Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has a mid-foot sprain, and it's not as severe as initially feared, says head coach Mike Tomlin via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Tomlin says that he is "optimistic and encouraged" by how Bell has progressed thus far in regards to the injury.
Le’Veon Bell foot sprain not severe; still a fantasy red flag
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell likely doesn’t have a Lisfranc injury. We break down the fantasy implications.
Rob Carr
More: For more on the Steelers, go to Behind The Steel Curtain
Bell will not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, but there is no word on whether or not he'll be ready for the start of the regular season. Still, Tomlin did say that Bell does not need surgery and that the injury is not the dreaded Lisfranc injury similar to the one that put Matt Spaeth down for 8 to 10 weeks.
Bell is set to be the starting running back for the Steelers this season. If he's not ready to go by the start of the regular season, he could lose some ground to his backups, including the recently acquired Felix Jones.
Fantasy Impact: Bell was a solid boom-or-bust prospect once it became clear he was going to start for the Steelers, but foot injuries of this kind should be avoided. He could come back relatively soon and be perfectly healthy, or the injury could linger and bother him throughout the entirety of the coming season. He might turn out to be a solid fantasy option at some point this year, but don’t rest your fantasy hopes on him.
