Pittsburgh Steelers- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Height / Weight
- 6' 4", 229 lbs
- Born
- 14/12/1997 in Oxford, MS
- Age
- 28
- College
- Ole Miss
- Draft
- 2019: Rd 2, Pk 64 (SEA)
- Experience
- 8th Season
- Status
- Active
Why he's performing this way
The usage, efficiency, schedule and team factors behind his recent numbers.
DK Metcalf is heating up. He's at 12.1 fantasy pts / game (PPR) over his last game, up from 7.3.
- Recent
- 12.1
- Season
- 8.9
fantasy pts / game (PPR)
- Shrinking role
He's averaging 5.0 targets over his last game, compared with 9.5 before that. Fewer chances cap his ceiling no matter how efficient he is.
- Reliable secondary option
He draws 23% of PIT's targets. That is enough for a solid floor, but big weeks depend on game script.
- Inefficient touches
4.1 yards per target on the season (the typical WR is at 8.4), and 6.2 over his last game. Production is being propped up by volume more than explosiveness.
- Struggling offense around him
PIT are averaging -0.06 EPA per play on offense. Stalled drives and fewer red-zone trips limit what he can produce.
Play style & archetype
Compares 2026 play-by-play and box score data against 51 qualified WRs across 3 games.
Archetype
Vertical field stretcher
Wins deep and forces safeties to respect him, opening the field underneath.
Yards / target of 4.1 ranks in the bottom 6% of qualified WRs.
He is rarely used in the red zone (red-zone target rate 4.2%, bottom 9% of WRs).
Catch rate of 45.8% ranks in the bottom 10% of qualified WRs.
Yards / reception of 8.9 ranks in the bottom 12% of qualified WRs.
8 NFL seasons and 7,272 career receiving yards. Best year: 1,303 in 2020.
Strengths
Nothing stands out.
Areas to watch
- Yards / target (4.1)
- Catch rate (45.8%)
- Yards / reception (8.9)
- EPA / target (-0.43)
Percentile vs. WRs
- Targets / gamestyle8.0 · 73
- Target sharestyle18.9% · 40
- Deep target ratestyle37.5% · 78
- Middle-of-field ratestyle16.7% · 45
- Catch rate45.8% · 10
- Yards / reception8.9 · 12
- Yards / target4.1 · 6
- Red-zone target ratestyle4.2% · 9
- EPA / target-0.43 · 22
Colored bars are quality measures. Gray "style" bars show how often he does something, not whether it's good.
Where he's targeted
42%
left
17%
middle
42%
right
38% of targets deep (15+ air yards), 63% short
Career statistics
Regular season, by year and team. Career bests are highlighted.
Rushing
Receiving
Defense
Scoring
2026 game log
Box score lines from completed games this season.