The Facts:
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is on track to make his 2012 season debut Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles. Mendenhall is at the end of a very lengthy rehab after his tore the ACL in his right knee on New Year's Day.
The Steelers have struggled to get anything going on the ground with the replacement duo of Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer. Pittsburgh currently has the league's No. 31 rushing offense and has produced a league-worst 2.6 yards per carry. Barring a setback, Mendenhall is expected to start Sunday against the Eagles' seventh-ranked run defense.
Reported by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
First things first--check your league's waiver wire to see if Mendenhall is still available and if he is, then pick him up. With the Steelers' run game on life support, Mendenhall should have no trouble garnering the lion's share of the rushing workload provided he's healthy--which means Isaac Redman returns to a complementary role and Jonathan Dwyer appears to be odd man out. In an ideal world, we'd recommend that you wait to see how he looks before inserting him in your fantasy lineup. However with four teams on bye this week, you may need to take a leap of faith and roll with Mendenhall sight unseen. Keep expectations in check as he tests out his surgically-repaired right knee in live action, but there is a lot to like about his longer-term fantasy prospects.
Profile
Home
