Steelers Fantasy Perspective: Week 3 vs. Bears
Heading into Week 3 the Steelers have a 2-0 record, but they have been far from perfect as their offense continues to find it’s rhythm. Against a Bears team on the road, what should we expect from our favorite Steelers in fantasy football this weekend?
Ben Roethlisberger – Start
I know what you’re thinking. This is an away game against a team that has “trap game” written all over it. And even more, the Steelers have only won one game in Chicago all-time. Add in the fact that Ben Roethlisberger has a tendency to underwhelm on the road, and you’re probably wondering why I am suggesting you start Big Ben.
For starters, the Bears have been friendly to opposing quarterbacks so far this season. According to ESPN, they have given up an average of 2.3 points per drive to opponents, which is the 4th-worst rate in the league. Furthermore, Roethlisberger has clearly been airing the ball out down the field so far this season in an attempt to break a play deep. As the Steelers offense continues to develop, we are more likely to see these plays finally break for big yardage and touchdowns, much like we did in Roethlisberger’s huge 2014 season. With Antonio Brown playing better than elite and Martavis Bryant finally knocking off the rust, I honestly believe this is the type of game that Roethlisberger can use to show that his road woes are behind him. Start him in all formats this week.
Le’Veon Bell – Start
Le’Veon Bell is the perfect case of a player that you have to start no matter how rough the outcomes have been through two weeks. Honestly, though, his performance so far should come as no surprise to anyone. But unless you are crazy, there is no reason to bench Bell. The Bears front seven is highly underrated, but the Steelers’ offensive line (even without Marcus Gilbert) is still one of the best units in the NFL. Bell’s breakout game of 2017 is right around the corner and patient owners will be rewarded greatly. Bell has certainly been seeing the touches, averaging 22 touches per game so far in 2017, which is the 5th-highest average in the league. With that many touches per game, something has to give for a player with this type of talent. Continue to start Bell and dominate when it finally pays off.
Antonio Brown – Start
The Vikings did what they set out to accomplish against Antonio Brown last week: blanket him. Brown finished the day with five receptions for 62 yards and no touchdowns. While that stat line is far from terrible for an average receiver, that is not what Brown owners expect for fantasy production.
That doesn’t mean bench him, though.
The Browns took the same approach to cover Brown, double- and triple-covering the elite receiver and he still managed to have a huge day. Xavier Rhodes is one of the top corners in the league and the Steelers used this to their advantage by getting the ball to Martavis Bryant frequently. With a big game under his belt, teams will have to respect both Brown AND Bryant, meaning there will be plenty of one-on-one matchups with Brown. The Bears have made a slight reputation for slowing down elite receivers in recent years, but Brown is the elite of the elite. Expect him to bounce back in a major way this week against a suspect Bears’ secondary.
Martavis Bryant – Start
Last week, Martavis Bryant benefited from the Antonio Brown-Xavier Rhodes matchup more than anyone. The Bears will do their best to slow down both Brown and Bryant, but something will give due to the pure talent both receivers possess. Ben Roethlisberger targeted Bryant deep down the field early and often in Week 2 and I see no reason that this will change in the coming weeks. That was what made Bryant such an exciting player before his suspension and helps make the Steelers offense so dangerous. Bryant isn’t quite in the WR1 category, but like always, I think he is a boom-or-bust WR2 with an extremely high ceiling and an extremely low floor, almost knocking him down into WR3 territory. Start him this week, but don’t be surprised if his day is reliant upon a big play or long touchdown.
Eli Rogers – Sit… and continue to do so.
I’m not going to get too involved with Eli Rogers. I love him as a player, but there are simply too many threats in this offense to even consider having Rogers in your lineup unless your league is larger than 12 teams. Factor in the re-emergence of Martavis Bryant and the continual development of JuJu Smith-Schuster, and you have very little opportunities for Rogers to make any real impact.
Jesse James – Sit
I said it last week and I’ll say it again: Jesse James is on his way to being a potentially solid fantasy option for the Steelers. Through the first two weeks, we have seen the budding chemistry between James and Roethlisberger as he has clearly carved out a role in this offense. Especially exciting is the fact that James has seen his fair share of targets in the red zone so far.
Unfortunately, as I pointed out last week and was proven on the field in Week 2, James is heavily touchdown dependent when it comes to fantasy football. His 4 receptions for 27 yards and no touchdowns was nice for the Steelers and their gameplan but likely didn’t help your team very much. James is deserving of a roster spot in your fantasy league as a TE2 but until we see what his role firmly ends up being, he is simply too risky and too touchdown dependent to justify starting. Keep on the bench for now.
Steelers Defense/Special Teams – Start
The Bears have given up 5 sacks so far this season, which gives the Steelers some potential to give their offensive line some headaches in the backfield. With 9 sacks so far this season, the Steelers will be looking to add to that total. The Bears also have the 26th-ranked rushing attack in the NFL, averaging only 72.5 yards per game.
If things go the way they’re expected to, Chicago will playing from behind for most of the afternoon, putting the game into Mike Glennon‘s hands. We have seen what he is capable of doing against a favored-Steelers defense (in case you forgot, go back to 2014 against the Buccaneers in Pittsburgh when Glennon put up 302 yards… wasn’t pretty). Regardless, I think the Steelers defense should be one of the safer picks this week against an underwhelming Bears’ offense. If you’re looking to stream a team, go this route.
Chris Boswell – Start
Far too often, the Steelers offense stalls just shy of the red zone, leading to them trotting out the ever-reliant Chris Boswell. Last week, Boswell connected on all four of his field goal attempts and hasn’t missed an extra point yet this season. Whenever the Steelers need to get out of a bind, they put Boswell into the game and put it all on his back. Boswell is a solid start most weeks moving forward unless he suddenly becomes a liability.
