Fantasy Football Week 7: Complete Monday Night Preview
We saw plenty of NFL history on Sunday. Congratulations to Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning.
If you have either one of those performers (or both) on your fantasy football team this season, you must be off to a good start.
What about some of the players taking the field on Monday night at Heinz Field? The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Houston Texans in a battle of 3-3 teams. There’s plenty of star power on both of these clubs, and fantasy owners have been benefitting from a number of these standout players this season.
Will that be the case this evening? Let’s take a look.
Starting Quarterbacks
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Houston Texans: Ryan Fitzpatrick
Six games into this season and the veteran signal-caller has completed 65 percent of his passes but has thrown just as many touchdown passes as interceptions (six). Fitzpatrick has also fumbled four times, losing one of those miscues.
Dating back to last season with the Tennessee Titans, the well-traveled quarterback has thrown for 20 scores but has committed 21 turnovers.
Fantasy Prediction: 24-of-41, 293 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 4 carries, 24 yards, 0 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger
It’s been a choppy start for the two-time Super Bowl champions. And keeping the 11-year pro out of harm’s way this season has been the biggest issue as of late for head coach Mike Tomlin.
Roethlisberger has been sacked 17 times in six games in 2014, 11 times in the last three weeks.
Still, the resourceful signal-caller has thrown eight touchdown passes and just three interceptions this season. However, Roethlisberger has also lost two of his four fumbles.
Fantasy Prediction: 20-of-32, 257 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT; 2 carries, 6 yards, 0 TD
Running Backs
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Houston Texans Starter: Arian Foster
One of the game’s best workhorse runners remains just that when healthy.
Foster has totaled 106 carries for 415 yards and five touchdowns on the ground this season in five games. He’s reached the 100-yard mark in four of those contests and also ranks third on the team with 16 receptions (131 yards).
The former Pro Bowler takes aim at a Pittsburgh defense that ranked a mediocre 15th in the league against the run entering Week 7.
Fantasy Prediction: 21 carries, 101 yards, 1 TD; 4 receptions, 46 yards, 0 TD
Houston Texans Backup: Alfred Blue
When Foster was unavailable in Week 3 vs. the New York Giants, Blue ran for 78 yards on just 13 carries.
The sixth-round pick in May from LSU has totaled 165 yards on 42 carries this season but is not a threat as a pass-catcher, catching just three passes for 26 yards. He’ll give Foster the occasional breather
Fantasy Prediction: 8 carries, 37 yards, 0 TD; 0 receptions
Pittsburgh Steelers Starter: Le’Veon Bell
A year ago, Bell led the team in rushing as a rookie with 860 yards and eight touchdowns.
Six games into 2014 and the former second-round pick has already totaled 793 yards from scrimmage, including 542 yards on the ground.
Bell also ranks second on the team with 28 receptions. But it is worth noting that Bell has scored just one touchdown this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 23 carries, 125 yards, 0 TD; 4 receptions, 52 yards, 0 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers Backup: LeGarrette Blount
The power runner has two of the team’s three rushing touchdowns this season. Blount has totaled 37 carries for 213 yards in 2014.
Unlike Bell, the one-time Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots performer has a grand total of three receptions for 17 yards.
Fantasy Prediction: 7 carries, 43 yards, 0 TD; 0 receptions
Wide Receivers
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Houston Texans: Andre Johnson
Last week in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Johnson caught his first touchdown pass of the season. He leads the team with 34 catches for 419 yards this season.
All told, Johnson ranks 11th in NFL history with 961 receptions, and his 13,080 receiving yards is the 15th-best total in league annals.
Against the Colts, the 12-year veteran totaled season highs for catches (seven) and receiving yards (99).
Fantasy Prediction: 6 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins
Looking for Johnson’s touchdowns? They seem to winding up in the hands of Hopkins, who ranks second on the club with 25 catches and 366 receiving yards. He has also caught exactly half of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s six scoring passes.
The 2013 first-round pick finished second on the team with 52 receptions for 802 yards and two scores. But Hopkins was targeted a season-low two times and caught just one pass for 12 yards in the loss to Indianapolis.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 85 yards, 0 TD
Houston Texans: Damaris Johnson
A waiver pickup from the Philadelphia Eagles, Johnson has totaled eight catches for 133 yards and a touchdown this season. His bigger role comes on special teams, leading the team in both punt- and kickoff- return yardage, but Johnson did catch three passes for 62 yards last week vs. the Colts.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 15 yards, 0 TD
Houston Texans: Keshawn Martin
A fourth-round draft choice back in 2012, Martin has totaled two catches for 23 yards this season. He’s not missed a game in three NFL seasons and has totaled 34 grabs for 361 yards and three scores in his brief career. His main contribution these days is as a punt returner.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions
Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown
Brown continues to impress every time he’s on the field and is arguably the league’s best wide receiver after the catch these days. He also owns an NFL-record streak of 22 straight games with at least five receptions.
This season, Brown has totaled 41 catches for 629 yards and five touchdowns. He’s one of the league’s most dangerous players after the reception. He figures to have another productive performance against the NFL’s 28th-ranked pass defense.
Fantasy Prediction: 7 receptions, 101 yards, 0 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers: Markus Wheaton
Injuries limited Wheaton to 12 games and one start as a rookie in 2013, and the third-round pick totaled only six catches for 64 yards.
As a starter this season, the second-year pro has begun to show positive signs. He ranks fourth on the team with 24 receptions and second on the club with 277 receiving yards. But Wheaton has yet to reach the end zone in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 42 yards, 0 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers: Lance Moore
The former New Orleans Saints wideout missed the first two games of the season and has now caught exactly one pass in each of his last three contests. Moore scored in the late stages of last week’s 31-10 loss at Cleveland but has been a bit of a disappointment to date.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 23 yards, 0 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers: Justin Brown
After not catching a pass as a rookie last season, Brown has totaled 12 receptions for 94 yards in 2014. He remains a work in progress, and we are all still waiting to see rookie Martavis Bryant, a fourth-round pick in May, to make his first appearance in the regular season.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 reception, 8 yards, 0 TD
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Tight Ends
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Houston Texans Starter: Garrett Graham
So far in 2014, Graham’s production has been inconsistent at best. He’s totaled 10 catches for 98 yards in four games this season, but five of those receptions came in Week 3. He’s been targeted just once in each of the last two games and has caught only one pass for three yards.
A year ago, Graham ranked third on the Texans with 49 grabs and totaled five touchdown catches in 13 games.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 43 yards, 0 TD
Houston Texans Backup: C.J. Fiedorowicz
The Texans grabbed Fiedorowicz with their first pick in the third round five months ago, and he finally caught his first pass last week, a seven-yard reception in the loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Don’t be surprised if he starts becoming a bigger factor in the passing attack.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 20 yards, 0 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers Starter: Heath Miller
The veteran is now in his 10th NFL season and comes off a year in which he caught 58 passes for 593 yards and a touchdown. In 2014, Miller has totaled 26 receptions for 262 yards and a score.
After catching 10 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in the Week 4 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the reliable performer has totaled just five catches for 65 yards the last two weeks.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 31 yards, 1 TD
Pittsburgh Steelers Backup: Matt Spaeth
A year ago, Spaeth’s lone reception covered 11 yards and resulted in a touchdown. This season, Spaeth has yet to catch a pass. That doesn’t figure to change on Monday night.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions
Defense/Special Teams
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Houston Texans Defense/Special Teams
A year ago, Houston not only had problems holding onto the football but struggled to create turnovers. In 2013, the Texans totaled a mere 11 takeaways. Their seven interceptions were one less than Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman managed last season.
In six games this year, Bill O’Brien’s club has picked off six passes and has forced a total of 14 turnovers. Add in 10 sacks (four by defensive end J.J. Watt) and this is a unit that bears watching.
Fantasy Prediction: 19 points allowed, 5 sacks, 0 INT, 2 FF
Defense/Special Teams
Pittsburgh Steelers Defense/Special Teams
Dick LeBeau’s unit has produced just nine sacks and the team has totaled only six takeaways in as many games in 2014.
Turning over opponents has been a problem for this club in recent seasons. Mike Tomlin’s club has amassed just 61 takeaways in 54 regular-season games dating back to 2011. It should be noted that during the team’s last Super Bowl season (2010), the Steelers forced 35 takeaways in 16 regular-season outings.
Fantasy Prediction: 17 points allowed, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 0 FF
Best Sleeper Adds
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A couple of these performers may not be on your team and could be worth adding on Monday morning. Sometimes a little last-minute shopping can be beneficial.
1. Alfred Blue, Running Back, Houston Texans (Owned in 2.2 percent of ESPN leagues)
He’s the understudy for Arian Foster these days, who remains one of the better runners in the league. But the rookie could be a nice insurance policy considering Foster’s injury history.
2. C.J. Fiedorowicz, Tight End, Houston Texans (Owned in 0.3 percent of ESPN leagues)
The tight end has not been a huge part of Houston’s passing attack so far this season, but the rookie tight end did catch his first pass last week. Could he be getting ready to supplant Garrett Graham as a starter?
3. Lance Moore, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers (Owned in 0.7 percent of ESPN leagues)
Is the sure-handed wideout ready to make a bigger contribution for this club? Injuries kept Moore out of the lineup the first two weeks, but he does come off a game in which he caught his first touchdown pass of 2014.
4. Shaun Suisham, Place-kicker, Pittsburgh Steelers (Owned in 25.6 percent of ESPN leagues)
We have the Steelers once again struggling in the red zone in this matchup, but we have Suisham staying busy. In six games this season, he’s scored a team-high 46 points and connected on 11 of 12 field-goal attempts.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at the latest injury report regarding the Texans and Steelers, focusing on key performers (courtesy of NFL.com).
Houston Texans | ||
Player | Status | |
LB | Questionable | |
Arian Foster | RB | Probable |
Andre Johnson | WR | Probable |
DeAndre Hopkins | WR | Probable |
J.J. Watt | DE | Probable |
Brooks Reed | LB | Probable |
Brian Cushing | LB | Probable |
Johnathan Joseph | CB | Probable |
For the second straight week, the Texans’ injury list is long. But once again, the majority of the players listed were full participants in the team’s last practice. It doesn’t appear we will be seeing Clowney on Monday night, but he’s getting closer to making a return to the field.
Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
Player | Status | |
Steve McClendon | NT | Out |
Ike Taylor | CB | Out |
Shamarko Thomas | S | Out |
Ryan Shazier | LB | Questionable |
Cameron Heyward | DE | Probable |
Brett Keisel | DE | Probable |
Mike Mitchell | FS | Probable |
The Steelers have their share of bumps and bruises on the defensive side of the ball. Shazier, who’s missed the team’s last three contests, remains questionable with a knee injury. Pittsburgh’s run defense has been erratic at best in 2014 and will be pressed on Monday night.
Sit or Start
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We know who the stars are when it comes to this contest. But is there a pivotal player or two who may be on your roster whom you can’t decide whether to start or not? Here’s a little help.
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Texans): The veteran quarterback has his ups and downs, but these days, the Pittsburgh defense just doesn’t make a lot of plays. He may not throw for a bunch of scores on Monday night but could flirt with a 300-yard performance.
Verdict: Start
TE Garrett Graham (Texans): You’re just not seeing a lot of passes headed the tight end’s way as of late. And if the Houston running game is rolling Monday night, Graham will once again not be a big pass-catching factor.
Verdict: Sit
WR Markus Wheaton (Steelers): Pittsburgh’s passing attack seems to have a one-two punch of wideout Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. Wheaton has caught 24 passes this season but hasn’t found the end zone.
Verdict: Sit
Some statistical support provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, NFL.com and ESPN.com. Depth chart info provided by Ourlads.
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