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BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs during their game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 11, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - SEPTEMBER 11: Wide receiver Antonio Brown #84 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs during their game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on September 11, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)Rob Carr/Getty Images

Antonio Brown's Updated 2014 Fantasy Outlook Heading into Week 3

R. Cory SmithSep 16, 2014

Fantasy owners everywhere have grown accustomed to Antonio Brown being a consistent force on the field. He typically racks up good points in fantasy, but much of his production in Week 2 came in garbage time late in the game.

With the Baltimore Ravens already holding a 26-6 lead, Brown caught three passes for 51 yards on the final drive. That made up for 39 yards on just four catches from earlier in the contest.

That time on the field was also broken up by a possible head injury, as NFL on ESPN reported:

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Brown would eventually return to the field, but Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense continued to struggle. The dismal night for Roethlisberger ended with just 217 passing yards, no touchdowns and a late interception to Haloti Ngata.

The late production by Brown also led to Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports bestowing him with a new nickname:

Coming into the season, Brown was viewed as the No. 9 receiver by ESPN.com. Therefore, 10 points from a player expected to be the No. 1 receiver on a team isn't quite what owners had in mind.

Owners might not always get astounding numbers from Brown, but they know they'll at least get average points. The Steelers receiver currently has a long streak of games with 50 yards or more, via Football Prospective:

Again, five points or more is an expectation for owners taking him as the No. 1 receiver. Rather than bucking the trend against the Carolina Panthers, the star receiver might be in for another rough night.

In Week 2, the Panthers defense shut down the Detroit Lions to the tune of just one touchdown from Matthew Stafford to—you guessed it—Jed Collins. OK, maybe you didn't guess that because he's a fullback.

What this all means for Brown is he won't get as many open looks as he would against any other defense. In fact, Calvin Johnson finished with just six receptions for 83 yards following a 164-yard, two touchdown performance in Week 1.

The man who blanketed Johnson for Carolina was Antoine Cason, who had help from Melvin White. Cason spoke about going against Megatron, per Justin Parker of Black and Blue Review:

"

I love it. I’m a competitor. To go against that guy and compete with him is huge. I accept the challenge. I accept the challenge all day, every day. Let’s do it again. I know who he is, I know who I am, I’m confident in me. To get out there and just play like that, with confidence on the corner, is huge.

"

Brimming with confidence after helping shut down the best receiver in football, Cason and White will now be tasked with Brown. If Roethlisberger is pressured as much as Stafford, who was sacked four times, it could be another trying matchup for Brown.

This isn't to say that Brown is falling off or won't be productive in the future. Pittsburgh actually faces two porous defenses in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars after the Panthers, so he'll get back on track after Week 3.

Owners who have other options to pull from might want to utilize those as Brown faces another tough test in the Panthers. Still the No. 1 receiver, expect decent numbers from Brown, but certainly not the points fans are used to seeing.

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