Right now there are thousands of fantasy football owners sitting in fear of the next few weeks. Heck, they’re sitting in fear of the next few days. These are the owners who are counting on Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers to lead their fantasy teams to glory. It’s not a good place to be.
The Steelers Stink, Now What Do I Do?
Let’s face it, the Steelers stink right now. Losing to the Raiders is one thing, but losing to the Browns?! Unbelievable. With Pittsburgh slinking into the off-season, can you count on Big Ben -- or any of the Steelers -- in your fantasy playoffs?
The simple answer is yes. While the Steelers have lost their last five games, the key Steelers are still performing for fantasy owners. QB Ben Roethlisberger has averaged a solid 263 passing yards per game in his four games over that stretch and has two multi-TD games. On the downside, he has two games without a touchdown and he’s averaging an interception per game. The biggest concern is the complete collapse of the offensive line as Ben was sacked eight times on Thursday, more than his previous three games combined. As long as the Steelers can fix that problem, Roethlisberger should be fine.
WR Santonio Holmes continues to be the Steelers’ primary target, averaging 7 catches for 98 yards over the five game losing streak. The fact that Hines Ward is beat up won’t help, but Holmes should continue to be a solid fantasy contributor.
The Pittsburgh running game is not what is used to be, but still can contribute. Rashard Mendenhall has averaged 73 yards per game with a 3.9 yards per carry average over the past five games. Those aren’t stats that are going to win you fantasy games alone, but from a RB2 or RB3 they won’t lose you games either.
With Do-or-Die games coming up against Green Bay and Baltimore (at home) and Miami (on the road), the Steelers will have all the motivation in the world. Using your Steelers in these critical fantasy games might make you nervous, but they should still be a good fantasy option.
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