The Pittsburgh Steelers kickoff their 2013 season Sunday against the Tennessee Titans and below are my fantasy football stat projections for the black and gold offensive players.
Feel free to add your own projections in the comments below.
Ben Roethlisberger – 32 attempts, 20 completions, 250 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception.
Roethlisberger should hit the 30,000 yard plateau with ease Sunday, but with the team wanting to establish the run, his numbers aren’t unlikely to be off the chart.
Isaac Redman – 15 carries, 56 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 reception, 12 yards, no touchdowns.
In 46 career games, Redman has only carried the ball 15 times or more just twice. Being as head coach Mike Tomlin wants to get his other running backs playing time against the Titans, Redman is unlikely to set the fantasy world on fire Sunday afternoon.
Felix Jones -11 carries, 51 yards, no touchdowns, 2 receptions, 14 yards, no touchdowns.
Jones knows his role as a complimentary back and figures to spell Redman in the game. His ability to run the outside zone could result in him even getting the lion’s share of the carries Sunday against the Titans if he winds up being the hot hand.
LaRod Stephens-Howling – 4 carries, 19 yards, no touchdowns, 1 reception, 6 yards, no touchdowns.
Stephens-Howling figures to see snaps on third down in addition to one or two series when the offense goes into hurry-up mode. A 25 yard or better performance is not out of the question.
Antonio Brown – 5 catches, 99 yards, one touchdown
Brown figures to see a lot of Titans cornerback Alterraun Verner in this game and it should lead to a solid game. The Steelers will need someone to step up in the red zone this year until Heath Miller is healthy and he’s a candidate to do just that.
Emmanuel Sanders – 5 catches, 62 yards, no touchdowns
Sanders should be working out of the slot quite a bit in this game and should see at least seven or eight targets as he gets his first year as a starter off to a decent start.
Jerricho Cotchery – 2 catches, 19 yards, no touchdowns
Cotchery’s contributions will likely come on third downs as a third receiver.
Markus Wheaton – 1 catch, 8 yards, no touchdowns
Wheaton is not expected to see a lot of playing time in his first career game, so I am not expecting a huge stat line for him.
David Paulson – 3 catches, 30 yards, one touchdown
Paulson is a legitimate threat as a receiver and should be considered a weapon when the offense gets inside the red zone. One touchdown against the Titans will make his fantasy numbers respectable.
