Fantasy football advice, Week 6: who to start/sit for Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Miami Dolphins

Whether it’s injuries, bye weeks, or a hot waiver wire claim that muddles fantasy lineups, the factors which fantasy owners have to consider before hitting the submit button are always present and rarely uncomplicated. There’s only one way to combat this, and that’s parsing each game, one at a time. Here’s what needs to be considered when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins:

The Steelers’ big three of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are always deserving of fantasy consideration, but the three of them may monopolize more production than usual on Sunday. With Sammie Coates dealing with a finger laceration, and Markus Wheaton dealing with a shoulder injury, there should be even less doubt about Brown and Bell’s opportunities. All three can be written into lineups as usual.

After posting a monster 6-139-2 line against the Jets, Coates’ previously noted finger injury could throw a wrench in his chances of duplicating that production. Though the Dolphins provide a matchup that Coates and Roethlisberger could exploit, especially with Reshad Jones ailing, Coates remains a boom-or-bust flex option, especially with Eli Rogers returning to the rotation as well.

Rogers, Jesse James and DeAngelo Williams don’t need to be inserted into lineups, especially with Williams coming off of a one-carry outing and battling a knee injury.

Jarvis Landry and the Dolphins couldn’t sustain drives or stop the Titans from controlling the clock, leading to dismal outputs for everyone in Week 5. Though there isn’t much reason to believe the Dolphins will hold their own against the Steelers, game script could favor the Dolphins having to air it out. The heavy usage that Landry garners ought to translate to fantasy points in Week 6, and fantasy owners shouldn’t be concerned about his production going forward.

That game script, however, won’t likely favor Arian Foster, who may return from hamstring and groin injuries but is a game-time decision. How he factors into the backfield could be a mystery, especially if he isn’t yet 100 percent. Foster is a boom-or-bust flex option.

DeVante Parker’s upside is just as good as Landry’s due to his big-play ability and his prowess in the red zone. However, Parker receives far fewer targets than Landry and must make the most of each of his chances to present much fantasy value. It’s certainly possible, but Parker has to be considered a volatile flex option with Ryan Tannehill’s uneven play at quarterback.

Tannehill and the rest of his complementary weapons don’t deserve starting consideration. Fantasy owners need to look elsewhere for quarterback options.