Despite his suspension running out after Week 4, the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t add wide receiver Martavis Bryant to their 53-man roster until Tuesday, meaning he’ll miss the team’s Week 5 game against the San Diego Chargers, according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Ed Bouchette. Bryant suffered a knee injury in his return to practice Monday.
Martavis Bryant won’t return in Week 5 for Steelers, fantasy owners
The wide receiver was eligible to return from suspension Monday, but will miss another week. We break down the fantasy implications.
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Bryant had eight touchdowns on 26 catches in 2014, going for 549 yards. With him on the shelf for the season’s first month, the team has leaned on star receiver Antonio Brown, who has 34 catches for 478 yards and two touchdowns. Darrius Heyward-Bey (185 yards and two scores) and Markus Wheaton (156 yards) have contributed as well.
Fantasy impact: This should help overzealous fantasy owners shy away from Bryant a little. He got a lot of 2014 attention with an unsustainably high rate of touchdowns per catch. With Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell in the fold, there are only so many targets to go around, and Bryant’s were never likely to climb high enough to offset the inevitable regression in his touchdown rate.
Bryant is likely to return in Week 6, but he’ll do so ranked in the 40s among wide receivers, at best.
