Yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers are traveling to Seattle to play the Seahawks. Yes, the “Legion of Boom” will very much be present when the opening kickoff takes place. And yes, team captain and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is still dealing with a nagging foot injury. That said, even with so much damning evidence firmly in place, you and your fantasy team should strongly consider starting both Ben Roethlisberger and Martavis Bryan this weekend, if at all possible.
For starters, at least as far as Roethlisberger is concerned, the Seahawks’ defense has its holes. Seriously, Richard Sherman and his band of pass-stopping cohorts have allowed five different quarterbacks to rack up at least 20 fantasy points against them this season—two of which took place at home with Cam Newton and Carson Palmer. Heck, even Blaine Gabbert managed to earn the fantasy owners who were inebriated enough to start him a solid 18 points during San Francisco’s Week 11 encounter with Seattle.
Simply put, coming off a bye week, Roethlisberger needs to be given serious consideration. But it doesn’t stop there—Martavis Bryant is also pegged to provide some awesome production come Sunday. Sure, Antonio Brown is a must-start receiver regardless of the opponent, but Bryant has something to offer here, as well.
Often overshadowed by the aforementioned Brown, Bryant’s stats are pretty solid. Not only does he have five touchdowns in five games, but in two of those games, he brought in more than 137 total receiving yards. Seeing as how Roethlisberger looks his way an average of eight times per game and Sherman is bound to pay close attention to what Brown’s doing out on the field, there will be ample opportunity for Bryant to shine.
Hey, if the Arizona Cardinals’ Michael Floyd can go into Seattle and catch 7 passes for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns, so too can Bryant. Needless to say, as a fantasy owner, don’t be as intimidated by Seattle’s defense and home field advantage as others are. Come the end of the week, your boldness could very well be the deciding factor in a winning effort.