Analysis

Russell Wilson was named the Steelers' starter coming out of the preseason, but he's been inactive for the first two weeks of the regular season after reporting calf tightness following a Sept. 5 practice. Per Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site, Tomlin suggested that Wilson is in a holding pattern in his recovery from the injury and isn't scheduled to be a full participant for Wednesday's practice, so Pittsburgh will continue to go with Fields under center. The Steelers are off to a 2-0 start to the season largely on the back of a stifling defense and a run-first offense, but Fields has been an effective game manager thus far, committing no turnovers while completing 30 of 43 pass attempts for 273 yards (6.3 YPA) and one touchdown and presenting a threat as a runner (22 carries for 84 yards). The matchup with the unbeaten Chargers will represent perhaps Fields' toughest test yet, but if he can help lead Pittsburgh to another win, he'll have a good chance at retaining the starting job even if Wilson is back to full speed by Week 4.

Analysis

Fields concluded an effective 12-play, 78-yard drive early in the first quarter with a five-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Washington. On the possession, Fields went 3-for-3 for 32 yards while chipping in 17 yards on the ground. The Steelers relied heavily on their ground game and defense to come away with a victory from there, though he did have an impressive 51-yard completion to George Pickens called back for holding. The Steelers have implemented a conservative game plan for both of Fields' two starts to begin the season, in turn limiting his fantasy production.

Analysis

With Russell Wilson (calf) listed as the Steelers' emergency third QB on Sunday, Fields is poised to make his second straight start after helming the team's 18-10 win over the Falcons in Week 1. It remains to be seen if Wilson will be able to resume practicing fully next week, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Network speculates that a strong effort on the part of Fields versus Denver could result in him drawing another turn in Week 3. In Pittsburgh's season opener, the dual-threat signal-caller completed 17 of 23 passing attempts for 156 yards while adding 14 carries for 57 yards.

Analysis

Wilson wasn't available Week 1 and is officially listed as questionable for Sunday, though the expectation is that he'll be inactive as the Steelers' emergency No. 3 quarterback for the second game in a row since he has yet to return to full practice participation. While filling in for Wilson in Week 1, Fields' numbers weren't eye-popping (17-for-23 passing for 156 yards, 14 carries for 57 yards), but he executed the game plan and played turnover-free football as he guided Pittsburgh to an 18-10 win over Atlanta. The Steelers will hope that Fields can follow a similar script this weekend in a matchup with a capable Denver defense, and if he does, head coach Mike Tomlin could have a tough time sending the 25-year-old back to the bench. Wilson won the starting job coming out of the preseason, but his calf injury has reopened the door for Fields to establish himself as the preferred option.

Analysis

Per Varley, Fields, who started last weekend against the Falcons, has been working as though he'll be the starter again this week, while fellow QB Russell Wilson continues to deal with a calf injury and officially is listed as questionable for Sunday's game. For his part, when addressing Wilson's Week 2 status, coach Mike Tomlin said Friday, "Regarding Russell's availability, I'm going to list him as questionable. So, obviously if his availability is questionable, then starting is less so," while adding, "But we've been in that mindset all week. Like I've said, we've been focused on getting Justin ready to play and we'll continue in that mindset as we push forward toward game time." In any case, look for added context regarding the Steelers' QB plans to arrive closer to Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Analysis

Russell Wilson was named the Steelers' starter coming out of the preseason, but he was inactive for the team's Week 1 win over the Falcons after experiencing calf tightness in practice Thursday and managing only limited participation Friday. Tomlin noted that Wilson isn't on track to resume practicing fully until Thursday at the earliest, so the Steelers will have Fields take all the first-team reps to begin preparations for the Week 2 contest. In his Steelers debut this past Sunday in Atlanta, Fields completed 17 of 23 pass attempts for 156 yards while adding 57 yards on 14 carries and committing no turnovers.

Analysis

Fields drew the start and made his Steelers debut with Russell Wilson (calf) sidelined. The team was very run-heavy, particularly in the second half as Fields took to the air only 10 times in the final two quarters. While it was clear that Pittsburgh was running a conservative offensive gameplan, Fields did show the ability to connect with George Pickens for explosive plays, as the duo hooked up for big gains of 40 and 33 yards. He also utilized his legs effectively, despite his longest rush going for only 12 yards. Pittsburgh's plans under center are once again murky, though Wilson's first step toward regaining the role will have to be increasing his practice activity.

Analysis

Russell Wilson was named the Steelers' starter coming out of the preseason, but he'll be inactive as the third quarterback for the season opener after he picked up a calf injury Thursday and was limited in practice Friday as a result. Though Wilson remained hopeful to play after being listed questionable heading into Sunday, the Steelers are choosing to exercise caution with the veteran signal-caller, opening the door for Fields to start in what will be his Pittsburgh debut. During his previous three seasons with the Bears, Fields was a viable fantasy starter due to his dual-threat abilities, but poor accuracy, turnover issues and a penchant for taking sacks rendered him less valuable from a real-life standpoint. He could be a worthwhile lineup option in Week 1 -- especially in superflex formats or leagues that start two quarterbacks -- but Fields could be headed back to the bench as soon as Week 2 in Denver with Wilson's calf injury seemingly viewed as a short-term concern.

Analysis

The Steelers named Wilson their starting quarterback following the preseason, but the nine-time Pro Bowler experienced calf tightness this week and was limited in practices Thursday and Friday, making his status for the opener murky. Though Wilson has informed the coaching staff that he thinks he can play through the injury, a decision on his status will likely sit in the hands of the team's training staff. Pittsburgh has a third quarterback on the roster in Kyle Allen, who would be in store for backup duties behind Fields if the Steelers choose to make Wilson inactive ahead of the game's 1 p.m. ET kickoff. While battling Wilson for the starting job during the preseason, Fields suited up for all three of the Steelers' exhibition tilts and completed 19 of 27 pass attempts for 199 yards while taking five sacks and carrying 13 times for 48 yards and fumbling four times (losing none).