Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Fantasy football owners may have been down on Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell after a marijuana and DUI arrest in August, even with a suspension unlikely, and those that kept some faith may have been able to get a draft day bargain as a result. Talk of a split workload with LeGarrette Blount also became a concern for some fantasy owners, but head coach Mike Tomlin more recently softened that stance and Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns gave us a glimpse of what is to come.
Bell had 21 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, along with six receptions (on a tied for team-high seven targets) for 88 yards. Blount did vulture a touchdown, which may continue on some level going forward, but he only had four carries for six yards in the game and was not a factor in the passing game with just one target and zero catches.
I never did buy Blount as a serious threat to Bell’s role as the clear-cut workhorse for the Steelers, due primarily to his limitations as a pass catcher, and at least for one week I was right. It makes sense for Blount to be used as a change-of-pace back, with some sort of role in short yardage and goal line work, but Bell looks ready to be a legit high-end RB1 for his fantasy owners going forward.
Bell set a career-high with 197 yards from scrimmage on Sunday, and 27 touches is probably an unsustainable volume on a weekly basis. But 20-plus touches per game looks like a reasonable possibility, assuming he stays healthy. That alone gives Bell the potential for a few big games along the lines of Sunday’s performance, while also making him immune to having a dud game where he offers nothing to his fantasy owners.
Brad Berreman is a Columnist at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter or connect on Google +.
