RADIO
Last week we were led to believe that Ben Roethlisberger would be back under center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8. Now we’re not so sure. When speaking about his status for this Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Roethlisberger said, “I’m not getting my hopes up.”
It sounds like Roethlisberger just isn’t sure of how his knee is going to react with a full week of practice.
It’s safe to assume that Roethlisberger isn’t 100 percent healthy, but then again he has a history of playing great football while being a little banged up. Considering the Bengals are undefeated, it’s hard to imagine Big Ben sitting out this week if he has medical clearance.
Roethlisberger has a tough matchup this week, but he’s still safe to start in your fantasy football leagues if you don’t have a better option. His return to the football field should have a great impact on wide receiver Antonio Brown, tight end Heath Miller and running back Le’Veon Bell.
Brown will see a ton of targets and he has great chemistry with Roethlisberger. Miller has always been a favorite target of Roethlisberger’s, especially in short-yardage situations.
Without Big Ben, opposing defenses have stacked the box due to having little respect for the team’s passing game. That should change with Roethlisberger on the field and that can only mean one thing – more holes for Bell to run through.
In other news, ESPN’s Adam Caplan has reported that Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown won’t practice on Wednesday due to a shoulder injury. However, he is expected to start for the team’s Week 8 game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The team really has no choice but to start McCown. Their only other option is Johnny Manziel, and that’s the last thing the team wants to do.
McCown has played well this season, especially considering the team’s lack of weapons on the offensive side of the football. He has completed 66.8 percent of his passes for 1686 yards. He has thrown eight touchdowns and just three interceptions.
McCown and the Browns passing game isn’t the reason why Cleveland currently sits at 2-5. The reason the team hasn’t been winning games is because they have yet to establish a running game.
Isaiah Crowell, Duke Johnson and Robert Turbin have all struggled to get anything going on the ground for the Browns. This has made it near impossible for the Browns to get anything going on offense.
