James Conner Is a Fantasy RB1 Until Le'Veon Bell Returns to Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner wasted little time helping fantasy football players forget about Le'Veon Bell.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Saturday that Bell didn't report by the 4 p.m. deadline, meaning he would miss Sunday's season opener against the Cleveland Browns as a result. Conner filled in admirably, though, and tallied 31 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns to go with five catches for 57 yards.

The showing proved Conner is a top-notch fantasy replacement until Bell returns even though Pittsburgh managed just a 21-21 tie in Cleveland.

For one, he is running behind an offensive line that Football Outsiders ranked as the seventh-best run-blocking unit in the league during the 2017 season. That group consistently opened holes for him, and he responded with head-turning numbers.

It also isn't hard to imagine the offensive line is blocking for Conner with additional motivation considering multiple members of the unit publicly criticized Bell for his holdout. This offensive line has the opportunity to prove it is capable of blocking for more than just the three-time Pro Bowler, and it did just that against the Browns.

Matthew Berry of ESPN noted Conner's early showing measured up favorably to Bell:

The rushing numbers are encouraging for the second-year back—who won the 2014 ACC Player of the Year on the Pittsburgh Panthers—but so is the fact that he was involved in the passing game Sunday. Ben Roethlisberger clearly trusts him when protection breaks down as a formidable checkdown option, which gives Conner all the more fantasy value in points-per-reception leagues.

The upcoming schedule is also favorable for fantasy purposes when it comes to Conner's production in the immediate future.

Pittsburgh faces the Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens in the next three games, and those squads were 25th, 23rd and 15th, respectively, in the league in rushing yards allowed last season. 

Fantasy players looking for a replacement for Bell or simply someone to ride the next few weeks should look no further than Conner. Sunday's showing was not a fluke, especially since he is running behind a talented and motivated offensive line and will face a number of weaker run defenses in the coming weeks.