2026 Week 4 Fantasy Football: Rico Dowdle Ruled Out Again, Steelers Secondary a Mess

The Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with a pile of injury news ahead of Thursday's game against the Browns, according to ProFootballTalk (NBC Sports). The headline for fantasy managers: running back Rico Dowdle (toe) has been ruled out for the second consecutive game.

Rico Dowdle

Dowdle is out again, which means his fantasy managers need an immediate replacement for Week 4. The source story doesn't name a specific handcuff stepping into the role, so check Pittsburgh's depth chart for whoever is next in line — that player becomes an emergency add on waiver wires (the pool of unclaimed players available for pickup) ahead of tonight's kickoff. With a Thursday game, you have almost no time to react. If Dowdle is on your roster, he's a hard bench this week.

The injury news doesn't stop at the backfield. The Steelers also ruled out cornerback Joey Porter Jr., listed Jalen Ramsey as questionable with what Ramsey described as a broken wrist, and gave Brandin Echols a questionable tag due to a concussion. That secondary could be severely shorthanded against Cleveland. It's worth noting that Porter Jr.'s absence comes with a contract-extension subplot — ProFootballTalk points out that his one-step-forward, one-step-back practice pattern has fueled questions about whether the unsigned deal is a factor. However Porter's situation resolves, it has no direct fantasy impact tonight. The secondary chaos, though, is a potential boost for Browns pass-catchers if Ramsey can't go.