The Pittsburgh Steelers were a lot better than the Cleveland Browns a year ago, and that was when the Browns had Josh Gordon catching passes. This season, the Browns are missing their star wide receiver. While the Steelers lost a pair of receivers of their own, the Browns are still going to be seen as the underdogs entering Sunday's season opener, 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 1: Browns vs. Steelers
Are the Browns going to be their division’s whipping boy yet again? They hope to buck that trend in the season opener.
Joe Sargent
The game does have a handful of fantasy contributors worth watching:
Browns
Start in every league: Ben Tate, Jordan Cameron, Defense/special teams
Start if you're desperate: Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins
Bench: Brian Hoyer, Billy Cundiff
The ceiling on Tate no longer looks as high as it after his strong 2011 debut season, but he’s still the main guy in an offense without a lot of other firepower. As long as he’s healthy, he’s a fantasy starter. ... After establishing himself as a star last year -- and without Gordon now -- Cameron ought to be a great player in fantasy this season. ... The Browns’ defense is a strong unit, especially against a lone strong receiving option like how the Steelers profile.
When he’s healthy, Austin has generally been productive. And he looks healthy so capitalize while you can, albeit on the low end. ... Hawkins has been a popular sleeper pick, and I agree.
People liked what Hoyer had to offer last year before tearing his ACL, and the Browns went with him over Johnny Manziel, but there's a big gap between that and fantasy use. ... There's got to be a better kicker option out there for you than Cundiff.
Steelers
Start in every league: Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown
Start if you're desperate: Ben Roethlisberger, Shaun Suisham, Defense/special teams
Bench: LeGarrette Blount, Markus Wheaton, Heath Miller
Not only is Bell a valid starter, he's a totally viable RB1 in many leagues. He might lose some goal-line touches, but he ought to be fine. ... Even against Joe Haden and the Cleveland secondary, Brown is so much better than his position-mates that he has to be started.
Roethlisberger is still just chuggin’ along. He’s a mid-to-high-end QB2, which has been what he has been for years now. ... The Steelers should put Suisham in position to score often enough. ... The Steelers’ defense is pretty far removed from its glory days, but even Hoyer’s “good” game featured three interceptions.
If Blount were to become a starter, he’ll have potential albeit as a third-down, goal-line type, whose usage just won’t be there. ... Wait and see on Wheaton, who has potential, but it might be a while. ... Miller is in a group with a large handful of tight ends who are fine bye-week fill-ins, but who don’t need to be anyone’s week-to-week starter.
