Fantasy Football Preview Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pittsburgh Steelers (2-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
1:00pm EST kickoff
Current line: Pittsburgh by 3
In a battle of the unbeaten, the Pittsburgh Steelers will turn to third-string quarterback Charlie Batch as they head to Tampa Bay to face Josh Freeman and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On to the fantasy predictions...
View All of My Week 3 Fantasy Game Predictions:
- Fantasy Football Preview Week 3: Philadelphia Eagles at Jacksonville Jaguars
- Fantasy Football Preview Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
- Fantasy Football Preview Week 3: Pittsburgh Steelers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Fantasy Football Preview Week 3: Dallas Cowboys at Houston Texans
- Fantasy Football Preview Week 3: Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers
Pittsburgh Steelers: Passing Game
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While missing regular starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to suspension, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to their young quarterback Dennis Dixon to lead them in Weeks 1 and 2.
Not long into Week 2, though, Dixon injured his left knee, tearing his lateral meniscus during a hit from the Tennessee defense.
Following the injury, veteran journeyman quarterback Charlie Batch entered the game and finished up the game, earning the win for his team in the process.
Without Dixon’s mobility in the pocket, the Steelers’ offense changes yet again to protect the significantly less mobile Batch in Week 3. Though Batch has shown the ability to win games in the past, one has to imagine that the Steelers are absolutely dying to get Roethlisberger back—but that’s still two games away.
Batch doesn’t have excellent arm strength or particularly excellent accuracy, so the Steelers would be wise to let him do what he does best and manage the game in Week 3. With Batch not having great arm strength, receiver Mike Wallace doesn’t make for as good of a fantasy play this week as he normally does, given that he usually gets the majority of his stats by getting deep on the opposing defense.
No one would have guessed it after last year, but the Buccaneers defense has stepped up in this early season, holding opposing quarterbacks to a measly 55.6 quarterback ranking so far this season—good enough for second best in the entire league. Though they have played Matt Moore and Jake Delhomme so far, this weekend’s game against Charlie Batch doesn’t seem like a reason to believe that the Bucs’ pass defense numbers are going to look much worse next week.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Running Game
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It’s back to pound-the-rock, classic Pittsburgh Steelers offense this week.
With Charlie Batch at quarterback and an underrated Buccaneers secondary, the Steelers have to trust running back Rashard Mendenhall to carry their offense down the field.
Mendenhall, who has rushed for 189 yards in the first two games this season, has run the ball 45 times already this season, and that number could nearly double after this Sunday.
The Buccaneers have to know that the run is coming this Sunday, so they will do everything in their power to stop Mendenhall. After doing a pretty good job in Week 2 against Carolina’s two-headed monster, the Buccaneers’ front seven is an interesting matchup for the Pittsburgh offense, which has struggled to move the ball so far this season.
If Pittsburgh does expect to win, they will need to get their running game going—even if everyone knows it’s coming.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Fantasy Projections
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Charlie Batch: 165 yards passing / 0 TD / 1 INT
Rashard Mendenhall: 115 yards rushing / 1 TD / 20 yards receiving
Hines Ward: 60 yards receiving / 0 TD
Mike Wallace: 35 yards receiving / 0 TD
Heath Miller: 30 yards receiving / 0 TD
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Passing Game
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Few would have expected a 2-0 start from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won just three games in 2009—but here they are.
Excellent play from their defense as well as an excellent job protecting the ball from quarterback Josh Freeman have been the big factors in this quick start for Tampa Bay.
Rookie wide receiver Mike Williams has stepped up and had an immediate impact, catching two of Freeman’s four touchdown passes in this young season, while tight end Kellen Winslow remains an important safety net for the sophomore quarterback.
This passing game has been working at a level that not even the coaching staff could have predicted, but now they have to prove that they can do it against one of the league’s best defenses.
The Steelers are currently holding opposing quarterbacks to a terrible 63.6 quarterback rating through two games, including absolutely destroying both of Tennessee’s quarterbacks, Kerry Collins and Vince Young, last week. Pittsburgh sits atop the NFL in total turnovers forced, with eight already in just two games.
As if it wasn’t normally bad enough, look for the Steelers to bring a tremendous amount of pressure on Freeman this weekend in an effort to get him to make mistakes that will lead to turning the ball over. With Pittsburgh’s offense not being particularly great right now, they will need to continue forcing turnovers to win this game.
On the flip side, the Buccaneers will likely leave extra players in the backfield to help protect Freeman on obvious passing downs.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Running Game
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It’s not going to be easy.
Tampa Bay running back Cadillac Williams has struggled to run the ball through the first two weeks of the season, rushing for just 75 and 51 yards respectively in games against the Browns and Panthers.
Williams is also yet to get into the end zone this season, though that’s not really anything new—he has just 18 rushing touchdowns in his five-year NFL career, including just four in his first full season as a starter in 2009.
The Steelers currently rank fourth in the NFL in run defense, allowing just 2.2 yards per carry to opposing running backs so far this season and having not allowed a single touchdown yet.
Shockingly, these numbers came against two of the league’s best backs in Atlanta’s Michael Turner and Tennessee’s Chris Johnson. If the Steelers defense stopped those two backs, just imagine what they’ll do against Cadillac Williams.
Williams does have the potential to be a quality fantasy back this season, but this week he has to be on your bench.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Fantasy Projections
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Josh Freeman: 160 yards passing / 1 TD / 2 INT
Cadillac Williams: 45 yards rushing / 0 TD / 5 yards receiving
Earnest Graham: 10 yards rushing / 0 TD / 15 yards receiving
Mike Williams: 70 yards receiving / 0 TD
Kellen Winslow: 45 yards receiving / 1 TD
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