Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Browns

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  Steelers face off against the 1-4 Cleveland

Browns today at 1pm at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.  The Steelers have the opportunity to win its 3^rd straight game against a struggling Cleveland Browns team.  Last week, the Browns somehow pulled out a 6-3 victory against the Buffalo Bills which was one of the most painful games I had to watch in a long time.  Starting Browns quarterback, Derek Anderson went a miserable 2-17 in passing, but somehow the Browns were victorious.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a 28-20 win against the Detroit Lions.  The Steelers offense looked impressive again with Rashard Mendenhall averaging over 5 yards a carry and Ben Roethlisberger distributing the ball nicely to a wide range of his weapons including Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Heath Miller and rookie, Mike Wallace.

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Not so impressive was the Steelers defense.  Again, the defense allowed an inferior team to come back in the first quarter until a streak of sacks by LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison ended the game.  From the defensivie perspective, the good news is that all-pro safety, Troy Polamalu is returning to action for the first time since the season opener against the Tennessee Titans.  The bad news is standout defensive end, Aaron Smith, who is critical to the Steelers 3-4 is out for the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff.

And now for our Predictions:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben is off to one of his best starts in his already very successful career from a statistical perspective.  Roethlisberger is 1^st in the league in completion percentage and second in total yards only behind Peyton Manning. Roethlisberger is being considered a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) by most and I expect his numbers to only get better especially against a struggling Browns team.  Big Ben is a strong pickup this week amongst fantasy owners.

Heath Miller – Miller is on pace for his first Pro Bowl appearance and has been exceptional for the Steelers passing game so far this season.  Miller is second on the team with 29 receptions and 235 yards. He also leads the receiving corps with 3 TD’s.  Expect about 60 yards receiving and another touchdown for Heath Miller this week.

Hines Ward – Ward is the Steelers leading receiver thus far this season with 33 receptions and 440 yards receiving.  With Holmes wrist injury continuing to be a nagging problem, Ward will see more balls thrown his way.  However, it’s concerning to fantasy owners that Ward only has 1 touchdown so far this season.  With all things considering Ward is still a good play this week against the Browns.

Rashard Mendenhall – Mendenall has looked real impressive the past couple of weeks with Willie Parker being out due to a turf toe injury.  In two games, Mendenhall is averaging over 5 yards a carry and has 3 touchdowns.  Against the league’s worst running defense Mendenhall is expected to start and will see the majority of all carries with Fast Willie being the change of pace back as he recovers from his injury.

Ben Roethlisberger Jersey
Hines Ward Jersey
Rashard Mendenhall Jersey
Heath Miller Jersey
Santonio Holmes Jersey

Cleveland Browns

Joshua Cribbs – Unfortunately for the Browns, based on their play thus far this season, Cribbs is the only guy I would consider as a fantasy owner this week.  With Braylon Edwards being traded to the Jets, Cribbs should see some increased action as a 3^rd WR.  Aside from that, Cribbs is well known to be an extremely dangerous kick-off returner and has had prior success against the Steelers special teams unit.

Steelers Edge Lions

The Pittsburgh Steelers edged out another close one Sunday with a 28-20 victory against the one-win Detrot Lions.  Once again, the Steelers jumped out to an early lead only to let Daunte Culpepper resurrect the team.  Culpepper lead his team down the field with less than 2 minutes to play executing a drive which easily could have been the game tieing score.  The Steelers defense had other plans which resulted in 3 straight sacks of Culpepper and ultimately ending the game with James Harrison leading the way.

Steelers fans have reason for concern.  The Steelers have not been able to close teams out.  They need to be able to put the “nail in the coffin”.  In years past, the Steelers were able to control the clock with running the football.  Well, those days seem to be long gone for this Steelers group.  Against the Lions, the Steelers had no trouble moving the football but actually scored to quickly in respect that the Lions controlled the clock the majority of the second half. 

Game Stats

Ben Roethlisberger –  23-30, 277 yds, 3 tds
Rashard Mendenhall – 15 car, 77 yds, 1 td
Hines Ward – 7 rec, 85 yds, 1 td
Heath Miller – 5 rec, 54 yds, 1 td
Mike Wallace – 2 rec, 52 tds, 1d

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Lions

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  Steelers face off against the 1-3 Detroit Lions at Ford Field at 1pm today.  The Steelers will be visiting Ford Field for the first time since capturing their fifth Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl XL.

Unlike previous versions of our fantasy focus articles, this one will only feature Pittsburgh Steelers players.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – The Detroit Lions have given up more points than any other team in the NFL to opposing quarterbacks in fantasy football.   Roethlisberger should be in for a big game today against a struggling Lion’s defense.  However, if the Steelers jump out to a big lead early, Roethlisberger could be pulled or you’ll see a heavy dosage of Rashard Mendenhall.  The Steelers won’t run up the score and pad stats.

Rashard Mendenhall – With Willie Parker out with a turf toe injury, second year pro Rashard Mendenhall could be in for another huge day against the 20th ranked Lion’s run defense.  Last week, Mendenhall had his breakout game against the Chargers totaling 165 yards and 2 touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers defense.  Mendenhall will receive the majority of the carries except on certain 3rd down situations where he’ll be relieved my Mewelde Moore.

Heath Miller – On pace for 96 receptions, Heath Miller is on pace for his best season of his career.  Miller is underrated in most NFL circles, but he’s in for his first pro bowl season of his career.  Miller has been getting open in the middle of the field and is an obvious mismatch for many teams.  With Santonio Holmes receiving double coverage, Miller is seeing more balls thrown his way.  Last week against the San Diego Chargers, Miller had 70 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns.

Santonio Holmes - He has been targeted by Roethlisberger more than any other player, Holmes is due for a big game.   Even though Holmes has been seeing double coverage as the Steelers #1 receiver, he’s got the speed to beat those double teams and make plays deep down field.  Outside of week 1, Holmes has been quiet thus far this year; expect him to have close to 100 yards and a TD today against a weak Lion’s secondary.

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Chargers

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  The Pittsburgh Steelers play at home for the first time since the NFL opener against the Tennessee Titans.  This is a must-win for the Steelers in order to keep up with the division leaders, Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens are currently up 2 games on a struggling Steelers team and the Steelers are looking to rebound against a very talented San Diego team after losing two close games in which they should have won convincingly.  Here is a list of fantasy football matchups that you may want to consider:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben is going to have to come through against San Diego’s solid defensive front.  Even with the loss of Jamal Williams, the Chargers defense is loaded with playmakers.  However, Ben plays his best against good competition in prime time moments.  I expect more of the same from Big Ben.  Ben will put up 30 points on this

Chargers defense, at home, in primetime and display to the NFL why he is an elite quarterback in this league

Ben Roethlisberger Jersey and other Steelers Apparel

Mike Wallace – Wallace has been the only pleasant surprise for the Steelers this year.  He caught the most passes of any Steelers receiver last week totaling over 100 yards.  Wallace is a mismatch waiting to happen at the #3 spot.  He’s got amazing speed and quickness and hasn’t dropped a pass this season.  During the NFL draft, Wallace’s stock fell because scouts said his hands were suspect at best.  I don’t see that with this young kid, however I can’t say the same for Limas Sweed.

Mike Wallce Jersey and other Steelers Apparel

Heath Miller – Miller is “Mr. Dependable”.  He always seems to do his job and do it well.  He has great hands and is a good blocker.  He “seals the edge” when lined up as a tight end and does surprisingly well when lined up as a fullback.  Last week, he was dominant on the first couple of drives as a receiving tight end.  But for some reason, offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians stopped designing plays to go to Miller.

Arians has been heavily criticized by Steelers fans and rightfully so.  Why would he not get Miller more involved in

this offense?

Heath Miller Jersey and other Steelers Apparel

Rashard Mendenahll – This is a “dark horse” pick.  Per Mike Tomlin, Mendnenall didn’t play one snap last week because he didn’t feel comfortable that Mendenhall knew his assignments (i.e. he failed the weekly written game plan test).  We need Mendenhall to step up now and I think he’ll show-off some of his talent this week (IF HE ACTUALLY RECEIVES PLAYING TIME).

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San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers – Rivers was expected to be an MVP candidate this year.  He has loads of talent and is surrounded by talent. This could be a shootout-type game resulting in a classic Rivers vs Big Ben show down.  I expect both quarterbacks to put up good numbers this game.  With the Steelers pash rush less than desirable, Rivers could be in for a big game.

Antonio Gates –  Gates is in for a big game against this struggling defense.  With Polamalu out with an injury, the Steelers don’t have a good solution for the All-Pro tight end.  Lawrence Timmons has the speed and athleticism to cover Gates but it will be a challenge as is for any linebacker in the NFL.

Darren Sproles – Sproles is the type of running back the Steelers always have trouble with.  He has great cutback ability (i.e. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew) and has acceleration through the hole.  He’s also difficult to find behind a massive San Diego offensive line at 5-8 185 pounds.  Sproles might be most dangerous as a kick-off returner.  The Steelers special teams and defense must stay in their lanes and play disciplined football or Sproles could take one to the house on any given play.

Discuss at the Planet Steelers Forum

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)

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.

Max Starks Interview (Radio)

STEEL CURTAIN RADIO #4: MAX STARKS INTERVIEW

Check out the 1 on 1 Interview with Max Starks

Click Link to Listen

Show Topics:

1.  Max Starks talks About Free Agency and his Long Term Plans
2.  Max talks about what makes Big Ben so Special?
3.  Max gives his thought son Albert Haynesworthss Deal
4.  Max speaks on the media’s focus on contracts?
5.  Max gives his thoughts on Demarcus Ware
6.  Max gives his thoughts on the differences between Tomlin and Cowher

Interview Provided by: whatchatalkinbout.com

McFadden Testing the FA Market

Bryant McFadden, the Steelers starting cornerback (opposite of Ike Taylor) became a free agent at 12:01 Friday, February 23rd.  With the big market signings of Raiders CB Nnamdi Asomugha and Redskins CB Deangelo Hall, McFadden and high-profile agent Drew Rosenhaus may be looking for a pay day. 

McFadden has been said to have visits scheduled with the Lions, Cardinals and possibly the Ravens.  I also wouldn’t be surprised to the see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers interested. 

The Steelers would be very wise to sign McFadden.  That would allow the Steelers to focus more exclusively on the offensive and defensives lines.  They lack quality starters and depth on the offensive line.  The defensive line has very little depth but a solid starting lineup.  The entire defensive line is now over 30 years old and Casey Hampton is in the last year of his contract.  Don’t expect the Steelers front office to extend Hampton’s contract which leaves a gaping hole at NT, leaving vacant one of the most important positions in the 3-4 defense. 

The Steelers haven’t fared well in the offseason thus far.

• The Steelers have been unable to lock down James Harrison for a long-term contract. In fact, his agent said that they’re “not close”.
• The Steelers franchised Max Starks. The FO has said that they plan on working out a long-term contract. Well, that’s what they said last year when they slapped him with the transition tag. Starks made close to 7 million last year with the transition tag and now is scheduled to make close to 9 million this year due to the franchise tag. Wouldn’t the Steelers see that it’s financially more sound to sign him to a long term deal instead of paying him close to 16 million for 2 years?
• Willie Colon was tendered a 1^st round pick. Are the Steelers planning on signing Colon long-term? Will he be playing guard or tackle?
• The Steelers haven’t extended LaMarr Woodley or Heath Miller
• The Steelers are very thin at offensive line and haven’t signed ANYONE. Kemo is returning but Essex remains unsigned, and Simmons was cut. This leaves the Steelers with an empty slot at guard and the other guard as Darnell Stapleton who struggled at times last season. A look towards the future (2010 season) indicates that Justin Hartwig, Willie Colon, and Max Starks will all be UFA next season. That could possibly mean that the entire offensive line could contain new starters in one year.
• Nate Washington is expected to sign with the Detroit Lions for #2 wide receiver money.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2008 Salaries

Steelers 2008 Salaries
Rk	Player	Salary (US$)
1	Ben Roethlisberger	$27,701,920
2	Max Starks	$6,899,800
3	James Farrior	$6,802,400
4	Hines Ward	$5,453,840
5	Ike Taylor	$4,643,360
6	Troy Polamalu	$4,625,000
7	Marvel Smith	$4,551,440
8	Casey Hampton	$4,100,960
9	Brett Keisel	$3,903,840
10	Willie Parker	$3,903,840
11	Kendall Simmons	$3,601,920
12	Aaron Smith	$3,255,760
13	Charlie Batch	$3,036,720
14	Rashard Mendenhall	$2,815,000
15	Larry Foote	$2,542,880
16	Lawrence Timmons	$2,199,760
17	Santonio Holmes	$2,176,920
18	Mewelde Moore	$2,005,760
19	Justin Hartwig	$1,980,760
20	Limas Sweed	$1,861,000
21	James Harrison	$1,806,720
22	Ryan Clark	$1,505,280
23	Deshea Townsend	$1,434,320
24	Jeff Reed	$1,430,280
25	Chris Kemoeatu	$1,423,240
26	Nate Washington	$1,419,880
27	Heath Miller	$1,347,260
28	Travis Kirschke	$1,133,360
29	Chris Hoke	$1,106,240
30	Greg Warren	$1,055,280
31	Tyrone Carter	$1,001,920
32	Trai Essex	$932,280
33	Nick Eason	$874,800
34	Mitch Berger	$870,000
35	Orpheus Roye	$870,000
36	LaMarr Woodley	$839,800
37	Bruce Davis	$800,626
38	Andre Frazier	$765,280
39	Keyaron Fox	$649,800
40	Byron Leftwich	$645,000
41	Bryant McFadden	$623,360
42	Sean McHugh	$605,000
43	Tony Hills	$599,500
44	Willie Colon	$451,720
45	Anthony Madison	$450,760
46	Arnold Harrison	$449,800
47	Anthony Smith	$448,840
48	Dennis Dixon	$425,000
49	Jon Dekker	$376,240
50	Matt Spaeth	$376,240
51	Darnell Stapleton	$376,240
52	Carey Davis	$375,760
53	Daniel Sepulveda	$375,760
54	William Gay	$374,800
55	Gary Russell	$370,000
56	Mike Humpal	$366,575
57	Dallas Baker	$301,720
58	Donovan Woods	$298,500
59	Scott Paxson	$295,000

O-line Final Challenge

The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has one more big challenge for the 2008-2009 NFL season.  And what a challenge it is, for the Pittsburgh Steelers 6^th Super Bowl victory.  Truth be told, I think the Steelers offensive line issues have not received enough publicity this week. 

The NFL analysts have been more interested in Larry Fitzgerald and the Steelers defense more than anything else.  But the game could and probably will be decided up front on both sides of the ball.  The Steelers offensive line will have their hands full to say the least.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm are very familiar with the Steelers sub-par offensive line.  They know their strengths and weakness and you can expect that both have been relaying their knowledge to the defensive staff of the Arizona Cardinals. 

The Steelers have the advantage in run blocking against the Cardinals.  The Cardinals are an undersized front and are not nearly aggressive up-front as teams the Steelers are used too and have played against.  The New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, San Diego Chargers, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, etc are all bigger and more aggressive defensive fronts that the Steelers have faced.  I would expect that the Steelers should be able to run on the Cardinals.  And make no mistake about it; we need Parker, Moore, and Russell to have a huge game which will in turn, open up the passing game. 

However, the Steelers have a disadvantage against the pass rushers of the Arizona Cardinals.  The Cardinals defensive front, while undersized, has very quick pass rushers coming off the corner.  This is by far the Steelers biggest weakness and could potentially win the game for the Arizona Cardinals and is a huge matchup for the Steelers.  Willie Colon will have his hands full and better not jump offsides to try to compensate for the speed rush.  Max Starks is the slowest footed left tackle in the league.  Ben Roethlisberger must get rid of the ball quickly, he must hit his quick hot reads, and must punish the Cardinals for sending blitzes his way (i.e. get the ball in Heath Miller’s and Mewelde Moore’s hands!)

While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line has been better later in the season, they must put together a good performance Sunday in order for the Steelers to hoist their sixth Lombardi trophy.