Player: WR Calvin Austin III
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Calvin Austin III recorded his first multi-touchdown game of his career Monday night, catching and returning for scores. While his opportunities are sporadic, he often makes the most of them. In the Steelers’ internal search for a No. 2 WR, he appears to be their best option. And he made good on a long-standing threat as punt returner by finally finishing one.
On Monday night against the Giants, Calvin Austin III became the fifth Steelers player to score a receiving and punt-return touchdown in the same game. He joins Antonio Brown, Diontae Johnson, Louis Lipps, and Roy Jefferson on that list. That’s not bad company, but he still has a lot of work to do.
At the midway point of the season, Austin has 14 receptions for 257 yards and two touchdowns. He also has 16 punt returns for 206 yards, averaging 12.9 yards. His 18.4 yards per reception would rank sixth in the NFL if he had enough targets to qualify.
A 2022 fourth-round pick, Calvin Austin III has defied the odds. After spending his rookie season on IR, he has slowly but surely found ways to contribute. And he has had to do that while working with Kenny Pickett and Matt Canada. Now with Arthur Smith and Russell Wilson, perhaps he can have a breakout of sorts.
Not that he is putting up crazy numbers over Wilson’s two starts, to be fair. In the past two weeks, Austin has four catches on eight targets for 100 yards and one touchdown. That includes receptions of 36 and 39 yards, the latter for a score. Back in Week 3, he had four catches for 95 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown.
But where Calvin Austin really separates himself is as a punt returner. While he didn’t have astounding numbers before Monday, you could see how dangerous he was. The return unit finally provided him with the opportunity to house one against the Giants, and he delivered.
Austin’s ability to contribute both offensively and on special teams as a returner is a value we shouldn’t overlook. He has proven to be a smart returner, on the whole, making few questionable decisions. As a receiver, he still has untapped potential as well, just based on his separation ability. He can’t grow out of his 5-9 frame, but put a ball in his catch radius, and he can hurt a secondary.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
