Seahawks @ Steelers
Final Score: Seahawks 23, Steelers 20 (OT)
Writer: Justin Herrera (@Semtexmex93 on Twitter)
The Seattle Seahawks came into Pittsburgh to have an old-school battle with the Steelers. This game was missing a very key component for the Seattle side, Russell Wilson. Regardless, it was an interesting battle between two teams that are trying to stay relevant in the 2021 season. This game turned into a battle of halves and needed overtime to decide a winner. The game result was Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Seattle Seahawks 20.
Seattle Seahawks
Quarterback
Geno Smith: 23/32, 209 yards, TD
This is Seattle #Seahawks’ QB Geno Smith during his first #NFL start in 1413 days. Literally almost four years pic.twitter.com/PpduhOAHlp
— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) October 18, 2021
Geno Smith had the game we expected him to have. He wasn’t anything special, yet he didn’t totally lose the game for the Seahawks. For Geno, this was a game of halves, with his first-half yielding only 66 passing yards. It wasn’t until the second half that we got to see Geno come to life with a couple of big plays, one being a 14 yarder to Tyler Lockett and then a 41 yarder to Gerald Everett which put them on the two-yard line. This led to a one-yard touchdown for Will Dissly.
Geno resumed his ineffectiveness until the last drive of the game where he went five for five for 46 yards and helped set up the game-tying field goal. This led to overtime, where Geno went four and out and eventually gave up a crucial fumble on a T.J. Watt strip-sack.
Geno was as advertised. He missed throws, got sacked, and couldn’t get his weapons involved enough to make a difference. I wouldn’t be trying to start Geno going forward unless you are desperate.
Running Back
Alex Collins: 20 carries, 101 yards, TD
Travis Homer: 2 carries, 27 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 27 yards
DeeJay Dallas: 4 carries, 17 yards | 5 targets, 5 receptions, 33 yards
Establish Alex Collins 😤 pic.twitter.com/U2ZXJJ0zGl
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) October 18, 2021
Alex Collins started the second half with a bang, running the ball 7 times for 57 yards. This led to Collins scoring on a two-yard run for a touchdown. This was the start of the big game that Collins was going to have, as he had 14 carries for 82 yards in the second half. It seemed like Collins just woke up after halftime. Travis Homer had some big plays with a 26-yard run and a 27-yard catch and run, while DeeJay Dallas got most of his runs in as a receiving back for Geno.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
DK Metcalf: 7 targets, 6 receptions, 58 yards
Gerald Everett: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 40 yards
Tyler Lockett: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 35 yards
Penny Hart: 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards
Will Dissly: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
Gerald Everett shook off three defenders on this play 😳
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/P31mnkl4TV
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 18, 2021
D.K. Metcalf was Geno Smith‘s favorite target in this game as he logged six receptions for 58 yards. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to stretch the field, as his longest catch was for 14 yards. Metcalf will have the PPR edge on his teammates but until Russ is back he might be a flex at best. Tyler Lockett had seven targets in this game and only two receptions, and while his 21-yarder in overtime could’ve been a game-changer, it didn’t end up being one. His lack of receptions makes him a sit candidate until Wilson is back. Gerald Everett got a 41-yard catch that set up his teammate Will Dissly‘s touchdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger: 29/40, 229 yards, TD, Fumble
https://twitter.com/hobokenjustin/status/1449898672632877056
Ben Roethlisberger got into a groove in the second quarter, tossing a five-yard pass to Najee Harris. On the next drive, Big Ben had six of seven competitions for 43 yards and helped set up an Eric Ebron rushing touchdown. The second half started with a Seahawks touchdown and Ben came out and responded by throwing the ball all over the field. He first connected with Ray-Ray McCloud for 15 yards. This led to consecutive passes to Diontae Johnson for 37 yards, setting up a field goal. Two drives later, Ben fumbled the ball while trying to pump fake a defender. Ben was pretty much irrelevant the rest of the game and if it wasn’t for T.J. Watt the Steelers would have lost or tied this game.
This game was a drop back to earth from last week. Seattle seemed like an ideal matchup for Big Ben. This Big Ben is not going to be fantasy relevant and shouldn’t be in starting lineups. The difference between him and Geno was not much today.
Running Back
Najee Harris: 24 carries, 81 yards | 7 targets, 6 receptions, 46 yards, TD
Kalen Ballage: 2 carries 15 yards
Najee Harris first TD (+450) ✅
— Barstool Gambling (@stoolgambling) October 18, 2021
Najee Harris is everything the Steelers could’ve wanted and more. He carried the ball 24 times and was targeted seven times. One play that stood out for me when watching Harris was on a screen pass that was blown up by Seattle defenders. Instead of going down, Harris put a heck of a spin move on the defenders and proceeded to gain six yards. Harris did score on a five-yard reception and probably should have scored on the ground during the next series but that instead went to Eric Ebron. Harris does possess the highest upside of all the Steelers’ weapons in fantasy football.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Diontae Johnson: 13 targets, 9 receptions, 71 yards | 1 carry, 1 reception, 25 yards
Pat Freiermuth: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 58 yards
Ray-Ray McCloud: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards, TD
Chase Claypool: 7 targets, 2 receptions, 17 yards
Eric Ebron: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards | 1 carry, 1 yard, TD
Diontae Johnson with what looks like a sweet blaze out pic.twitter.com/HD6bDjnrJy
— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) October 18, 2021
Diontae Johnson is still Ben Roethlisberger‘s favorite target, receiving 13 targets today. Johnson had big chunk plays of 23 yards and 14 yards while taking an end-around for 25 yards. While Roethlisberger is falling apart, Johnson should still be able to get his volume share out of this offense. The one problem is it won’t yield a lot of yards, as Johnson averaged 7.9 yards per reception. He’s still a play in fantasy, it’s just a case of his bad games will be really bad.
Pat Freiermuth caught all seven of his targets for 58 yards and going forward should be considered a strong candidate for a roster spot on your fantasy teams. In this game he showed he could be a safety net for the Steelers, and he was even compared to Heath Miller during the broadcast.
No one else really showed out in this game. Chase Claypool was incredibly disappointing considering he had a heck of a game last week. On Sunday he got seven targets but was only able to reel in two receptions. One thing that is promising about his prospects is that the Steelers are lining him up in the slot. That might end up being a deadly spot for him, especially with his size and speed.
— Justin Herrera (@Semtexmex93 on Twitter)