Rashard Mendenhall Injury: Update on Pittsburgh Steelers Star's Knee Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers' running back Rashard Mendenhall injured his knee and is questionable to return in Sunday's divisional matchup against the Cleveland Browns.

UPDATE: Sunday, Jan. 1 at 11:25 p.m. ET by Zachary D. Rymer

Things have gone from bad to worse. Via Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com, here's the latest news:

If so, the Steelers are about to tackle the playoffs without their leading rusher. They have enough offense and enough defense to survive Mendenhall's absence, but making it all the way to the Super Bowl is going to be much more difficult.

UPDATE: Sunday Jan. 1 at 8:45 PM EST by Sam Westmoreland

Things have officially gone from bad to worse for Rashard Mendenhall, as head coach Mike Tomlin and the team fear it might be an ACL tear, according to a report from Rotoworld.

However, at this stage of the game, it's impossible to be sure just how bad the injury really is, which is why ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the star running back would be having an MRI on the injured knee tomorrow.

At this point, it's looking less and less likely that Pittsburgh will have it's star running back in the backfield against the Broncos next week, which will deal their chances a serious blow.

Fantasy Impact

At this point, it's looking less and less likely that Mendenhall is going to play in the Wild Card round. Even if his ACL isn't torn, it's not terribly likely he'll be able to bounce back in time for next week's game. On the off chance he is able to go next week, Mendenhall's balky knee officially can't be trusted for any kind of fantasy production.  

UPDATE: Sunday, Jan. 1 at 7:45 pm EST by Brandon Galvin

Rashard Mendenhall's status for next weekend's Wild Card matchup against the Denver Broncos is up in the air.

According to Steelers Digest, "[Steelers head coach Mike] Tomlin on Mendenhall: 'Not good.' It's a knee injury."

Isaac Redman has filled in for the Steelers at times this season, but Pittsburgh definitely needs Mendenhall healthy to take down Tim Tebow, despite Tebow's recent struggles.

Fantasy Impact

Mendenhall was averaging 4.8 yards per carry on eight touches before going out of the game so his fantasy production will be far from stellar if he does not return. It hasn't been an amazing year for Mendenhall, however, as he is only nearing 900 yards on the season and has only found the end zone nine times.

Who's the Backup?

Isaac Redman is the backup RB for the Steelers. Redman has 18 yards on just five carries against the Browns as the game nears halftime. Redman has 91 carries this season for 387 yards and two touchdowns.

Devastation Scale (1-10)

9: Mendenhall's ability to break big plays out of the Pittsburgh backfield is critical to the Steelers' success this postseason. If he's lost for any length of time, the Steelers could easily be one-and-done in the playoffs. The injury to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's ankle will put pressure on the passing game this January, so the loss of Mendenhall is crippling to the offense.

Timeline for Return

Mendenhall is questionable to make a return according to many on Twitter and around the league. Given that Pittsburgh has already clinched a wild-card berth with 11 wins on the year, Mendenhall's return would do more bad than good for the Steelers' leading rusher.

What They're Saying

Many are reporting that Mendenhall suffered a right knee injury and that he is headed to the locker room for further evaluation. He is questionable to return to action in Week 17.