Calvin Austin headshot

Calvin Austin News: Moving up depth chart?

Written by RotoWire Staff

Updated on May 7, 2025 at 5:14pm

Austin has improved odds for a starting job after the Steelers traded WR George Pickens to Dallas, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

Austin was second among Pittsburgh's wide receivers in targets, catches and yards last season, but he didn't get much playing time in formations with fewer than three wide receivers, and his average of 3.4 targets per game was far below what's needed for fantasy relevance in most leagues. It could be a similar situation this year, only with DK Metcalf replacing Pickens as the clear No. 1 and Robert Woods replacing Van Jefferson as the veteran who is valued for blocking and experience more so than drawing targets. Austin is in a better position than he would've been had the Steelers kept both Metcalf and Pickens, but huge snap counts remain unlikely for one of the NFL's smallest players (Austin is listed at 5-foot-9, 162 pounds).

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