DK Metcalf

27-Year-Old Wide ReceiverWR

Pittsburgh Steelers

2024 Receiving Stats

REC

YDS

992

AVG

15.0

TAR

108

2025 Projections

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TAR

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2025 Fantasy Outlook

Metcalf seemed to max out in Seattle, finishing with 967 to 1,114 receiving yards each of the last four seasons, following the perhaps-false promise of a 1,303-yard, 10-TD effort in 2020, his second pro season. The respect he demands as a deep threat has real-life value beyond what his stats show, but there's always been slight disappointment for fantasy owners, with Metcalf never topping 8.3 targets per game and typically averaging closer to 7 or 7.5. Even the touchdowns have fallen off, with Metcalf scoring 19 in Geno Smith's three full seasons as Seattle's QB, compared to 29 TDs over the final three years of the Russell Wilson era. A change of scenery seems like a good thing at first glance, especially after the Steelers traded George Pickens, except that Metcalf's new situation in Pittsburgh may be worse for receiving production than the one he just left, featuring run-first offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and either 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers under center. The Steelers are also traded for TE Jonnu Smith, who had 111 targets last season for Miami. It feels like Metcalf still has another level to reach, given his unmatched physical attributes and lack of obvious flaws, but the same was true each of the last three seasons and it never materialized. The most likely outcome is yet another season of the 27-year-old producing at an above-average level by most standards while still falling shy of what seems possible for a player who is simultaneously one of the largest and fastest players at his position. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#52.67

ADP

Overall

Wide Receiver

Bye Week 5

Height 6'4"

Weight 229

DOB 12/14/1997

College Ole Miss

Drafted 2nd Rd 2019 #64 Overall

Building chemistry with Rodgers

WRPittsburgh Steelers

June 13, 2025

Metcalf said at mandatory minicamp that while establishing a rapport with new quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the veteran signal-caller's "playmaking ability after a play breaks down" and "how quickly he releases the ball" have both stood out, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

ANALYSIS
Since being dealt to Pittsburgh and signing a five-year, $150 million deal with his new team, Metcalf's outlook has improved significantly. The Steelers' signing of Rodgers to a one-year deal provides Metcalf with short-term stability at quarterback plus a signal-caller with the necessary timing to complement the strengths of his route tree. Moreover, the decision to trade George Pickens to Dallas leaves Metcalf entrenched as the unquestioned top target in the Steelers' passing game, with all of Robert Woods, Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson and TE Pat Freiermuth as ancillary options. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith also indicated that his usual run-heavy tendencies could shift in 2025, saying "we didn't bring [Rodgers] in here and sign [Metcalf] for all that money to go run the wishbone," and that "you try to play to the strengths of your team."

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NFL Stats

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Fantasy/Red Zone Stats

See red zone opportunities inside the 20, 10 and 5-yard lines along with the percentage of time they converted the opportunity into a touchdown.

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Advanced NFL Stats

How do DK Metcalf's 2024 advanced stats compare to other wide receivers?

This section compares his advanced stats with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average. The longer the bar, the better it is for the player.

Air Yards Per Game

97.9

Air Yards Per Snap

1.90

% Team Air Yards

37.5%

% Team Targets

19.1%

Avg Depth of Target

13.5 Yds

Catch Rate

61.1%

Drop Rate

4.6%

Avg Yds After Catch

4.2

% Targeted On Route

20.1%

Avg Yds Per Route Run

1.85

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2024 NFL Game Log

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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Snap Counts

Snap %

G.George Pickens

V.Van Jefferson

C.Calvin Austin

S.Scotty Miller

M.Mike Williams

B.Ben Skowronek

R.Roman Wilson

#% of Team Snaps

76968%

71663%

60453%

20618%

17415%

1059%

50%

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Receiving Alignment Breakdown

See where DK Metcalf lined up on the field and how he performed at each spot.

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2024 DK Metcalf Split Stats

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Measurables Review View College Player Page

How do DK Metcalf's measurables compare to other wide receivers?

This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.

Height

6' 4"

Weight

229 lbs

40-Yard Dash

4.33 sec

Shuttle Time

4.50 sec

Cone Drill

7.38 sec

Vertical Jump

40.5 in

Broad Jump

134 in

Bench Press

27 reps

Hand Length

9.88 in

Arm Length

34.88 in

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

Metcalf is one of the NFL's all-time physical freaks and has thoroughly defied the pre-draft medical concerns that dropped him to 64th overall in 2019. Still, he feels like somewhat of a disappointment, even if it's hard to pick out a specific weakness in his game. Metcalf erupted for 83-1,303-10 in his second season and hasn't stopped scoring touchdowns since (26 in three subsequent years), but his other numbers have been far less impressive -- averages of 77 catches for 1,043 yards on 129.7 targets, at a 59.4 percent catch rate and 8.0 YPT. Part of that entails the change from prime Russell Wilson to a declining/injured Wilson and then Geno Smith. Another part is that the Seahawks were 32nd, 22nd and 32nd in offensive snaps the past three years, sitting about 7 percent below league-average in play volume since the NFL moved to a 17-game schedule. Swapping out HC Pete Carroll and OC Shane Waldron for Mike McDaniel and Ryan Grubb might help with the team-level volume, but Metcalf again again faces strong competition for WR targets from Tyler Lockett and 2023 first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Annual predictions of Lockett's share decreasing still haven't manifested, and by the time that inevitably happens (or he leaves) it might be Smith-Njigba benefitting more so than Metcalf. On the bright side, Metcalf is still only 26, immensely talented and has never finished below 900 yards or six touchdowns. He's at least a solid starter for fantasy teams, and a coaching change might be the shake-up he needs to finally get back to his 2020 production and/or push toward 30 percent target share for the first time.

Metcalf's size/speed combination is unmatched, but from a statistical standpoint he's only put it all together in one of his four NFL seasons -- in 2020 when he went for 83-1,303-10. He got back on the right side of 1,000 yards last year, barely, yet finished with a career-low six touchdowns amidst a breakout season from Geno Smith. While Metcalf's 141 targets were a career high and easily a team high, Smith was actually more efficient when throwing to Tyler Lockett and his tight ends. Lockett, in particular, had three more touchdowns and only 15 fewer yards on 24 fewer targets than Metcalf. Some of that might just be luck, but at what point do we start to consider the possibility that Metcalf is merely a good player and not a great one despite his physical gifts? On the other hand, he's only 25 and has never missed a game after a bunch of injuries in college, so giving him one more chance to join the elite isn't the worst idea even with rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba adding to the target competition.

Metcalf's third season was a step back from his second, though a dozen touchdowns softened the blow and he played every game for a third consecutive year. That last part is key, as a sketchy medical history was perhaps the biggest reason Metcalf wasn't picked until late in the second round in 2020. In terms of physical tools, he's an early first-rounder through and through, having put up a 4.33 40 and 40.5-inch vertical at the 2019 Combine. Metcalf struggles a bit with the finer points of route-running, as is common for oversized wideouts, but he showed in 2020 that he can do damage all over the field nonetheless. In 2021, however, his connection with Russell Wilson was inconsistent, with Metcalf catching only 54 percent of the targets he saw from the star quarterback. Wilson's finger injury might have been a big part of Seattle's struggles as a team, but Metcalf can't totally blame it for his disappointing year, as he had just one 100-yard outing in Wilson's 14 starts and finished the season with 208 fewer yards than Tyler Lockett on 22 more targets. While the chemistry might have been an issue, Metcalf now faces a much bigger problem, catching passes Geno Smith. Long term, things look far more promising, as the Wilson deal with Denver netted a boatload of draft picks to rebuild the offense around Metcalf, who signed a three-year extension in July.

Through the first 11 weeks last season, Metcalf had a 90-58-1,039-9 line (with 17.9 YPC and 11.5 YPT), a 1,500-yard, 13-TD pace. But he had only one TD over the season’s final five weeks and never again eclipsed 100 yards in a game. The problem was Seattle’s schedule (they faced the Nos. 1, 2 and 9 pass defenses) and their inability to protect Russell Wilson, whose record-pace numbers also cratered. But coach Pete Carroll does prefer a more run-heavy offense, something that’s limited Wilson and his receivers for nearly a decade. In fact, Wilson himself agreed to waive his no-trade clause if the Seahawks were willing to move him, presumably to a team that would “let Russ cook.” Assuming Wilson stays put, Metcalf should reprise his status as his monstrous big-play weapon. Physically, Metcalf is Julio Jones with 15 more pounds of muscle. Or perhaps Terrell Owens with more speed. The last (and perhaps only) physical freak at Metcalf’s level was peak Calvin Johnson. At 6-4, an absurdly jacked 235 and running a 4.33 40, Metcalf can get behind any defense, and Wilson has the arm to reach him. But his production fell late in the season in part because Wilson didn’t have time for Metcalf’s deeper routes (13.3 aDOT, 4th) to develop. Bottom line, there’s some uncertainty, but if Wilson sticks around — something that seems likely — Metcalf again should compete with Tyreek Hill to be the league’s most dangerous game breaker.

A poor showing in the combine agility drills (three-cone drill and short shuttle) dinged Metcalf's draft stock, and the Seahawks wisely bought low with the 64th overall pick in last year's draft. Metcalf's numbers were solid enough - 15.5 YPC, 9.0 YPT and four catches of 40-plus on only 100 targets - but they don't include the wild-card game when he torched the Eagles for 160 yards and a score. What stands out most about Metcalf is his freakish size/speed combination - think Terrell Owens with more speed, or Julio Jones with more muscle. At 6-4, 229, and running a 4.33 40, Metcalf is off the charts athletically, and his 40.5-inch vertical leap and 134-inch broad jump show his explosiveness. He'll never be the quick-in-and-out-of-breaks slot type, but that hardly matters when you can run past, jump above and overpower the unlucky defender who happens to be assigned to you. Metcalf is also ideally built for red-zone work - 18 targets last season - and likely will get more work from in close during his second season. It also helps to be paired with one of the league's elite quarterbacks in Russell Wilson, who routinely makes downfield throws after escaping the pocket, though it hurts that the Seahawks are so run-heavy (23rd in pass attempts). Moreover, Tyler Lockett is still around as a co-No. 1, and the Seahawks acquired tight end Greg Olsen this offseason.

The Seahawks under offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer rarely throw - they were last with 427 passing attempts last year - but someone has to receive those targets. With Doug Baldwin retiring and returning top receiver Tyler Lockett seeing only 70 targets last year, Metcalf could step into a large role right away. At 6-3, 228, and with 4.33 speed, he's a freak in the Julio Jones mold, a rare athlete at the position you'll see once every five years. But his times in the agility drills at the combine were terrible, and it's possible that caused him to slip to the back of the second round. Look for Lockett to see most of his work in the slot, and Metcalf to vie for targets on the outside, both down the field and in the red zone. David Moore is still around, however, and the team used its fourth-round pick on Gary Jennings, another athletic wideout who was more productive than Metcalf in college.

More Fantasy News

Dealt to Pittsburgh

WRPittsburgh Steelers

March 9, 2025

Metcalf was traded to the Steelers in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, before signing a five-year, $150 million contract Sunday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.