PIT · TE · Age 24
Pittsburgh selected Nowakowski in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft and signed him to a four-year rookie deal in May 2026; he opened his rookie season as the clear FB1, a role that survived a preseason ankle injury against Buffalo and held through Week 1. His actual usage, however, was limited to roughly five meaningful offensive snaps as a lead blocker plus a heavy special-teams workload, which is closer to a traditional fullback profile than a receiving weapon despite his TE-eligible tag. The main variable to watch is how much his in-line/slot versatility — which coaches praised during camp — translates into real passing-game snaps once Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington's target competition is accounted for. Given the thin sample and blocking-heavy role, this is a deep dynasty stash rather than a startable asset: hold if already rostered in a TE-premium or deep league, but there's little reason to buy in until a clearer receiving role emerges over the next several weeks.
Each row compares Riley Nowakowski to other 2026 prospects in that signal — except Class × Draft Slot, which shows the editorial multiplier applied to Riley Nowakowski's 2026-class + draft-slot combo (baseline 1.00× = neutral).
Computed from 3 of 6 signals
Class rank: 22nd percentile
Through Week 1, Nowakowski logged only about five meaningful offensive snaps behind lead-blocking assignments, with special-teams work making up the bulk of his workload — a true FB1 role rather than a receiving-game role, which caps near-term dynasty upside regardless of the TE-eligible tag.
Nowakowski split reps between fullback and tight end alignments during the preseason and has drawn praise from the coaching staff for his versatility, giving him a plausible path to modest receiving usage beyond a standard blocking fullback.
He returned from a preseason ankle injury in time for Week 1 and has held the clear FB1 job since, and a four-year rookie contract signed in May 2026 gives him multi-year runway to carve out a niche role.
| Format | Value | vs Best |
|---|---|---|
| PPR SFBest | 3 | — |
| PPR 1QB | 2 | -1 |