Steelers Fantasy Perspective: Week 1 vs. Browns
The moment is finally here. The chance to earn eternal glory and yearly bragging rights with your friends and family. You have done your studying. You have done your drafts. Your team is set. The season long journey to claim your Fantasy Football league championship begins this week and you are ready to get started. But what players should you start and which ones should you sit?
Just like most Steelers’ fans, there is a sense of pride when selecting and playing your favorite Steelers players. With a healthy roster heading into Week 1, the Steelers are destined for great things in fantasy football this season. But what should we expect from the stars this week against the Browns?
Ben Roethlisberger – Sit
I would be hesitant to start Big Ben on the road at all this season, but especially against the Browns. Surprising, I know. In his 12 career starts in Cleveland, Roethlisberger has thrown for two or fewer touchdowns in 10 of those matchups, while only averaging a disappointing 219 yards passing. Until he can prove to be more consistent on the road, I would avoid starting Roethlisberger in all formats in away games. Especially this week.
Le’Veon Bell – Start
This should be a no-brainer. There will be virtually no games this season where you see Bell benched in your weekly matchups, but this rings especially true against the Browns. In 5 career games against the Browns, Bell has averaged 101.4 yards rushing and 4.6 yards per carry and has 3 touchdowns. Bell also has totaled 190 receiving yards, 166 of which have been over the last 3 matchups. Factor in the fact that the Browns had the 31st worst rush defense last season (142.7 yards per game), and this presents a favorable matchup for the Steelers’ do-it-all running back. While there should be concerns about Bell missing training camp and the preseason, he appears to be adapting well to his return and all signals are pointing to him being unleashed this week. Bell is unquestionably an RB1 this week.
Antonio Brown – Start
Just like Bell, Antonio Brown won’t hear his name on my “sit” list for most of the season and the Browns are no exception to this. In 11 career games against the Browns, AB has averaged 102.7 yards per game and 15.1 yards per catch to go along with 7 touchdowns. Another boost that gives Brown a favorable matchup this week is the fact that he now has Martavis Bryant playing opposite of him to take off much of the attention that led to Brown having a “down” year in 2016 (it was only a down year in Brown’s standards). Start Brown with confidence this week as a WR1.
Martavis Bryant – Start
Finally, we get to see Martavis Bryant’s return to the field this week after not seeing him since the 2015 season. Bryant doesn’t have a large sample size against the Browns, playing in only 2 games. But in his first career game against the Browns in 2015, Bryant absolutely lit up the fantasy scoreboard, gaining 178 yards receiving on just 6 receptions for a whopping 29.7 yards per catch and a touchdown to go along with it. While you can’t bank on seeing Bryant replicate those numbers, his big-play potential is what he is known for and the Browns likely won’t have an answer for it. Start Bryant as your WR2 or your FLEX.
Eli Rogers – Sit
Quite frankly, Eli Rogers gets a spot on the fantasy bench largely due to the fact that there aren’t enough passes to go around. As a solid slot receiver, Rogers has strong hands and great route running, but the stats haven’t been there to warrant a start. Rogers’ best game against the Browns last season came in Week 17 when the Steelers benched most of their starters before the playoffs. Even with a bigger role, Rogers still only gained 61 yards on 6 receptions and no touchdowns. Keep Rogers as an emergency bench player on your roster in all formats.
Jesse James & Vance McDonald – Sit
Maybe at some point this season, we can talk about starting one of the Steelers’ tight ends. But right now, neither should even be in the discussion about starting in your fantasy leagues. McDonald has big play ability and will be an exciting player for the Steelers at some point this season, but he’s the 2nd tight end until he can better learn the playbook and build chemistry with Roethlisberger. James, on the other hand, has been extremely unspectacular against the Browns in his career, having 23 yards in 4 games and no touchdowns. After his below average preseason which prompted the Steelers to trade for McDonald, James has to prove that he can be a reliable target before you go ahead and even consider starting him. His ceiling this season is a fringe TE2, but he realistically shouldn’t even be on your roster right now.
Steelers Defense/Special Teams – Start
The Steelers defense is steadily improving and is a matchup-specific unit each week in fantasy, at least for now. Facing a Browns offense that gave up the 3rd-most fantasy points to opposing defenses in 2016 and is trotting out a rookie quarterback in DeShone Kizer, the Steelers should see success in Week 1. Last season, 2 of the Steelers’ 5 best fantasy games on defense came against the Browns. The pass rush is improving and Artie Burns and Joe Haden make for a solid tandem on the outside against the pass. The Steelers are a safe play on defense this week.
Chris Boswell – Start
Chris Boswell should see his fantasy stats improve this year, solely for the reason that he is the kicker for one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL. Boswell has only missed 1 extra point over the last 2 seasons and converted 84% of his field goals. In 2 career games in Cleveland, Boswell has gone 5/6 on his field goal attempts and should benefit from some added extra points this week as well. If Chris Boswell is on your roster, feel comfortable to start him, but only if necessary.
