Isaac Redman Injury: Why Fantasy Owners Should Drop Steelers RB

With Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall sidelined by a hamstring injury this week the job of starting tailback for the Steelers fell to second-year pro Isaac Redman, making him a hot commodity on fantasy football waiver wires.

Redman was serviceable in relief of Mendenhall today, gaining 49 yards on 15 carries and adding three receptions for 12 yards, but there are a couple of reasons to suggest that fantasy owners send Redman back from whence he came and send him right back to the waiver wire this week.

First, Redman left today's game in the second half with a leg injury, and while that injury isn't believed to be serious neither is Mendenhall's, and Mendenhall will likely reclaim his role as lead dog in the Pittsburgh backfield next week when the Steelers face the Jacksonville Jaguars, sending Redman back to his reserve/short yardage role and severely hampering his fantasy upside.

Second, running back Jonathan Dwyer was surprisingly effective today against the Tennessee Titans running for 107 yards on only 11 carries. Dwyer looked much more explosive than Redman, who's more of a downhill "plodder" type, and it's possible that Dwyer's strong performance may have shaken up the depth chart at running back in the Steel City, especially with Redman now dinged up.

We should know more in the next few days about both Redman's injury and Mendenhall's status for Week 6. Fantasy owners who have both Redman and Mendenhall on their rosters would be well served to hang onto Redman as a handcuff at least for the time being. But fantasy owners who hopped on the Redman train hoping for a few weeks of solid numbers likely saw that train derail as it left the station today.