Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football: Which Ravens are worth taking a risk on

The Pittsburgh Steelers have come a long way since their first matchup with the Ravens, and it’s certainly changed Baltimore’s fantasy value.

What a difference a few games make in the NFL. Since the first meeting in week four, these teams are going in different directions. The Ravens have lost three of four games and the Steelers have won three straight contests. This time, it is very important for both teams to get the win. The Ravens are currently third in the division at 4-4 and the Steelers are sitting atop the AFC North.

Here are my recommendations on who to start and sit for the Ravens this Sunday.

Start

John Brown – This is the only player I would recommend to possibly play as a WR 3 or flex. I have said all year that if he gets open deep it is almost a guarantee to be a 20 point performance. In the first meeting with the Steelers, Brown had a TD pass of 33 yards and a 71-yard catch. He has had some real chemistry with Flacco but the last 4 games only one game over 9 PPR points.

Sit

Joe Flacco – In the last four contests, there is only one game over 11 points. In fantasy scoring for the year, he ranks 16th overall amongst QB’s but since week 5 only 26th.

Alex Collins – He is only averaging 11 PPR points per game and the Steelers defense has been good against the run, only allow 66.4 yards per game. Then there is the fact that Ty Montgomery was signed which shows the teams lack of confidence in this running game.

Javorius Allen/Ty Montgomery – This will be the first game with the newly signed Ty Montgomery. How will he be used with Allen? Does Montgomery take over Allen’s touches or is this backfield a three-way split for carries, receptions, etc? I do believe that Montgomery takes over the receiving back roll from Allen, but until we have some clarity to the usage of these players we should sit them on our bench.

Michael Crabtree – The last three weeks his catches, yards, and PPR points are down. He has only scored 2 TD’s on the year and only one in seven weeks. His last score was week one.

Willie Snead – He has not been the reliable and consistent target I thought when he was traded to the Ravens and he is usually the third option in the WR target pecking order. His catch rate is down and barley hauling in over half of the balls thrown his way. He has almost no upside, his points have ranged from 6 to 14 this year.

Ravens TE’s – The usage for these players (Mark Andrews, Hayden Hurst, Nick Boyle, and Maxx Williams) is so low you can’t trust any of them. I do like Hayden Hurst who had 2 receptions for 29 yards and a TD last week but I can’t suggest starting him until he sees more targets. The Steelers do allow the most fantasy points in the AFC to TE’s so if you are looking for a sleeper at TE this week try Hurst.

Ravens Defense – This unit has only scored double digits twice this year in fantasy and the last two weeks equaled only -4 and 3.

This matchup is always close and one that I circle on the calendar every year the schedule is released. Joe Flacco made comments after the last meeting that has really fired up the Steelers and I think there may be even more electricity if that is possible. The Ravens have been struggling and looking to right the ship at home.

The Steelers are on the rise with their three-game win streak that could bring them back to among the leaders of the power rankings. I believe that each team has a lot to lose and this seems like a much more important game than a regular week 9 contest.