Joey Porter Jr. Traded to Dallas — Cowboys Could Start Him Week 4 vs Texans

The Joey Porter Jr. saga in Pittsburgh is over. In a deal that closed just before midnight ET on Wednesday, the Steelers sent the cornerback to the Dallas Cowboys — and the move could pay off immediately, with ESPN reporting Porter has a real shot at suiting up this Sunday against the Texans.

The logic is simple from Dallas' side. Corner was the single biggest hole on their defense, and they clearly value Porter enough to try to get him on the field within days of acquiring him. For Pittsburgh, it ends a chapter of drama that had been hanging over the franchise. Both teams move on quickly, because the Steelers have a bigger problem staring them down right now.

A Thursday Night House of Horrors

Pittsburgh travels to Cleveland on Thursday night, and history is not kind. Since the 1970 merger, the Steelers are 3-16 in Thursday night road games — and a brutal 0-9 when the opponent is a division rival. They have literally never won a divisional road game on a Thursday night.

Standing in their way is a Browns team that's won nine straight Thursday night home games. Both clubs sit at 2-1, so the winner walks into Week 5 with at least a share of the AFC North lead. Our picks desk leans slightly Pittsburgh, four of six experts taking the Steelers in a tight, low-scoring projection.

The QB Hierarchy Shifts

Away from the trade wire, the early-season quarterback picture is crystallizing. Brock Purdy sits atop the Week 4 rankings after becoming just the second QB ever — alongside 1984 MVP Dan Marino — with 10-plus total touchdowns and zero sacks through three games. He leads the league in passer rating (133.1) and EPA per dropback (0.62) while co-leading in passing scores with nine.

Patrick Mahomes checks in second at 3-0, pacing the NFL in both completions and passing TDs outside the pocket. Lamar Jackson rounds out the top three after a near-flawless day in Baltimore's 34-31 win over Dallas — 15 of 20 for 186 yards, two scores, plus 50 rushing yards and a six-second drive to set up the game-winner. He leads the league in yards per attempt at 9.8.

The Fantasy Fallout

Start with the trade itself: Porter in Dallas has minimal direct fantasy impact for IDP-light leagues, but it matters for the receivers he'll shadow. If he debuts against Houston this week, monitor the matchup before locking in borderline Texans pass-catchers — a healthy Porter was CB1 material in Pittsburgh.

On the quarterback front, Purdy is the name to track hardest. He carries our rank of #81 overall (#23 at the position) and posted 179 PPR points across nine games last season (2025), but his last five games trended +3.7 fantasy points above his season average. With Denver on deck, another big day likely keeps him atop the standings — a legitimate streaming or low-end QB1 target.

Jackson remains the floor-and-ceiling monster, ranked #39 overall (#18 at QB) off 233 PPR points in 13 games last season (2025), though his recent form is cooling at -3.7 points over his last five. Mahomes (#19 overall, #9 at QB; 304 PPR points in 14 games in 2025) is also down -6.3 over his last five, so temper expectations slightly despite the 3-0 start. And don't sleep on Zay Flowers — #34 overall, #7 among wideouts, 243 PPR points across 17 games last season (2025) and surging +5.8 points over his last five. He's the real buy here.

Bottom line: hold Purdy and ride the heater while it lasts, but keep an eye on his elite-but-sack-free start proving sustainable. Flowers is the clearest buy-low-adjacent asset in this mix, and Porter's Dallas debut is a one-week watch item for anyone starting Texans receivers Sunday.