Fantasy football owners rejoice Le'Veon Bell has had his suspension reduced from three games to two, it almost makes you wonder why the league didn't just do away with the suspension all together.
Now Bell is being projected to be drafted first overall in about half of the fantasy leagues nationwide. Bell was the second place rusher in the NFL last year and would be the first if the Cowboys had not run DeMarco Murray into the ground. The big question for Bell owners is can he do it again? Only missing two games does make things a bit easier and Bell will likely get going a little earlier than he would have if the suspension was not reduced at all.
One thing that is often overlooked is that the Steelers have the hardest schedule in the NFL. Bell will be absent for tough games against the Patriots in week 1 and the 49ers in week 2 however he will return for the game against the Rams in week 3. The game against the Rams will be a tough one thanks in part to their dominant defensive line.
The Rams are one of the best run stopping teams in the league, so it will be no easy task for Bell. In week 4 the Steelers play the Ravens another one of the better run stopping teams in the league so it may not be an easy task for Bell to replicate his stats from a season ago. Mini-camp rumbles of Bell have extreme explosiveness this season may be absolutely necessary for him to even reach the plateau he hit in 2014.
