Four players have already been ruled out on Friday for the game against the New England Patriots and it is not looking good for Hines Ward or James Farrior this week either. Let\’s have a look at the injured players and predict the other inactives this week. The official inactive list are released 90 minutes before kick-off and I will have them up on the site as soon as they are announced.
G Doug Legursky – Legursky will be down yet another week with his dislocated toe suffered against the Jaguars a few weeks back. There is still no real time table on his return, but best guess right now is that it could be after the bye. He is still moving around this past week in a boot and with a pretty good limp according to reports. Chris Kemoeatu will start again at left guard this week and Trai Essex will be the backup center.
LB James Harrison – Harrison will miss his 4th straight game this week and it is not looking good for him returning next week against the Ravens. He is still having some light sensitivity issues so when he does return, most likely after the bye week, look for him to wear a dark shield for a while.
NT Chris Hoke – Hoke is having some nerve issues in his neck following a few stingers early this year. Hoke was able to get some limited work in this past week so there might be a chance he is back next week against the Ravens. With Casey Hampton now healthy, there is no reason to rush him along.
LB Jason Worilds – Another game down for Worilds this week and I think they might keep him down until after the bye. He really has missed a golden opportunity these past few weeks with Harrison down.
LB James Farrior – The Steelers promoted Mortty Ivy from the practice squad today, so it looks likely that Farrior will be down this week with a calf problem that limited him all week in practice. Larry Foote will start and Stevenson Sylvester will play along side him in base defense.
WR Hines Ward – It is hard to say for sure if Ward will be down this week, but early reports suggest he will be after suffering an ankle injury last week in Arizona. The Steelers do not need to push him and the smart decision would be to let him sit a week. Emmanuel Sanders is slated to start in his place this week.
Jamon Meredith – The last inactive is a shot in the dark as I figure with Ward down, the Steelers might dress Dennis Dixon if God forbid they need a 3rd quarterback. Ward has normally served in that role as an emergency quarterback this year. This spot could just as easy go to Curtis Brown, Jonathan Dwyer or Dixon just the same.
