The Steelers are in the midst of an extremely controversial offseason and the repercussions of those controversies will have an impact on the offense’s fantasy potential in 2010 and beyond. Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended for 6 games, which is bad news for the team’s fantasy-relevant pass catchers. Byron Leftwich was signed to compete with Dennis Dixon for the early-season starting gig. Willie Parker is out at runningback, but Jonathan Dwyer was drafted to help replace him. The Steelers front office had enough of Santonio Holmes’ antics and traded him to the Jets. Antwaan Randle El and Arnaz Battle were signed and Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown were drafted to help fill that void. It’s also worth noting that Limas Sweed, who has been a disappointment, but was expected to compete for the WR3 job, is already out for the entire 2010 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Mike Wallace (17) will be a starting WR in all formats now that Santonio Holmes is out of the picture.

QB: Ben Roethlisberger : 204-of-314, 2507 yards, 16 TD, 8 INT, 23 carries, 68 yards, 1 TD – The 6 game suspension handed to Roethlisberger significantly hurts his 2010 fantasy value. He is a top 10 option when active and will return to that status once he is back in action, but the only way you should bother with him is if you’re weak at QB and he falls to you late in the draft. Despite the suspension, it is unlikely that he will go undrafted in most leagues. Someone will stash him while he’s out.

QB: Byron Leftwich : 114-of-200, 1314 yards, 7 TD, 6 INT, 14 carries, 27 yards, 1 TD – It will be Leftwich or Dennis Dixon behind center while Roethlisberger is out. Right now, Leftwich is taking first team reps, so we will assume he will be the man. Leftwich is a pretty hefty downgrade from Big Ben and you don’t want him in your starting lineup.

RB: Rashard Mendenhall : 299 carries, 1347 yards, 10 TD, 46 targets, 33 receptions, 313 yards, 1 TD – Mendenhall will officially join the fantasy elite this season when he puts up a top 10 season at running back. There are only a handful of workhorses in the game today and he is one of them. Mendenhall is in line for a 300 carry, 35 reception season.

RB: Mewelde Moore : 59 carries, 236 yards, 1 TD, 26 targets, 18 receptions, 143 yards, 1 TD – Moore will be the handcuff to Mendenhall and will see some work on third down. The team drafted Jonathan Dwyer, but he needs some time to develop and is unlikely to make a significant impact in 2010.

WR: Hines Ward : 134 targets, 85 receptions, 1038 yards, 7 TD – The Steelers will turn more to the run this season, especially while Roethlisberger is out, but Ward will still see plenty of looks. Now that Holmes is gone, he is the unquestioned top target for Pittsburgh quarterbacks. He might be up there in age, but a top 10 season is not out of the question.

WR: Mike Wallace : 118 targets, 62 receptions, 988 yards, 6 TD – The biggest winner in the Holmes trade was Wallace, who will step into the WR2 role in his second NFL season. Wallace was a big play machine in his rookie campaign and will be rewarded with a promotion in 2010. Expect a top 25 finish for one of 2010’s breakout fantasy contributors.

TE: Heath Miller : 98 targets, 71 receptions, 740 yards, 7 TD – Miller was a favorite target of Roethlisberger in 2009 and that should not change this season. Even while his starting quarterback is sidelined, Miller should see 5-7 targets per game. He is a TE1 in all formats.

PHI WR3 Jason Avant – 20 targets over the last 3 weeks, but only 42 on the season. Considering how the Eagles like to spread the ball around, it can be frustrating to own any of their receivers. That being said, DeSean Jackson will likely miss some action, which should only mean more looks for an up-and-coming receiver in a pass-heavy offense.

Jason Avant has been a vacuum for the Eagles over the last 3 weeks and could see even more looks with DeSean Jackson likely to miss some time.

Advice: Assuming Jackson is out, he’s worth a spot start this week if you’re desperate for a WR in any 12 team+ league. He is definitely worth at least a bench spot in deep leagues and in some standard formats.

PHI WR4 Reggie Brown – Is expected to start this week against Atlanta with DeSean Jackson likely on the shelf. He could easily see 6-7 targets on a team that is averaging 36 pass attempts per game and possibly more if the Eagles are trailing.

Advice: Won’t help you much once Jackson is back, so you’re better off rolling with Avant. That said, he’s not the worst one week fill-in.

WAS TE1 Fred Davis – Chris Cooley was officially placed on Injured Reserve, which means Davis is the starter for the rest of the season. Since Cooley was injured a few weeks ago, Davis has been targeted 10, 4, 6, 3, and 9 times, respectively. That is clearly a bit inconsistent, but not terrible for a tight end.

Advice: Borderline starter in 16 team leagues and should be on someone’s bench in all but shallow leagues. Considering the potential he has to catch 5-7 balls, if you’re shaky at tight end, he’s at least worth a spot as your backup.

ATL RB2 Jerious Norwood & RB3 Jason Snelling – Snelling was the main man in week 11 when Michael Turner and Norwood were out, but saw only 4 carries in week 12 when both were active. If Turner misses more action, you should expect Snelling and Norwood to split the carries, with Norwood seeing a heavier dose of the 3^rd down looks and Snelling carrying the ball more, primarily near the goal line. If Turner is active, Norwood will spell him and Snelling won’t see more than 5 looks.

Advice: Norwood’s production will be limited to no more than a few carries and several targets a game regardless of whether it’s Turner or Snelling stealing a majority of the carries and goal line looks. He’s worth a bench spot in deeper leagues and a start if you’re desperate in a PPR league and Turner is out. Snelling should be on someone’s bench in all leagues considering Turner’s health issues.

CHI WR3 Johnny Knox – Knox is probably owned in most of your leagues, but some owners have been dumping him after a poor November. He went without a score from weeks 7-11 before finally catching one in week 12. The week 12 score might prompt people to jump back on the bandwagon, but consider that he was targeted only twice in week 12 and 5 times the week before. He’s made some big plays and Chicago is throwing more than all but 2 teams, but he’s the 4^th or 5^th option in the pass game most weeks and is lucky to have 6 balls thrown his way.

Advice: The potential is there for the rookie, but he’s too shaky to start right now. If you have room, leave him on your bench and keep an eye on the target numbers.

STL WR2 Brandon Gibson & WR3 Danny Amendola – Gibson has now been targeted a grand total of 33 times over the last 3 games, but only 15 of those looks were receptions and those catches were translated into only 172 yards and 0 touchdowns. Amendola is back as a relevant contributor to the passing game after Keenan Burton’s season-ending injury with 15 targets for 11 catches over the last 2 games.

Advice: The Rams offense has been better as of late, but it isn’t going to score touchdowns very often, which means limited value for its wide receivers not named Donnie Avery. That being said, both are seeing a ton of looks and with looks comes production. Both are worth bench spots in deep leagues, but you shouldn’t feel comfortable with them in your starting lineup.

HOU RB2 Chris Brown & RB3 Ryan Moats – The Texans’ cloudy runningback situation is taking form over the last few weeks. It appears that Brown will see most of the carries and Slaton won’t be far behind. Slaton will also be used heavily as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Ryan Moats is not being used at all and likely won’t be unless Slaton struggles or is injured.

Advice: Brown should be treated very much like Beanie Wells. He’s going to carry it 10-15 times most weeks and could score a touchdown here or there, but his value will always be limited (especially in PPR) because another back (Slaton for HOU and Hightower for ARZ) is stealing a portion of the carries and 3^rd down looks.

TEN WR2 Kenny Britt – Vince Young and the rookie Britt seem to be developing some chemistry and that could bode well for Britt’s stock going forward. He’s been targeted by Young 16 times over the last 2 weeks and has responded with 11 catches for 170 yards and 2 scores. Britt should continue to see a respectable amount of looks over the next few weeks, but 2 things will consider to hinder Britt’s stock. (1) Justin Gage is still out with a back injury and could return and take back his starting job soon. (2) Tennessee is throwing the ball only 22-25 times a game most weeks now that Young is behind center. The 43 pass attempts in week 12 are not something you can expect to see going forward.

Advice: Britt is definitely worth a roster spot in deep leagues, but you shouldn’t feel comfortable with him as a starter in a your standard 12 team league.

PIT WR3 Mike Wallace – Wallace has caught only 3 balls total over the last 3 games with the lowlight of his season coming in week 12 when Dennis Dixon failed to connect with him on any of the 4 passes thrown his way.

Advice: Although the rut started while Roethlisberger was behind center, it is not time to give up on Wallace. The Steelers will continue to throw his way 5-7 times a game, which has been enough for him to put up decent numbers. He’s not someone you want as a #1 or #2 WR, but he’s a respectable 3^rd option in most leagues.

CLE WR1 Mohamed Massaquoi & WR2 Chansi Stuckey – Massaquoi (20 targets over the last 2 weeks) and Stuckey (14) seem to have earned the trust of Brady Quinn, who has thrown their way a ton over the last 2 weeks. Stuckey has been more consistent, with 5 catches and a score in week 11 and 4 catches in week 12, while Massaquoi went from 5 catches, 115 yards, and a score in week 11 to only 1 catch in week 12.

Advice: Massaquoi is Quinn’s #1 option, which gives him at least some value in most formats. He’s not the worst you can do in 16 team leagues, but his production is too volatile to be starting him in 12 teamers. Stuckey seems to be developing chemistry with his new quarterback, but don’t expect much more than a few looks and catches each week from him in this shaky offense.

AFC NORTH

Cleveland Browns
There is a heated quarterback battle between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. I will save the breakdown of each quarterback for another time. There isn’t going to be much deference between the two therefore you won’t see much change in the entire team’s fantasy production.

Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison- The Browns running game really struggled last year and having Quinn or Anderson behind center is not going to solve that issue.

Braylon Edwards, David Patton, Brian Robiskie, Mohamed Massaquoi, Steve Heiden- I could throw passes to Braylon Edwards and he would drop 5 out of 10. This group will have the same fantasy numbers no matter who is the starting quarterback.

Phil Dawson- No change in the kicking games production.

Cleveland Defense- Same production by the defensive unit.

Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco is at his local gas station when a few people start to poke fun at his uni-brow. A fight ensues and Flacco breaks his nose and will be out for a few weeks.

Troy Smith- Smith has a career total of 80 yards passing. The Ravens will have another inexperienced quarterback at the helm. Smith will not put up impressive fantasy numbers, the Ravens are a running team.

Ray Rice, Willis McGahee, Le’Ron McClain- This group will see the same amount of carries and production.

Derek Mason, Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams, Kelly Washington- Flacco’s extremely strong arm benefits Clayton, so Flacco’s injury will have an affect on his production. Mason will put up good numbers either way and deserves a spot on your fantasy roster.

Todd Heap, LJ Smith- Heap will loose some opportunities with the addition of LJ Smith but there production will not vary with Troy Smith running things.

Steven Hauschka- There will be not changes in the production of the kicking game.

Baltimore Defense- The defense will remain dominate.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Due to Big Ben’s legal troubles a judge sentences him to keep his hands to himself, therefore not allowing him to put his hands under center. Charlie Batch is now the starting quarterback.
Charlie Batch- Batch is a game manager that will not put up big fantasy numbers.

Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore- The Steelers were a running team before Ben’s situation and now they will have to focus even more on the ground attack. Expect more carries for all.

Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Sawn McDonald, Limas Sweed- Ward and Holmes will put up decent numbers but nothing spectacular. They are going to get fantasy playing time depending on the weekly matchups.

Heath Miller- Miller is in the same boat as the receivers. With Batch Pittsburg will only throw the ball 15-25 times a game with most of those targets going to Ward and Holmes.

Jeff Reed- The offense will have a lot less production therefore a lot less field goal and extra point attempts.

Pittsburgh Defense- This will still be one of the top 3 fantasy defenses.

Cincinnati Bengals
Carson Palmer attempts to race the same horse the wide receiver formally known as Chad Johnson raced and tears his hamstring. JT O’Sullivan is now the starting quarterback.

JT O’Sullivan- Has no business being a starting quarterback in the NFL or on your fantasy team.

Cedric Benson, Justin Leonard- Benson had a decent year last year with an equally pitiful quarterback so expect alright numbers but nothing great. Benson will be at best a spot starter for your team.

Chad Ochocinco, Laveranues Coles, Chris Henry, Reggie Kelly- I guess the one good thing is that JT O’Sullivan likes to take risks and throw it deep, so Ochocinco may have some opportunities. However, I expect Ochocinco to miss Palmer and disappear on a lot of plays. Coles will put up similar numbers as Houshmanzadeh did last season.

Shayne Graham- With a less effective offense comes less opportunities for the kicking game.

Cincinnati Defense- The defense will have a lot more points scored on them as a result of the offense not being able to sustain drives.

Last Update: 9/5/2009

Quarterbacks:

Ben Roethlisberger
Charlie Batch
Dennis Dixon

Runningbacks:

Willie Parker
Rashard Mendenhall
Mewelde Moore
Frank Summers
Najeh Davenport

Wide Receivers:

Hines Ward
Santonio Holmes
Limas Sweed
Mike Wallace*
Shaun McDonald
Stefan Logan

Tight Ends:

Heath Miller
Mark Spaeth
David Johnson*

Kickers:

Jeff Reed

*Rookie