
Carries211
Rushing yards958
Touchdowns8
Points per game13.57
Yards per target7.4
Catch rate88.89%
Yards per carry4.54

Role

Snap share50.75%
Target share9.59%
Air-yards share-4.49%
WOPR0.113
RACR-0.373

Efficiency

Average depth of target-2.4
Yards after catch per reception11
Yards before catch per reception-2.7
Total YAC439
Broken tackles9
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted112.3
Rushing yards over expected0
Receiving EPA per game0.66
Rushing EPA per game-0.03

Scoring position

Red-zone targets5
Red-zone target share6.5%
End-zone target share0%
Red-zone carry share50.6%
Goal-line carry share48.3%
Expected receiving TDs1.53
Actual receiving TDs1
Receiving TD luck-0.53
Expected rushing TDs7.55

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 100+ carries pool that season:

Points per game19 of 49
Yards per target7 of 49
Target share22 of 49
Air-yards share48 of 49

Who else ate

The offense threw it 550 times. He took 8.65% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

DK Metcalf19.04%
Kenneth Gainwell16.35%
Calvin Austin III10.58%
Jonnu Smith10.38%
Pat Freiermuth10.38%
Jaylen Warren 8.65%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Aaron Rodgers144313.977.6310.46%
Mason Rudolph2210.752.53.45%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 16 games were blowouts, 9.7% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 10.55 in those and 15.79 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2024 · PIT · 15 games

His best game was Week 17 against KC — 16.2 PPR on 17 touches and a 17.1% target share, in a game that finished 10-29. His worst was Week 3 against LAC at 1.1, on 4 touches, final score 20-10. Across 15 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 7 times. In the 8 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 8.5; in the 7 decided by more, 8. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 10 points per game. He scored 8.27, 18.2% below it. The engine classified the season as unlucky. On receiving touchdowns specifically he finished 0 against 1.16 expected, a gap of -1.2.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1ATL18-10422132709.1%31%
2DEN13-68.12219942011.1%48%
3LAC20-101.111-43503.2%34%
6LV32-134.8331167013%37%
7NYJ37-157.923151244011.1%51%
8NYG26-187.92313946011.1%39%
10WAS28-279.52229146607.7%45%
11BAL18-1610.84427941012.5%33%
12CLE19-2415.434191145116%57%
13CIN44-3810.4445539011.1%36%
14CLE27-149.22525947020.8%52%
15PHI13-272.512341209.5%53%
16BAL17-3414.255441248019.2%67%
17KC10-2916.256411171017.1%53%
18CIN17-192.101062103.4%38%

Production

Receptions38
Targets47
Receiving yards310
Carries120
Rushing yards511
Touchdowns1
Points per game8.27
Yards per target6.6
Catch rate80.85%
Yards per carry4.26

Role

Snap share44.93%
Target share11.73%
Air-yards share-0.38%
WOPR0.174
RACR1.815

Efficiency

Average depth of target-0.1
Yards after catch per reception8.3
Yards before catch per reception-0.1
Total YAC315
Broken tackles5
Drop rate0%
Passer rating when targeted94.1
Rushing yards over expected0
Receiving EPA per game0.11
Rushing EPA per game-0.95

Scoring position

Red-zone targets7
Red-zone target share11.5%
End-zone target share4%
Red-zone carry share18.7%
Goal-line carry share15.4%
Expected receiving TDs1.16
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-1.16
Expected rushing TDs2.4

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 100+ carries pool that season:

Points per game36 of 46
Yards per target14 of 46
Target share12 of 46
Air-yards share20 of 46

Who else ate

The offense threw it 498 times. He took 10.24% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

George Pickens22.44%
Pat Freiermuth16.99%
Calvin Austin III12.64%
Najee Harris10.46%
Jaylen Warren 10.24%
Van Jefferson8.71%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Russell Wilson11399.656.9512.68%
Justin Fields484.54.889.1%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 15 games were blowouts, 34.7% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 10.77 in those and 8.52 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

2023 · PIT · 17 games

His best game was Week 11 against CLE — 23.5 PPR on 12 touches and a 12% target share, in a game that finished 10-13. His worst was Week 13 against ARI at 6.5, on 12 touches, final score 10-24. Across 17 games he cleared 20 points 1 time and came in under 8 points 4 times. In the 11 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 12.9; in the 6 decided by more, 9.1. He scored more when the game was live.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 11.5 points per game. He scored 11.55, 1.8% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1SF7-306.8561236013.3%40%
2CLE26-2212.64666620020.7%43%
3LV23-188.23423829014.8%45%
4HOU6-3011.56626829022.2%49%
5BAL17-1010.9333994009.7%49%
7LA24-1710.112-163218.7%46%
8JAX10-207.84519519012.5%49%
9TEN20-1614.333251188010.3%40%
10GB23-191924915101118.2%51%
11CLE10-1323.533169129112%45%
12CIN16-107.23313134909.4%48%
13ARI10-246.513-4959011.1%43%
14NE18-2184529711014.3%53%
15IND13-3011.856281040023.1%69%
16CIN34-1110.45630824024%58%
17SEA30-2319.844231375119%54%
18BAL17-1085517933025%44%

Production

Receptions61
Targets74
Receiving yards370
Carries149
Rushing yards784
Touchdowns4
Points per game11.55
Yards per target5
Catch rate82.43%
Yards per carry5.26

Role

Snap share48.59%
Target share15.78%
Air-yards share-3.49%
WOPR0.212
RACR-2.087

Efficiency

Average depth of target-1.6
Yards after catch per reception8
Yards before catch per reception-1.9
Total YAC486
Broken tackles7
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted87.5
Rushing yards over expected0
Receiving EPA per game-0.79
Rushing EPA per game-0.24

Scoring position

Red-zone targets5
Red-zone target share10.2%
End-zone target share0%
Red-zone carry share27.3%
Goal-line carry share22.7%
Expected receiving TDs0.96
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-0.96
Expected rushing TDs3.13

Where that ranked

Against everyone in the 100+ carries pool that season:

Points per game29 of 49
Yards per target31 of 49
Target share6 of 49
Air-yards share47 of 49

Who else ate

The offense threw it 506 times. He took 15.29% of the targets. 2 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

George Pickens21.9%
Diontae Johnson17.98%
Jaylen Warren 15.29%
Allen Robinson10.12%
Pat Freiermuth9.71%
Najee Harris7.85%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 3 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kenny Pickett104012.415.713.93%
Mitchell Trubisky4198.533.7915.25%
Mason Rudolph31512.734.6722.67%

Blowouts against close games

4 of his 17 games were blowouts, 20.6% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 10.13 in those and 12.87 in close games — his scoring did not depend on garbage time.

2022 · PIT · 16 games

His best game was Week 17 against BAL — 12.8 PPR on 15 touches and a 11.1% target share, in a game that finished 16-13. His worst was Week 6 against TB at 0.2, on 2 touches, final score 20-18. Across 16 games he cleared 20 points 0 times and came in under 8 points 11 times. In the 11 games decided by 8 points or fewer he averaged 4.6; in the 5 decided by more, 8.6. He scored more when the game was not close.

Earned against scored

His usage that season was worth 6.1 points per game. He scored 5.83, 4.3% below it. The engine classified the season as neutral.

WkOppScorePPRRecTgtYdsCarRushTDTgt%Snap%
1CIN23-200.70103702.7%37%
2NE14-172.511041503.1%29%
3CLE17-294.311343003.1%20%
4NYJ20-243.211431804%25%
5BUF3-3810.3453952409.8%51%
6TB20-180.20002200%31%
7MIA10-164.422172704.8%23%
8PHI13-3510.5332565007.5%29%
10NO20-1010.73340937011.5%43%
11CIN30-371.91190002.6%4%
13ATL19-163.922141507.4%20%
14BAL14-164.7231631109.7%40%
15CAR24-1611.91111113814.8%34%
16LV13-10412762305.6%31%
17BAL16-1312.833221276011.1%40%
18CLE28-147.3347636014.3%42%

Production

Receptions28
Targets33
Receiving yards214
Carries77
Rushing yards379
Touchdowns1
Points per game5.83
Yards per target6.48
Catch rate84.85%
Yards per carry4.92

Role

Snap share31.19%
Target share6.37%
Air-yards share-0.49%
WOPR0.092
RACR0.548

Efficiency

Average depth of target-0.5
Yards after catch per reception8
Yards before catch per reception-0.4
Total YAC225
Broken tackles3
Drop rate0.1%
Passer rating when targeted93.7
Rushing yards over expected0
Receiving EPA per game0.66
Rushing EPA per game0.52

Scoring position

Red-zone targets5
Red-zone target share7.9%
End-zone target share0%
Red-zone carry share16.7%
Goal-line carry share7.7%
Expected receiving TDs0.81
Actual receiving TDs0
Receiving TD luck-0.81
Expected rushing TDs1.61

Who else ate

The offense threw it 571 times. He took 6.08% of the targets. 3 team-mates cleared the competing-target threshold.

Diontae Johnson27.07%
Pat Freiermuth18.05%
George Pickens15.47%
Najee Harris9.76%
Chase Claypool9.21%
Jaylen Warren 6.08%

By quarterback

He caught passes from 2 quarterbacks that season, and the splits are not close.

QBGamesTargetsPPGY/TTgt%
Kenny Pickett10256.67.27.46%
Mitchell Trubisky684.554.254.57%

Blowouts against close games

2 of his 16 games were blowouts, 22.3% of his snaps coming in them. He averaged 10.4 in those and 4.56 in close games — a meaningful share of his scoring came with the game already decided.

Ask the Coach about Jaylen Warren →
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