RB Jaylen Samuels - Pittsburgh Steelers

5-11, 223

Born: 7-20-1996

College: NC State

Drafted: Round 5, pick 2018

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Photo: Jeffrey Becker, US Presswire

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Week 14: at Arizona Cardinals

All RB vs ARI

FBG says: Neutral matchup. As has been the case for weeks, James Conner's status is unlikely to be known until the weekend. Conner has missed most of the Steelers' past five games with a shoulder injury, though he did seem closer last week. If Conner can't go, rookie Benny Snell should continue to carry the load in this backfield. Snell has taken on 43% of the Steelers' snaps over the past 2 weeks but 65% of the carries, totaling 161 yards at 4.4 per attempt. He's the definition of a plodder, lacking impressive speed or quickness, but he churns out moderate production behind the Steelers' dominant front line. He's posted more rushing efficiency than Conner (3.8 per carry), in fact. They'll get All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey back from suspension this week, which bodes well for the entire stable of backs. The surest thing here is Jaylen Samuels, though with just 34 carries in Conner's absence, he's settled firmly into a third-down role. It will be either Conner or Snell posting hefty rushing volume on Sunday; Friday's injury report will tell the tale. The Cardinals run defense has served as one of 2019's most generous matchups. They've been fairly average from an efficiency standpoint, giving up 4.3 yards per carry, good for 17th in the league. But those numbers have largely been weighted down by a handful of favorable matchups. They've allowed strong rushing lines to a wide variety of runners, from the studs (Christian McCaffrey, Lamar Jackson) to the struggling (Devonta Freeman, Joe Mixon). Linebackers Jordan Hicks and Haason Reddick have served as one of the league's worst duos, routinely missing tackles on the second level. Safety Budda Baker has developed into a run-support star, but he's relied upon way too much by this shaky group. The Steelers will send tons of rushing volume at the Cardinals Sunday, and they project for solid efficiency to boot. Either James Conner or Benny Snell will boast a real shot at 25+ attempts and a 100-yard finish.

Recent Stats and Projections

WEEK	OPP		oSNAP	RSH	YD	TD	TARG	REC	YD	TD	FumL	Pts
10	vs LAR		41	14	29	0	7	3.0	11	0	0	4
11	at CLE		25	5	26	0	6	5.0	19	1	0	10.5
12	at CIN		22	2	6	0	3	3.0	26	0	0	3.2
13	vs CLE		34	7	32	0	2	2.0	22	0	0	5.4
14	at ARI	PROJ-Dodds	*	4	*	*		4.5	*	*	*	*
14	at ARI	PROJ-Tremblay	*	3	*	*		4.5	*	*	*	*
14	at ARI	PROJ-Bloom	*	6	*	*		3.0	*	*	*	*

Weekly Performance vs RB 1, RB 12, RB 24, RB 36

Percentile ranks

Jaylen Samuels's percentile rank in each category, among RB with more than 50 fantasy points.

Recent Game Summaries

2019 Week 13 vs CLE (7 / 32 / 0 rush, 2 / 2 / 22 / 0 rec)

Samuels drew the start today for the Steelers and was more involved than Week 12 against the Bengals. Samuels was even used as a wildcat quarterback. On Samuels' first run of the game was a strong run up the middle of the line. Between the tackle running is not something Samuels often shows. Samuels' best reception of the day came on a floating pass out of the backfield. Samuels showed good explosion turning upfield quickly after the catch. 7-yard gain. Samuels' game was almost much bigger. He was tackled by his shoelaces on a run to the left side of the offensive line. Samuels caught a screen pass out of the backfield on a 1-15. Left completely alone and delivered a nice hit to a Browns defender at the end of the run. Samuels running strong. Samuels next touch two plays later was another strong run. Samuels lowered his shoulder for the second time on the same Browns defender and was able to keep his balance and extend the play for more yardage.

2019 Week 12 vs CIN (2 / 6 / 0 rush, 3 / 3 / 26 / 0 rec)

Samuels saw his total touches drop precipitously in this contest. There was no creativity to his usage, In fact, he wasn't even used in the wild cat as a switch for the offense.

2019 Week 11 vs CLE (5 / 26 / 0 rush, 6 / 5 / 19 / 1 rec)

Similar to the passing protection on the night, there wasn't much room for the rushing attack either. Samuels' best run of the night was up the middle. Samuels showed good explosion as he was picking his way through the center of the defense. Samuels did flash as a dual threat when he scored his touchdown on a route out of the backfield. When it looked like Mason Rudolph was about to take another sack, Rudolph spotted Samuels wide open.

2019 Week 10 vs LAR (14 / 29 / 0 rush, 7 / 3 / 11 / 0 rec)

There wasn't much room for Samuels to work at all during the day. Aaron Donald was routinely pushing the offensive line back and the Steelers were only able to average 1.6 yards per carry on the day. Samuels' best run came early in the game. The Steelers were using two pulling lineman to come across the formation and lead the way for Samuels. Samuels showed good patience and vision being able to follow his lineman and make the appropriate cut upfield. The play totaled eight yards and was the most rushing yards gained on a single play in the matchup.

2019 Week 9 vs IND (8 / 10 / 0 rush, 13 / 13 / 73 / 0 rec)

It can be considered a rough night for a running back when the running back totals ten yards rushing on eight total rushing attempts. Further, it could be even worse if one of those attempts was for six yards (leaving four total yards for the remaining seven attempts). Luckily, Samuels is as versatile as they come. While things were not working for him between the tackles, Samuels was running crisp routes, splitting out wide and being an outlet for Mason Rudolph when he was in trouble. Samuels did have one miscue. On a play with the ball in Samuels' hands, a defender was able to put his helmet on the ball and knock it lose. The ball was turned over and ultimately led to the Colts scoring a touchdown to put them up by one point.

2019 Week 5 vs BAL (3 / 2 / 0 rush, 4 / 3 / 11 / 0 rec)

After receiving 18 touch opportunities in Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Samuels' usage was pulled in significantly. This may not have been the game plan, but on the first play of the second possession for the Steelers, Samuels sprints out to his right and lobs a pass for James Washington which was intercepted. Samuels did not see another snap from the Wildcat formation until after Mason Rudolph exited the game.

2019 Week 4 vs CIN (10 / 26 / 1 rush, 8 / 8 / 57 / 0 rec)

What a difference a week makes. Samuels went from having a 26% snap share in Week 3 to over 50% snap share in Week 4. Not only was Samuels on the field more often, but the Steelers rolled out the 'WILDCAT'. Samuels was being put in the shotgun for a direct snap and he would read the defense and decide if he would pull the ball down or run it himself. On top of the new Wildcat wrinkle being thrown into the Steelers offense, he also was productive as a runner and as a safety release. Ultimately, there was no highlight play standing out from Samuels performance. The highlight from Samuels' performance was his versatility. Samuels played the slot, was in at running back, and ran plays as a wildcat quarterback. Samuels is the swiss army knife of this offense.

2019 Week 2 vs SEA (3 / 18 / 0 rush, 1 / 1 / 13 / 0 rec)

Involved early to give James Conner a breather, Samuels looked explosive in the open field, reliable in the passing game, strong in pass protection, and able to be a playmaker downfield when the opportunity arises. Samuels notable play of the game will not show up in the box score. As he was being covered by a defender, Samuels worked downfield and went to make a play on the ball in the end zone. The defender did not turn around and Samuels was able to draw a defensive pass interference penalty putting the Steelers in position for their first touchdown of the game. It should be noted if James Conner is dealing with a knee injury which would lead to him missing time, Samuels will likely receive a larger workload. Benny Snell did not receive any additional work after James Conner was injured.

2019 Week 1 vs NE (2 / 4 / 0 rush, 2 / 1 / 2 / 0 rec)

Stepping in for Conner, Samuels showed he will be involved in the offense during the entire season. Samuels did not see entire drives until the end of the game, but was used at wide receiver, in two running back sets, and as a fill-in when Conner needed a breather.

Latest News

Steelers | Jaylen Samuels see nine total touches (Sun Dec 1, 05:17 PM) - Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Samuels rushed seven times for 32 yards in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns while adding two grabs for 22 yards on his two targets.

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Steelers | Jaylen Samuels used sparingly (Mon Nov 25, 12:58 AM) - Pittsburgh Steelers RB Jaylen Samuels ran twice for six yards and caught three passes for 26 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Nov. 24.

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