Game Info
Kickoff: Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 PM ET
Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Betting Odds: BAL -3.5, 46.5 Total via Oddsshark
Network: CBS
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger (Sit)
Coming off elbow surgery, there were questions on how Ben Roethlisberger would be able to perform. So far this year, Roethlisberger has proven that he can still play fine, but the concerns about arm strength have proven true. Roethlisberger has a positive-0.3 CPOE, which is the middle of the pack (per NextGenStats). But he has the seventh-lowest aDOT among QBs, which makes that CPOE grade is a bit more worrisome. Roethlisberger will still be a solid QB to use in the right matchups and he will be buoyed by his playmakers to strong games. But against a stout Ravens defense, Roethlisberger will have difficulty putting up fantasy numbers.
Running Backs
James Conner (Start, RB2)
After a scary Week 1 for James Conner owners that saw Benny Snell go over 100 yards, Conner retook his claim to the backfield and never looked back. Conner is eighth in the NFL in RYOE/Att, which is a new stat from NextGenStats that measures how many rushing yards an RB gets over expectation per attempt. Conner is mostly a volume-based play this week against the Ravens’ third-ranked run defense by DVOA (per Football Outsiders).
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Diontae Johnson (Start, WR2), JuJu Smith-Schuster (Start, Flex), Chase Claypool (Start, Flex), Eric Ebron (Sit)
The Steelers boast a loaded group of pass-catchers, which is excellent for real football but a bit of a mess for fantasy. With Diontae Johnson out, Chase Claypool showed why the Steelers heavily invested in the rookie, and JuJu Smith-Schuster was unable to do much. Johnson was finally healthy again last week and immediately saw 15 targets continuing his high target share whenever he plays a full game. Smith-Schuster was able to bounce back as well with 14 targets of his own. The routes run count last week was Smith-Schuster leading the way with 47, Johnson with 43, and Claypool with 33 (all per PFF). Johnson is a WR2 here because he has seen around a 30% target share in every healthy game and looks to be Roethlisberger’s favored target. Smith-Schuster is a potential flex option but his low aDOT lowers both his ceiling and floor. Claypool is the WR3 with all three healthy and is therefore only a flex option. You are hoping for a big play from Claypool to make your day. Eric Ebron is quietly eighth in air yard share among TEs (per airyards.com). A good game is coming eventually, but not against the Ravens defense.
Baltimore Ravens
Quarterback
Lamar Jackson (Sit)
Lamar Jackson has not performed to the same level as last season so far. He is only averaging 189.2 passing yards per game and seven yards per attempt. His CPOE is negative-1.3 (per NextGenStats). He has struggled against the blitz this year and the Steelers have the second-highest blitz rate in the NFL. They were also effective against Jackson last year in his one start against them, holding Jackson to 161 passing yards, 3 interceptions, and 70 rushing yards. If you have Jackson, you can’t really afford to bench him but this is an intimidating matchup. If you are rolling him out there, you need Jackson to get some rushing numbers to give him a floor.
Running Backs
J.K. Dobbins (Sit, Deep Flex), Gus Edwards (Sit, Deep Flex)
As of writing this preview, there have been no updates on Mark Ingram’s availability after he suffered a “mid-to-high” ankle sprain against the Eagles before the Ravens’ bye. If Ingram is unable to go, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards will split the workload (hopefully the Ravens won’t trot out Justice Hill to continue the three RB headache). Dobbins will likely be the stronger bet for fantasy as he has been the main pass catcher out of the backfield, so he will likely see the most touches. But Edwards is no slouch, he is 10th in the NFL in RYOE/Att (per NextGenStats), which measures how many rushing yards an RB gets over expectation per attempt. The really deterrent to using either of these backs is the Steelers defense, which is first in the NFL against the run by DVOA (per Football Outsiders). If you are hit hard with bye weeks or injuries, either of these backs can be a decent fill-in but the expectation should not be high with the matchup.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Marquise Brown (Start, Flex), Mark Andrews (Start, TE1)
Marquise Brown and Mark Andrews have combined for 71% of the Ravens’ air yards (per airyards.com). No other receiver on this team is worth rostering right now. Brown has not taken the leap many expected coming into the season, but that is more on the offense and Jackson. The Ravens’ WRs only average 14 targets per game as a unit and as I said above Jackson is averaging 189.2 passing yards per game. It is difficult for Brown to make the jump into a WR1/2 with that usage. Brown is a fine flex option this week against the Steelers who have given up some big plays to receivers. Andrews is the number one receiver on the team and should always be started.
-Frank Costanzo (@FrankQBList on Twitter, Zzzonked92 on Reddit)