Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Bengals

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.  This may be a more difficult game than what most Steelers fans are anticipating.  The Bengals have 3 straight division games starting with the Steelers so expect them to try to set the tone against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben will rebound just fine against the Bengals defense.  The offense struggled last week to put points up on the board but they were able to move the ball against a solid Bears defense.  I see Big Ben and company putting up 27 points against the Bengals this week.

Hines Ward – Historically a Cincinnati killer (just ask Keith Rivers).  Ward is closing in on his 10,000 yards receiving mark and it very well could happen this week against the Bengals.

Santonio Holmes - Holmes had one of his worst performances in recent memory last week.  3 dropped balls including a tough but catchable winning TD catch capped off a disappointing day for Holmes.  Even though the weather was less than desirable and the field was messy, Holmes dropped several catchable balls that ended up as “drive killers”.  I expect Holmes to rebound and post a solid overall performance with over 100 yards and a TD.

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Parker / Mendenhall – Parker has been the most disappointing player on the team so far this season.  He’s not running the ball with any authority and he’s been “tip toeing” to the line of scrimmage.  Mendenhall might steal some of Parker’s opportunities and rightfully so.  It’s time for one of these two to step up and provide some sort of rushing attack.  The Bengals run defense has struggled so this might be a good game to get this offense going.

Heath Miller – Miller continues to be one of Roethlisberger’s favorite targets.  He’s consistent, has great hands, and picks up first downs.  With the offensive line struggling, Miller is a nice safety net for Big Ben.

Steelers Defense – Although the Steelers defense hasn’t necessarily struggled, they do have some flaws.  For one, the Steelers outside linebackers including Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), James Harrison and emerging star LaMarr Woodley only have a combined 2 sacks on the year.  Lawrence Timmons appears to be healthy which should hopefully add to the pass rush this week.  This is a shocking statistic that no one would have guessed going into the 2009-2010 season.  With the loss of Polamalu, Tyrone Carter was exposed by Jay Cutler last week being responsible for 2 touchdowns.

Cincinnati Bengals

Carson Palmer - If last game was any indication, Palmer appears to be healthy.  Palmer has one of the best deep balls in the game and is typically very accurate.  If the Steelers defense doesn’t get a pass rush against Palmer, it will be a long day for the Steelers and their fans.

Chad Ochocinco – Ochocinco has had just one 100-yard game and three touchdowns against the Steelers since Ike Taylor’s rookie season in 2003 so don’t expect much out of him today.   He talks a good game and is being outspoken against Steelers cornerbacks William Gay and Ike Taylor but until he produces on the field against the Steelers, I would steer away from picking Ochocinco.

Cedric Benson - Benson has been one of the bigger surprises this year for Cincinnati.  However, like most other running backs, expect Benson to struggle against the Steelers stellar run defense.  Don’t start Benson this week on your fantasy team.

Fantasy Football Pick of the Day: Santonio Holmes (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #32: STEELERS VS BENGALS

Steel Curtain Radio:

Show Topics:

1. Offensive Keys
2. Defensive Keys
3. Tomlin’s Love Affair With The Pats
4. The Steelers Are A Passing Team – Duh?
5. Why the Bungels game is a must win?

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Chad Ocho Stinko play doesn’t backup talk

Chad Ochocinco talks more than he plays.  ESPN relayed a comment that Ochocinco is going to make William Gay and

Ike Taylor “kiss the baby” this weekend.  What is he talking about?  When was the last time Chad Johnson (i.e. sorry Ochocinco) has done anything productive against the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Johnson has had just one 100-yard game and three touchdowns against the Steelers since Taylor’s rookie season in 2003.  Ike Taylor has owned Chad Johnson but you don’t hear Ike talking trash.  With the Steelers playing the Bengals twice a year, these statistics are not worth bragging about and are actually pathetic considering Johnson is supposedly Carson Palmer’s number one target.  Someone should relay to Chad that he should worry about production on the field rather than talk off the field.

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Johnson is very easily one of the most overrate player s in the league.  Didn’t he wear a jacket that said “Future HOF’er” on the back?  That’s laughable.  Johnson doesn’t have half the credentials needed to make it into the Hall of Fame.  Now, Hines Ward is a different story.  He’s Hall of Fame bound.  And how ironic is it that Hines Ward will likely pass his 10,000 receiving yard mark against the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals have been consistently one of the worst, joke franchises in NFL history.  I actually feel sorry for Carson Palmer having to play for such a disgrace of a franchise and Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson’s antics.

Below is a reminder of what is coming to Chad Ochocinco:

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Bears

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Expect Roethlisberger to put up solid players against the Bears defense today.  I don’t see the

Steelers being able to run against this defense (again).  Our o-line is simply outmanned and not talented enough against most defenses of the Bears caliber.  Roethlisberger will throw over 30 passes and display why he’s an elite quarterback in this league.

Santonio Holmes - With Roethlisberger throwing 30+ passes, Holmes will be the primary target of many of those.  Holmes has been “lights-out” since the playoffs started last year.  Holmes will have over 100 yards and a touchdown against the bears.

Hines Ward – Ward only needs 117 receiving yards to reach 10,000 for his career.  What an accomplishment for a receiver in a run-oriented offense!  I could foresee both Ward and Holmes going for over 100 yards yet again.

Heath Miller – While Miller won’t have huge stats, he’s one of Roethlisberger’s favorite targets.  I expect around 50 yards receiving and a touchdown this week.  It’s also possible that given the Steelers offensive line struggles especially against good defenses, Miller may see more action as a “safety net” for Big Ben.

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Chicago Bears

Matt Forte – Even given the Steelers great defense, Matt Forte would be a solid pick this week because he does so many things in both the passing and rushing attacks.  Forte is a very underrated back with a good combination of speed and power.  However, don’t expect Forte to get 100 rushing yards this week against arguably the best running defense in the league.  I would say that he will have 100 all-purpose yards

Jay Cutler – Cutler is “hit or miss” in this matchup.  Last week he struggled with 4 interceptions and had an overall poor performance.  If he plays like that again, the Steelers defense will make it a miserable day.  If Cutler is on target, he could pose some challenges for the Steelers secondary.  Cutler torched the Steelers defense before and he could do it again.

Devin Hester – He’s a big play waiting to happen.  The Steelers secondary must respect his speed and athleticism.  If he gets behind the secondary, Cutler has the arm and accuracy to take advantage of it.  As proven, Hester’s punt return ability is off the charts.  Special teams could play a big role in the outcome of this game.

Move over Timmons, make room for Fox

Well, not permanently.

Lawrence Timmons needs to sit out this week’s game against the Chicago Bears and make room for Keyaron Fox. Timmons suffered a high ankle sprain in the 1st quarter of opening week against the Tennessee Titans. Although Timmons practiced this week, he tweaked his ankle again during the Wednesday practice. High ankle sprains are known to linger through the season if not rested properly. With the “tweak”, Timmons’ suffered during practice this week; it would be recommended to rest the ankle and let it heal properly before the injury gets worse or doesn’t heal completely.

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With Timmons out with an injury, expect Keyaron Fox to start and fill in admirably. Fox, a special team’s standout is the top backup at both inside linebacker positions. Fox has been known for his devastating hits on special teams and his very strong run defense at the ILB position. While both are solid players, Fox thrives on run defense while Timmons excels in pass defense. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Keyaron Fox play 1st and 2nd downs and have Lawrence Timmons replace him on obvious passing situations much like last year with Larry Foote. Fox is still unproven in pass

defense much like Timmons is unproven in run defense which is why I would leverage both players in this week’s game if Timmons is “ready to play”.

Chicago Bears’ Matt Forte is one of the top running backs in the league and will be a great test for the Steelers early in the season. Similarly, Bears’ athletic tight end, Greg Olsen will test the Steelers in the middle of the field which will prove to be a great test for Timmons or Fox.

If Lawrence Timmons does play, let’s hope he doesn’t aggravate a very nagging high ankle sprain injury. In the meantime, I think we can live without Timmons while he gets healthy, Keyaron Fox has been a pleasant surprise.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RUNNING GAME?

Listen to the latest broadcast of Steel Curtain Radio:

Pittsburgh Steelers Show Topics:

1. Offensive Grades
2. Defensive Grades
3. What’s Wrong With the Running Game?
4. Why Big Ben must imitate M.J.?
5. Why these Steelers aren’t your Parents Steelers?
6. Is Matt Spaeth’s Roster spot in Jeopardy?

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Steelers Hush on Polamalu Injury

Let the Madden curse live on.  As everyone now knows, Troy Polamalu’s Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) sprain injury has been kept quiet by the Pittsburgh Steelers front office and Mike Tomlin.

After the Thursday night victory against AFC rival’s Tennessee Titans , Mike Tomlin gave a post-game injury analysis of Polamalu’s injury by indicating that the MCL sprain injury typically sidelines players for 3-6 weeks.  Polamalu was expected to have further tests by the team doctor including an MRI to indicate the severity of his injury.

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Now, more than 3 days after the injury, the Steelers organization still has not released any further details regarding the extent of Troy Polamalu’s injury.

Is the injury worse than expected?  Is surgery required?  Will this sideline Polamalu for the rest of the year?

Or best case scenario, is the injury not as serious as first thought?  Perhaps given Troy’s track record, he can return to the playing field faster than expected.

You can’t blame the Pittsburgh Steelers organization for not releasing this information.  Let’s face it; opponents must game plan around Polamalu.  He is one of the top defensive players in the league and covers more space in both pass and run support than anyone I’ve ever seen.

If Troy Polamalu can’t return then why give opponents any more time than required to game plan against our secondary without our key playmaker.  In contrast, if Polamalu can return faster than expected, then why tell our opponents?  That way, they game plan for our secondary with the expectation that Polamalu is out due to injury only to surprise the opponent come game day.

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Titans

The Steelers and Titans kick-off the NFL season tonight at 8:30 est standard time.  For those fantasy football players, here are a few players to focus on:

Steelers Defense – Returns most starters from last laster.  The two replacements, William Gay and Lawrence Timmons are not downgrades by any means

Chris Johnson – Very fast and elusive. The Steelers defense historically has had trouble with cut-back runners (ala Fred Taylor).  Johnson is that type of player.

Ben Roethlisberger – Look for Big Ben to continue his success from the Super Bowl and put up solid numbers tonight against the Titans.

Hines Ward – Mr. Dependable will show why the Steelers decided to extend his contract and have him as a Steeler for life.

Limes Sweed – As the #3 wide receiver, Sweed is a mismatch for any team

Stefan Logan – As proven in the preaseason, Logan is an absolute speedster (ala Sproles from San Diego).  He’s dangerous as both a kick and punter returner.  I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he runs one back for a touchdown tonight.

RaShon “Sonny” Harris Signed by Panthers

The Carolina Panthers signed DT, Rashon “Sonny” Harris to their 53 man roster.  Harris was a pleasant surprise during training camp and preseason games.  He showed good push, adequate technique and the ability to take on multiple blockers.  Based on earlier reports, Harris was expected to replace the much older (and expensive) Travis Kirsche on a very veteran defensive line.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are in desperate need of getting younger up front with only Nick Eason (29) and 1^st round rookie, Ziggy Hood under 30 years old.

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The 6-4, 300 pound rookie defensive lineman from Oregon had the frame to pack on a few more pounds and potentially move to nose tackle in the Steelers 3-4 defensive front.  With Casey Hampton unsigned going into the regular season opener against the Tennessee Titans, Hampton is very unlikely to be signed to an extension.  Hampton has made it very clear that if he hits the “open free agent market”, he won’t be in the black and gold next season.  The Steelers won’t overpay for Hampton and some other team will (i.e. Raiders, Washington, etc).  With aging Chris Hoke as the only other option at NT, Sonny Harris would have been a welcome, young addition to that lineup.

Justin Hartwig signs 4 year extension

The Steelers came to one final contract agreement before the start of the regular season with a 4-year extension of starting center, Justin Hartwig.  Hartwing is entering his second season as the Steelers starting center after be acquired as a free agent from the Carolina Panthers.  Hartwig was entering the final year of his contract and wanted to stay and retire as a Pittsburgh Steeler.

The 4 year deal is worth 10 million with a 2.1 signing bonus.

According to sources, this is expected to be the last contract the Steelers complete before the season starts.  An ongoing business rule of the Rooney’s and Steelers organization is that they don’t negotiate contracts during the year.  This means that the following players will not be playing out the final year of their contract:

-  Casey Hampton
-  Willie Colon
-  Jeff Reed
-  Ryan Clark
-  Willie Parker