Fantasy Football Week 11: Complete Monday Night Preview
Once again, we saw some prolific scoring performances in the NFL this weekend.
The Green Bay Packers totaled more than 50 points for the second straight week. The New England Patriots put 42 on the board at Indianapolis.
We saw huge performances from Patriots running back Jonas Gray (199 rushing yards, four touchdowns), Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie wideout Mike Evans (seven receptions for 209 yards and two touchdowns) and, of course, Aaron Rodgers (341 passing yards, three touchdown passes), to name a few. You can bet the fantasy owners of those performers have smiles on their faces this morning.
Monday night, we are not expecting a huge outing from either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Tennessee Titans. But there may be some points to pick up along the way if you are in a nip-and-tuck battle in your league.
Starting Quarterbacks
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Pittsburgh Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger
Even with last week’s disappointing showing against the New York Jets, it’s been a big year for Big Ben.
The 11-year signal-caller has thrown for 3,063 yards and 23 touchdowns while being picked off just five times in 10 games this season.
In his last three outings, Roethlisberger has thrown for 13 scores and just two interceptions. He’s also totaled at least 340 yards through the air in each of those contests.
Fantasy Prediction: 25-of-31, 263 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT. 2 carries, 3 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Zach Mettenberger
The tools are there for the rookie signal-caller, who will be making his third NFL start on Monday night.
This season, Mettenberger has completed 61.6 percent of his throws but has thrown just as many touchdown passes as interceptions (three). He has also lost one fumble and been sacked seven times.
It’s safe to say he’ll be getting plenty of interesting looks from Steelers veteran defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau in this contest.
Fantasy Prediction: 18-of-33, 201 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT. 1 carry, 1 yard, 0 TD.
Running Backs
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Pittsburgh Steelers Starter: Le’Veon Bell
A year ago, Bell led the team in rushing as a rookie with 860 yards and eight touchdowns. This season, the second-round pick in 2013 has run for only one score but again leads the club with 747 yards on the ground.
However, over the last two weeks, the second-year pro has totaled a combined 21 carries for only 56 yards. Bell’s longest run over that span is a mere eight yards. Still, he ranks second on the Steelers with 55 catches and has more receiving touchdowns (two) than rushing touchdowns (one) this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 14 carries, 71 yards, 0 TD. 4 receptions, 40 yards, 0 TD.
Pittsburgh Steelers Backup: LeGarrette Blount
The power runner has two of the team’s three rushing touchdowns this season. Blount ranks second on the club with 266 yards on the ground on only 65 attempts, a nifty 4.1 yards per carry.
Unlike Bell, the one-time Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New England Patriots performer has a grand total of six receptions for 36 yards. As of late, he’s been a bigger factor on kickoff returns.
Fantasy Prediction: 11 carries, 34 yards, 0 TD. 2 receptions, 12 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans Starter: Bishop Sankey
The first running back taken in the 2014 draft has rushed for a team-high 357 yards but on just 91 carries this season. It’s no surprise considering the Tennessee running game entered Week 11 ranked 29th in the league.
Sankey got the start last Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens and has totaled 16 or more carries in three of his last four games. Don’t be surprised if he has a decent night against a Pittsburgh defense that has been spotty against the run all season.
Fantasy Prediction: 17 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD. 2 receptions, 12 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans Backup: Shonn Greene
In his second season with the Titans, the former New York Jets standout is hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2013. Greene played in just 11 games and ran for 295 yards and four touchdowns.
This year, he ranks second on the team with 196 yards on the ground and scored just once. Greene has not caught a pass this season, and we haven’t seen much of him as of late. He’s totaled a mere nine yards on five carries the last two games after being inactive the previous two contests.
Fantasy Prediction: 6 carries, 27 yards, 0 TD. 0 receptions.
Wide Receivers
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Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown
Like many of the Steelers last week, it was a forgettable Sunday for Brown. While he extended his streak of games with five or more catches to 25 contests, he also lost a pair of fumbles in the 20-13 loss to the New York Jets.
Still, it’s been a huge year for the talented Brown, who entered Week 11 as the NFL leader in catches (79) and receiving yards (1,070) to go along with eight touchdown receptions.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 74 yards, 1 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 and has really come on as of late. Wheaton has totaled 35 receptions for 436 yards and two scores. In his last three games, the emerging performer has totaled 11 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Fantasy Prediction: 3 receptions, 45 yards, 0 TD.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Martavis Bryant
The Steelers were patient when it came to Bryant, but now the secret is out on the fourth-round pick in May. Bryant made his first appearance of the season on Monday night against the Houston Texans, and his first reception was for a 35-yard score.
In four appearances in 2014, Bryant has caught just 14 passes but for a whopping 310 yards and ranks second on the team with six touchdown grabs.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 53 yards, 0 TD.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Lance Moore
The former New Orleans Saints wideout missed the first two games and is slowly but surely making an impact on the offense. For the season, Moore has caught 10 passes for 141 yards and a pair of scores.
We don’t look for big things from him tonight, but there’s a feeling he gets one of Ben Roethlisberger’s anticipated two touchdown passes on Monday night.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 reception, 10 yards, 1 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Nate Washington
The former undrafted free agent began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was a member of that team’s Super Bowl XL championship squad.
Last season, Washington totaled 58 grabs for 919 yards and three scores. This year, the veteran wideout has snared just 19 passes for 267 yards but has yet to find the end zone.
Fantasy Prediction: 5 receptions, 82 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Justin Hunter
You get the feeling that Hunter is capable of bigger and better things, but we’re still waiting. He ranks third on the team with 21 catches for 368 yards and two touchdowns this season. Both of his scores have come in the last five games, but it’s worth noting that he’s been targeted 50 times this season and caught less than half of the passes aimed his way.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 50 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Kendall Wright
The first-round pick in 2012 from Baylor University has piled up his share of receptions (197) in three seasons but has scored only 10 touchdowns. Wright also owns a disappointing 10.7 career average per reception.
This season, Wright leads the club with 39 catches and is tied for the team lead with four touchdown catches. But he’s totaled only 403 yards, a mere 10.3 yards per grab.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 31 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans: Derek Hagan
The one-time third-round pick of the Miami Dolphins (2006) is with his fifth team in eight NFL seasons. Hagan, who didn’t play football in 2013, has been targeted six times and caught five passes for 85 yards and a score this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 2 receptions, 20 yards, 0 TD.
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Tight Ends
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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. This year, Miller ranks third on the team with 38 receptions, good for 430 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
After catching seven passes for 112 yards and a touchdown in the Week 8 win over the Indianapolis Colts, the sure-handed performer has totaled just four catches for 43 yards the last two weeks.
Fantasy Prediction: 4 receptions, 21 yards, 0 TD.
Pittsburgh Steelers Backup: Matt Spaeth
How’s this for symmetry?
A year ago, Spaeth’s lone reception covered 11 yards and resulted in a touchdown.
This season, the blocking specialist has once again caught just one pass, but it was for 33 yards and a score in the Sunday night win over the Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago.
Spaeth also has a two-point conversion to his credit when he snared a pass in the end zone on a botched PAT attempt.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 reception, 10 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans Starter: Richard Gordon
We’ll keep you updated, but it doesn’t appear that starter Delanie Walker will be available for this contest. The sure-handed performer ranks second on the team with 38 catches, first in receiving yards (512) and tied for the team lead with four touchdown receptions.
Gordon has played in just two games this season (one start) and does not have a catch.
Fantasy Prediction: 1 reception, 6 yards, 0 TD.
Tennessee Titans Backup: Chase Coffman
The Titans’ tight end situation is murky for this contest. Coffman has totaled two catches for 18 yards this season, both of those receptions coming in a losing effort to the Cleveland Browns earlier this year. Last week, Coffman was targeted three times vs. the Baltimore Ravens and didn’t total a catch.
Fantasy Prediction: 0 receptions.
Defense/Special Teams
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Pittsburgh Steelers Defense/Special Teams
As of late, we have seen flashes of the kind of defense that made Dick LeBeau’s unit a household name. While the Steelers didn’t have a takeaway in last week’s loss to the Jets, they did sack quarterback Michael Vick four times. Pittsburgh defenders have totaled 10 sacks the last three games after totaling that same amount of quarterback traps the first seven weeks of the season.
The Steelers also have seven takeaways in their last four games, one more than they totaled (six) in their first six contests in 2014.
Fantasy Prediction: 16 points allowed, 5 sacks, 3 INT, 1 FF.
Tennessee Titans Defense/Special Teams
Led by nose tackle Jurrell Casey (four), Ray Horton’s defensive unit has totaled 24 sacks in nine games this season. The Titans have also forced 11 turnovers this year but do not have a takeaway in their last two contests.
The disappointing aspect of this unit has been its play against the run. Only three teams in the league have allowed more rushing yards per game this season, as Tennessee defenders are allowing 136.6 yards per game on the ground. The Titans have limited only two opponents to fewer than 100 yards rushing this season.
Fantasy Prediction: 17 points allowed, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 0 FF.
Best Sleeper Adds
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There are only a few weeks left when it comes to teams’ taking time off. Some of these players may be able to fill the void if you’re a little shorthanded this week.
1. Lance Moore, Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers (Owned in 0.3 Percent of ESPN leagues)
Is the sure-handed wideout ready to make a bigger contribution for this club? Moore has totaled 10 catches for 141 yards and a pair of scores in 2014. He’s caught no more than two passes in any game this season but if you’re short-handed this week, he may be worth a play.
2. Leon Washington, Running Back, Tennessee Titans (Owned in 0.1 Percent of ESPN leagues)
Could the well-traveled performer be a big factor this weekend? Nine of his 11 receptions have come in the last five games, and last week at Baltimore, he scored his first touchdown of the season. Perhaps he is the player who spells Bishop Sankey on Monday night.
3. Richard Gordon, Tight End, Tennessee Titans (Owned in 0.0 Percent of ESPN leagues)
Starter Delanie Walker could very possibly be a no-go in this contest, and while Gordon has played in just two games in 2014 and doesn’t have a catch this season, tight ends have always given the Pittsburgh defense problems. Yes, this may be a major reach.
Injury Report
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Here is a look at the latest injury report regarding the Steelers and Titans. It focuses on the game’s key performers, but the entire list for both teams can be found at NFL.com.
Pittsburgh Steelers | ||
Player | Status | |
Steve McClendon | NT | Out |
Ryan Shazier | LB | Out |
Ike Taylor | CB | Out |
SS | Out | |
Cortez Allen | CB | Probable |
No surprise that McClendon, Shazier and Polamalu are out on Monday night, as they did not practice. Allen was limited in Saturday’s practice, and the Steelers could certainly use him considering the numerous defensive injuries.
Tennessee Titans | ||
Player | Status | |
Dexter McCluster | RB | Questionable |
Leon Washington | RB | Questionable |
Delanie Walker | TE | Questionable |
Sammie Hill | DT | Questionable |
Blidi Wreh-Wilson | CB | Questionable |
The Titans’ injury list is relatively short but significant due to the fact that Walker, arguably the team’s most consistent pass-catcher this season, did not practice on Saturday as he continues to recover from the effects of a concussion.
Sit or Start
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Are you hedging on who to start and who to give the week off? We try to provide a little assistance when it comes to both teams.
WR Markus Wheaton (Steelers): For much of the year, Pittsburgh’s passing attack has been a one-two punch of wideout Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell. But receivers such as Wheaton and rookie Martavis Bryant have been making their presence felt as of late. Still, this may not be the night for a lot of points.
Verdict: Sit
TE Heath Miller (Steelers): The Steelers’ aerial game seems to be more wide receiver oriented as of late. Tennessee’s 3-4 defense could have some issues covering Miller, but we’ll take a conservative point of view considering the inconsistency of the Pittsburgh offense.
Verdict: Sit
RB Bishop Sankey (Titans): He may or may not be the starter on Monday night, but in any case, he’s gotten his share of carries in recent weeks. Sankey has totaled 103 touches from scrimmage this season and has scored just one touchdown, but we think he gets his second score in this contest.
Verdict: Start
WR Justin Hunter (Titans): Rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger is still getting his feet wet, and while Hunter may see his share of catches on Monday night, we don’t see him in the end zone.
Verdict: Sit
Some statistical support provided by Pro-Football-Reference, NFL.com and ESPN.com. Depth chart info provided by Ourlads.
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