The Worksheet, a comprehensive fantasy football preview by Rich Hribar, breaks down everything you need to know about the Week 2 matchup between the Steelers and Patriots.
Find a breakdown of every Week 2 NFL game in our Worksheet Hub.
| Pittsburgh | Rank | @ | New England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.5 | Spread | -5.5 | ||
| 18.0 | Implied Total | 23.5 | ||
| 20.0 | 22 | Points/Gm | 10.0 | 28 |
| 13.0 | 6 | Points All./Gm | 13.0 | 6 |
| 64.0 | 12 | Plays/Gm | 67.0 | 7 |
| 57.0 | 13 | Opp. Plays/Gm | 48.0 | 2 |
| 4.1 | 29 | Off. Yards/Play | 4.1 | 28 |
| 4.2 | 6 | Def. Yards/Play | 5.9 | 25 |
| 32.8% | 28 | Rush% | 46.3% | 15 |
| 67.2% | 5 | Pass% | 53.7% | 18 |
| 54.4% | 24 | Opp. Rush % | 45.8% | 17 |
| 45.6% | 9 | Opp. Pass % | 54.2% | 16 |
- The Steelers had a league-high 74.5% dropback rate in neutral game script in Week 1, their highest rate in a game since Week 1 of 2023.
- Pittsburgh had a 31.4% success rate on offensive plays in Week 1, ahead of only the Dolphins (27.1%).
- New England running backs failed to gain yardage on a league-worst 29.2% of their runs in Week 1.
- Pittsburgh running backs failed to gain yardage on 27.8%, 31st in the league.
Trust = spike production for that player
Steelers vs. Patriots Fantasy Quarterback Preview
Drake Maye
Maye got off to a tough start.
Against a great defense on the road, he finished as the QB27 (9.8 points).
Maye completed 23 of 33 passes (69.7%) for 178 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions, and rushed 7 times for 47 yards.
Maye was in a tough spot coming in.
We weren't expecting a ceiling outcome, but the floor bottomed out in the fourth quarter when he turned the ball over three times.
After the Super Bowl, the Patriots ran a conservative game plan to manage the game, which intensified after Sam Darnold exited.
Maye averaged 6.2 air yards per attempt in Week 1, down from 9.1 in 2025.
On throws of 10 or more yards downfield, Maye was 3 for 9 with 3 interceptions.
Concerns about Maye's upside in tough spots still exist.
Over his past five games, he has 7 interceptions and 24 sacks, and he failed to hit 20 fantasy points in any of those contests.
The loss of A.J. Brown, paired with the trade of Kayshon Boutte and the release of Stefon Diggs this offseason, leaves Maye with a bunch of parts on offense that don't inspire much confidence.
The Patriots have had extra time off to calibrate the offense, but the primary pass catchers left here need to do some lifting.
The positive spin is that Maye was solid in Week 3 last season, posting a QB7 (19.2 points) performance with Hunter Henry as his leading receiver.
However, the Steelers were missing three defensive starters that game.
Joey Porter Jr. was one of them, and we still do not know if he will play this week, as he pushes for a new contract.
We will follow his status again heading into Week 2.
The game plan the last time these teams met was similar to what we saw in Week 1.
The plan was a short-passing attack focused on getting the ball out.
Maye averaged 5.9 air yards per attempt in that game, his fewest in 2025.
He did not attempt a pass 20 or more yards downfield (the only game last season) while only 25.7% of his passes were 10 or more yards downfield.
We could see something similar in the rematch.
Pittsburgh was not challenged in Week 1 with Cooper Rush, and they took advantage.
Rush completed just 54.5% of his passes and threw 2 interceptions despite throwing a league-high 52.6% of his passes to running backs.
The Steelers only had a 30.8% pressure rate on Sunday (22nd) but still logged a 15.4% sack rate (3rd).
While there are still concerns about Maye's ceiling because of the matchup and his receiver room, one thing he still has in his arsenal is his legs.
He ran for 45 yards in this matchup last year.
That is enough to keep him in play as a fringe QB1.
Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers completed 24 of 40 attempts (60%) for 221 yards (5.5 Y/A) with a touchdown in Week 1 against the Falcons.
That was good for QB24 scoring (12.5 points) to start the season.
That was as a home favorite against a defense full of question marks and missing pass rushers.
Rodgers is stuck as a QB2 option here, attached to a low team total on the road.
If you take a glass-half-full approach, the Steelers leaned into the passing game, and Rodgers pushed the ball more downfield than he did a year ago.
The Steelers threw the ball 12% over expectations, the second-highest rate in the league.
Rodgers not only threw more in Week 1 than a year ago, but he also averaged 8.8 air yards per attempt, up from 5.9 in 2025.
Rodgers had a 17.1% deep target rate (11.3% in 2025), throwing the ball 10 or more yards downfield on 37.1% of his passes (26.5% in 2025).
Steelers vs. Patriots Fantasy Running Back Preview
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LEARN ABOUT FANTASYMore Week 2 Fantasy Breakdowns From The Worksheet:
| Matchup | Time |
|---|---|
| Lions @ Bills | Thursday Night Football |
| Panthers @ Falcons | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Vikings @ Bears | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Eagles @ Titans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Steelers @ Patriots | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Packers @ Jets | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Browns @ Bucs | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Saints @ Ravens | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Bengals @ Texans | Sunday -- 1 p.m. ET |
| Jaguars @ Broncos | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Raiders @ Chargers | Sunday -- 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Commanders @ Cowboys | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Seahawks @ Cardinals | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Dolphins @ 49ers | Sunday -- 4:25 p.m. ET |
| Colts @ Chiefs | Sunday Night Football |
| Giants @ Rams | Monday Night Football |