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Pat Freiermuth TE | PIT
Steelers' Pat Freiermuth: Hits paydirt twice in close loss
Freiermuth brought in five of six targets for 111 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers' 33-31 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.
Freiermuth's performance would have naturally been all the sweeter in a victory from the Steelers' perspective, but fantasy managers certainly had to be thrilled with a night that featured the second-highest yardage tally of the veteran tight end's career. Freiermuth struck from 19 and 68 yards away in the second half, the latter score coming with just 2:21 remaining and erasing a 30-24 deficit. While Joe Flacco was subsequently able to drive Cincinnati into position for a game-winning field goal, Freiermuth's breakout effort was an especially welcome sight after he'd mustered a 2-17-0 line on four targets over the previous three games. The fifth-year pro will aim to carry over the momentum into a Week 8 Sunday night home battle against the Packers on Oct. 26.
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DK Metcalf WR | PIT
Steelers' DK Metcalf: Relatively quiet in Week 7 loss
Metcalf brought in three of five targets for 50 yards in the Steelers' 33-31 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.
On a night when Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins mostly stole the headlines in conjunction with Joe Flacco, Metcalf was almost a forgotten man, even on his own team to an extent. While the star wideout's yardage total was second on the night for the Steelers, he wasn't on the receiving end of any of Aaron Rodgers' quartet of scoring tosses, which all went to tight ends. Nevertheless, Metcalf and Rodgers have already flashed plenty of strong chemistry early on in their working relationship, as evidenced by the 22-406-4 receiving line on 36 targets Metcalf will take into a Week 8 home matchup against the Packers on Sunday night, Oct. 26.
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Tee Higgins WR | CIN
Bengals' Tee Higgins: Productive performance in win
Higgins secured six of 10 targets for 96 yards and a touchdown in the Bengals' 33-31 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.
Higgins was outshined by fellow wideout Ja'Marr Chase, who finished with a surreal 16-161-1 line on 23 targets. However, under normal circumstances, Higgins' night would be considered a rousing success, as the veteran receiver put together season highs in all three components of his stat line. Higgins has encouragingly logged a combined 18 targets over his first two games working with Joe Flacco, and the duo will now have some extra practice time to continue building chemistry ahead of a Week 8 home matchup against the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 26.
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Chase Brown RB | CIN
Bengals' Chase Brown: Season-best yardage total in win
Brown rushed 11 times for 108 yards and brought in two of four targets for minus-8 yards in the Bengals' 33-31 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.
Brown left a mostly frustrating first six games of the season in the rearview mirror Thursday, posting a season high in rushing yards by a wide margin. Prior to Thursday, Brown hadn't even cracked 47 rushing yards in any contest, but he blew past that threshold on his way to his first 100-yard tally since Week 9 of last season, with the help of a season-long 37-yard run. Brown's overall workload still remained modest, however, but Cincinnati doesn't figure to have to take as much of a pass-heavy approach when the Bengals return to action in a Week 8 home matchup against the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 26.
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Aaron Rodgers QB | PIT
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers: Four TDs in losing effort
Rodgers completed 23 of 34 passes for 249 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed once for six yards in the Steelers' 33-31 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.
Rodgers was outshined by fellow veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco, but the former still tied a season high in touchdown passes. Rodgers connected with Pat Freiermuth for half his scoring tosses -- from 19 and 68 yards out -- and his other two TD strikes went to Freiermuth's position mates Jonnu Smith (10 yards) and Darnell Washington (two yards). Rodgers made several impressive throws throughout the night, including the second touchdown to Freiermuth and his game-ending Hail Mary attempt, corroborating he still has plenty of arm strength and continues to demonstrate his mostly difficult 2024 season with the Jets may have just been a hiccup. Rodgers and his teammates will next turn their attention to a Week 8 home showdown against the Packers on Sunday night, Oct. 26.
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Jordan Battle SAF | CIN
Bengals' Jordan Battle: Picks off pass in win
Battle recorded five tackles (three solo) and an interception in Thursday's 33-31 win over the Steelers.
The safety picked off an Aaron Rodgers pass deep down the left sideline late in the second quarter, leading to a Cincinnati touchdown. Battle now has 50 tackles (22 solo) and three interceptions in 2025. The third-year pro is already at or near career highs in defensive snaps, tackles and interceptions.
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Joe Flacco QB | CIN
Bengals' Joe Flacco: Thrives despite short turnaround
Flacco completed 31 of 47 passes for 342 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing five times for three yards in the Bengals' 33-31 win over the Steelers on Thursday night.
Flacco had an abbreviated practice schedule for the second time in as many weeks since joining the Bengals, but the truncated preparation time clearly didn't affect the veteran signal-caller. As his final line implies, Flacco was crisp throughout the night and displayed elite chemistry with Ja'Marr Chase, who he smartly trained the bulk of his attention on. The duo combined for 16 completions, 161 yards and a touchdown, and Flacco also connected with Tee Higgins (29 yards) and Noah Fant (five yards) for his other pair of scores. Flacco now has a 5:0 TD:INT through his first pair of games in a Cincinnati uniform, and he'll finally have some extra time to settle in with the playbook ahead of a Week 8 home clash against the Jets on Sunday, Oct. 26.
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Barrett Carter LB | CIN
Bengals' Barrett Carter: Leads team with 12 tackles
Carter finished with 12 tackles (eight solo) in Thursday's 33-31 win over the Steelers.
The rookie middle linebacker recorded double-digit tackles for the second straight game since taking over the starting role from Logan Wilson. Carter has recorded 22 total tackles (15 solo) across those two contests, and his starting job therefore appears secure.
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DeShon Elliott SAF | PIT
Steelers' DeShon Elliott: Nine tackles in loss
Elliott recorded nine total tackles (six solo) in Thursday's 33-31 loss to the Bengals.
Elliott led the team in stops in Week 7, compiling at least six tackles for the fourth consecutive game. The safety was limited by a knee injury early in the year, but he has now registered 33 total tackles (19 solo), including 1.0 sacks, while also adding two passes defensed, one of which was an interception, and a forced fumble to this point in the campaign.
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Jaylen Warren RB | PIT
Steelers' Jaylen Warren: Breaks out in TNF loss
Warren rushed 16 times for 127 yards and brought in four of five targets for 31 yards in the Steelers' 33-31 loss to the Bengals on Thursday night.
Warren came just two yards short of his single-game career high in rushing yards, which he set against the Browns back on Nov. 19, 2023. The versatile back was in outstanding form against a Bengals defense that had been particularly prone to allowing chunk plays on the ground, compiling a season-high yardage total with the help of four runs of 10+ yards and a co-game-long 37-yard scamper. Warren also has at least four catches in three of the last four contests, and Thursday's performance affords him plenty of momentum heading into a Week 8 home showdown against the Packers on Sunday night, Oct. 26.