Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is still getting acclimated to new quarterback Michael Vick, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Antonio Brown, Steelers, more comfortable with Michael Vick, fantasy potential remains high
The Steelers’ offense remains in a transitional period with Michael Vick taking over for the injured Ben Roethlisberger. We break down the fantasy implications.
Kaboly noted that Vick's only practice leading up to Thursday's 23-20 loss to the Baltimore Ravens was a glorified walk-through, indicating that Vick has barely taken any snaps with the starters since arriving in Pittsburgh. Brown's streak of 35 games with five catches for at least 50 yards was snapped on Thursday, but he did reel in five passes for 42 yards.
Said Brown, via Triblive.com:
Last week, it just wasn’t (Vick’s) fault,” Brown said. “There is a lot of blame on me. I left a lot of plays out there. All of us are getting more comfortable, not just him. I am more confident and comfortable this week with him.”
Fantasy impact: Production in the passing game can only be expected to drop off from Ben Roethlisberger to Vick, and Brown's numbers can be expected to take a hit in wake of that. Though his consistency will be dashed with a less reliable passer at the helm, the upside still presents itself for Brown to be a high-end WR1 in leagues of all formats.
Martavis Bryant returns from suspension, but it's good news in Brown's case to have another receiver take some of the focus off of him. When Roethlisberger returns, Brown will be a threat to take the top spot of the wide receiver rankings each week. For now, he's "only" a WR1.
