Steelers Fantasy Perspective: Week 12 vs. Packers

Standing at 8-2 after a monster victory against the Titans, the Steelers control their destiny moving forward. Week 12 brings another favorable home primetime matchup against the Packers. The Steelers should expect another good game, but does that mean you should trust your favorite Steelers fantasy players?

Ben Roethlisberger – Start

Just in case you were worrying, Big Ben is still the king of primetime football. Last week, Roethlisberger looked like his former self, throwing for 299 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a passer rating of 115.0. This week, Roethlisberger will get a nice matchup against a suspect Packers secondary… at home… in primetime. While it has been hard to predict Big Ben’s fantasy reliability this season, you should feel comfortable about having him in your lineup as one of the safer starts in fantasy football this week.

Le’Veon Bell – Start

Juice didn’t have one of his signature games in Week 11, as the show belonged to Antonio Brown. But Bell still did enough, gaining over 100 yards from scrimmage. Bell hasn’t had a bad season this year, but it has been a step down from the monster production we saw him produce last season on a weekly basis. Nevertheless, Bell still leads the NFL in rushing yards and carries and is 2nd among all running backs in receptions. With the current state of the Packers defense, Bell should have plenty of room to produce and hopefully get back on track. Simply put, you didn’t draft Bell to ever be on your bench and his volume is too great to not start on a weekly basis. Start Bell with confidence once again.

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Antonio Brown – Start

What a night: 10 receptions, 144 yards, 3 touchdowns. Just like that, Antonio Brown notched his first 100-yard receiving game in a month (that’s crazy to think…), as he continues to lead the NFL in receiving yards. Just as I mentioned with Roethlisberger, the Packers have been vulnerable through the air this year, setting up Brown for another huge game. Need more to convince you? Brown has 22 touchdowns in 29 primetime games during his career. I like that production.

JuJu Smith-Schuster – Sit

In case you missed it, Smith-Schuster will miss Week 12 as he continues to heal from a hamstring injury. Don’t forget to take him out of your lineups.

Martavis Bryant – Sit

With JuJu missing this game, there is a chance that Bryant could see an uptick in production and attention from Big Ben. However, with Brown in line to have another monster game, it is hard to trust that Bryant will also explode. Bryant is due for a big play at some point, but that risk doesn’t warrant plugging him into your starting lineup. Unless you are in desperate need for a WR3 or a flex, keep Bryant on your bench. The boom-or-bust production isn’t worth it (nor has it been present this year).

Jesse James/Vance McDonald – Sit

James had a… respectable showing against the Titans, mainly due to a goal line touchdown. Other wise, you’d be look at a stat line of 4 receptions, 20 yards, and 0 touchdowns. James has eclipsed more than 3 receptions just 3 times this season and doesn’t have more than 42 yards in any contest. McDonald has shown some flashes of usefulness, but hasn’t been consistently involved in the offense to even consider using him in fantasy. The Packers have been especially stingy against tight ends this season, making it even more logical to keep both of the Steelers’ tight ends out of your lineup (or off of your team altogether).

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Steelers D/ST – Start

If Aaron Rodgers were healthy (which is why this game was a primetime matchup to begin with), this would be an entirely different story. But the reality is that Brett Hundley will be under center, and quite frankly, it hasn’t been an easy road for him so far. The Steelers have shut down opposing quarterbacks for the most part this season, especially at home. Hundley doesn’t appear to be the quarterback that will change that, even with the Steelers’ secondary missing Joe Haden. The Steelers are arguably the best play in fantasy football this week, so start them with confidence.

Chris Boswell – Start

Last week showed just why you should always start Chris Boswell if you have him on your roster. Against the Titans, the Wizard of Boz converted all 4 of his field goals and all 4 of his extra point attempts. With the exception of the rare hiccup, Boswell is about as consistent of a kicker as you’ll find in the NFL. As long as he doesn’t undergo a Jeff Reed or Josh Scobee type meltdown, Boswell will continue to be in the “start” column of my fantasy suggestions.


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