The Pittsburgh Steelers will get back Le'Veon Bell from his suspension after this week and that makes DeAngelo Williams the fantasy football starter at RB for the Steelers. Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Heath Miller remain the best options for Ben Roethlisberger with Martavis Bryant suspended.
Williams had a strong debut for the Steelers against the Patriots, rushing for 127 yards on 21 carries in the loss. Williams is a good option for fantasy owners of Bell for this week, as the running back will return from his suspension in Week 3. Williams may lose most of his fantasy value after that, but he is worth hanging on to in deeper leagues in case Bell gets injured. Williams played in just six games last season, but he has been a consistent running back for most of his career and he could be a strong backup in Pittsburgh.
Bell had a huge season in 2014 with over 2000 totals yards and he ended up with 11 total touchdowns rushing and receiving the ball. Bell rushed for 1361 yards and added 83 catches for 854 yards and he had one of the highest percentages of offense for his team in the league. Once Bell comes back he will be the workhorse again and that will give the Steelers a threat that defenses will always have to look out for.
The Steelers were not just without Bell in the Week 1 game, as Martavis Bryant is missing time with a four game suspension. His absence puts more pressure on Antonio Brown and it also gives Markus Wheaton the chance to step up until Bryant returns. Bryant is a great red zone target for the Steelers and having him out is a big hit for Roethlisberger. Fantasy owners can look at Wheaton as a replacement option and he comes in after making three catches for 55 yards on Thursday.
The Steelers also did not use cornerback Brandon Boykin on defense in the game against the Patriots in Week 1. The team traded for Boykin just ahead of the season and it was a surprise to see him relegated to special teams. The Steelers instead used Antwon Blake and William Gay at cornerback, and also used Cortez Allen when the team had three corner sets. Perhaps it was a matchup issue, but the team gave up a conditional draft pick for Boykin and they are a bit weak in the secondary. Keep an eye on this for Week 2.