The Pittsburgh Steelers now know they will play Tom Brady in Week 1 and this season players like Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Sammie Coates are the best fantasy football options for Ben Roethlisberger, as Martavis Bryant is suspended for the first four games of the season. The Steelers visited with free agent Phil Taylor, but the team passed and did not sign him.
The Steelers are one of the top teams to watch for fantasy football owners this season, as the offense is expected to put up major numbers. Le'Veon Bell is out for the first two games of the season, but he is still worth a top pick for fantasy owners. Bell could be one of the top rated players in fantasy this year and once he returns he will be looking to pick back up where he left off last season. Bryant being out is tough, but it only adds more value to Antonio Brown (if that's even possible) and Wheaton.
According to Pro Football Talk, the Bryant suspension is now official and he will be out for four games for violations of the substance abuse policy. Bryant had a strong season last year and he was a breakout candidate this season. Bryant now will have to wait four games to get his year started up. Bryant also could be in a tough position if he gets suspended again, as he could face a 10-game ban or a year-long ban with more violations.
Last season Bryant had just 26 catches in 10 games, but he put up 549 yards on those catches and had eight touchdowns while averaging a whopping 21 yards per reception. Bryant has big play ability and is a great redzone target and now Roethlisberger will have to rely more on Brown and Wheaton to start the season. Darrius Heyward-Bey and Sammie Coates should get the chance to step up as well with Bryant out and the team has high hopes for Coates moving forward.
Wheaton will likely get the chance to start alongside Bryant for the first few games this season, as he was productive last year and should be able to keep things going with Bryant out. Wheaton had 53 catches last season for 644 yards after putting up six catches as a rookie and if he plays well, he could push Bryant to the third spot when he returns.
The Steelers visited with recently released defensive lineman Phil Taylor, but the sides did not agree on a deal. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers hosted Taylor for a visit, but the team is passing, as they think he has a "bad knee" and that it could need surgery. Taylor was the last link for the Browns to the trade that netted the Falcons Julio Jones and now he will be looking for another landing spot ahead of the season. Taylor is getting paid $5.477 million from the Browns despite his release.
