Number 85 will be unavailable for the Bengals tonight after being deactivated for violating team rules. A lot of fantasy owners were disappointed with his season thus far anyway, so this may or may not affect your decision to start him, but I can say that the right decision this week is:

Sit Chad Johnson.

But what does that mean for the rest of the fantasy options in the Thursday game?

 

Bengals

Your Bengals prospects were already not looking good due to their opponent tonight, the Steelers. For instance, I wouldn't use any Bengal running back tonight. However, a couple of players take a bigger plunge: WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick.

Housh will see greater defensive attention from the Steelers with 85 on the sideline. He might see more targets but could also see more deflections. Hopefully, Fitzpatrick wasn't your starting option this week.

Chris Henry should get the start and might be worth a flyer.

 

Steelers

The guys at home on offense don't change a whole lot. The Steelers could be looking at a longer time of possession, which could be a good thing for Willie Parker. The real gainer from this situation is the Steelers' defense. They could be in for a huge week—as if they weren't already.