30The Steelers upcoming match with the Titans is ripe with fantasy potential, so here are the players to start and sit in week 4
The Steelers had another successful outing against the Texans in week three, and they look like a truly unstoppable force coming up against the Titans. That said, the Titans are also 3-0, and are boasting a surprisingly good offense all around. Because of this, there should still be plenty of quality fantasy starters to come out of this exciting matchup. As well, there are quite a few sit options that would be better served to sit on your bench this week instead of starting.
I had a rough outing projecting the fantasy-relevant players from last week. While David Johnson saved his fantasy day with a score, Brandin Cooks suffered through a quiet day. As for the Steelers, James Conner and Eric Ebron had their best weeks to date while Diontae Johnson had a horrible outing (granted he was knocked out with a concussion early in the game). Hopefully, this week will yield some more accurate results.
As for the obvious starts, you should be keeping JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ben Roethlisberger, and the Steelers defense in your lineups while obviously having Derrick Henry in from the Titans. As of now, A.J. Brown seems unlikely to suit up, and even if he did, his injury seems worse than initially thought. No matter what, he will likely need at least another week on the bench before being considered for starting fantasy lineups.
All of that is only the beginning of the list though, as there are still quite a few options that should be on the mind of fantasy owners. All of this said, here are five start ‘em and two sit ‘em candidates for the Steelers week four matchup against the Titans.
Corey Davis
Verdict: Start ’em
With Brown out of the starting lineup, it has left a hole that former top-five pick Corey Davis has filled in admirably. He has provided a big-play threat in this offense while also adding value as a red zone threat. He has yet to post an off week in 2020, putting up a strong performance in every week so far. While his stats alone are positive, he will be facing a Steelers secondary that has struggled to stop opposing pass offenses so far this year.
The Steelers game plan will revolve around stopping Henry, meaning Davis could slip through the cracks. He is a real threat to either find the end zone or have a decent yardage total by the end of the game. While he may not go off for a record number of yards, if he can get five catches for 80 yards and a potential score, Davis will be well worth a start in week three.
The Titans have kept their passing offense alive through Davis this year, and it would be wise to expect that trend to continue in week four. All it will take is one lax moment for Davis to be fantasy relevant this week. Considering the state of the Steelers secondary, it isn’t hard to imagine him scoring a respectable total for fantasy.
Steelers WRs not named JuJu
Verdict: Sit ’em
The Steelers have had a successful passing game so far in 2020, but they have yet to establish a consistent fantasy threat besides Smith-Schuster in the air game. Johnson was receiving the most targets, but his recent injury and overall disappointing play make him a risky start for week four (assuming he even suits up). While Washington has shown off some great hands and physical plays, he hasn’t been used properly to be counted on yet.
Washington is a deep threat by nature, but as evident from last week, Roethlisberger has struggled with the deep ball. On one particular play, Washington had his man beat only to be overthrown. Until Roethlisberger begins connecting deep with his receivers, it is too risky to start Washington. As for Chase Claypool, he can see effective plays anywhere as a WR, but he still needs to prove himself before you should consider starting him.
While Claypool is the more tempting WR to start, he is far from a guarantee to be the guy. That said, if Johnson can’t suit up, he could be a sneaky play this week. I’m skeptical about Claypool seeing enough targets as the fourth option, but if he suddenly becomes the third target, he could be a decent fantasy play. Monitor this situation and consider Claypool in case of injury.
Eric Ebron
Verdict: Start ’em
Ebron was quickly becoming the bane of the Steelers, as his on-field play was inconsistent and his blocking was its usual terrible self. He wasn’t doing much to justify his contract, but last week against the Texans, he finally had a decent outing. While five receptions for 52 yards isn’t earth-shattering, it did show that he could be a decent playmaker in the offense and help move the chains.
The best part of his day was his first catch though. He utilized great body control and hands to come down with a score over a DB. If this is just a sign of things to come, then Ebron could be in store for big things. Looking at the Titans this week, they have been soft against the TE in coverage. While the Vikings didn’t have great success there, the Broncos and Jaguars have, meaning Ebron could be in store for some easy matchups.
While he is risky to start, as he was almost nonexistent before the Texans game, Ebron is presented with a good matchup this week. While his inconsistencies would usually land him on the sit ’em list, the fact the Titans have been so bad against TEs make him a much safer option to start. While it would be surprising to see him catch more passes, he could have a couple of big plays. Most importantly, he could find the end zone again, which would make starting him well worth it against the Titans.
Jonnu Smith
Verdict: Start ’em
Titans TE Jonnu Smith is also an exciting start option this week, as he has quietly turned into a top target in this Titans passing attack. He’s averaging an impressive seven targets a game and has seen some decent play after the catchability. Better yet, he has scored three times already and is quickly becoming one of the best TEs to have in fantasy.
The Steelers haven’t been horrible against the TE, but Smith should be a good candidate to score in this game. Even if he doesn’t have the yardage output, grabbing a couple of passes and finding the end zone should be enough to give him a solid fantasy outing. If the Steelers can effectively shut down Henry as they did with Saquon Barkley in week one, Smith could suddenly become the primary weapon in this offense.
Smith was almost made an obvious start due to his start of the season and the reliance he has seen as the starting TE with the Titans. The Steelers have had some success guarding the TE recently though, so there should be some questions before inserting him in the starting lineup. That said, Smith has become a top-10 TE this year in fantasy and can be trusted to have a decent game against the Steelers.
Ryan Tannehill
Verdict: Sit ’em
Ryan Tannehill deserves a lot of credit for revitalizing his career with the Titans. He was an inconsistent starter with the Dolphins before landing with the Titans, and since getting the start, he has thrived. Granted, the Titans offense is very QB friendly, relying heavily on Henry to wear down a defense before hitting athletic receivers deep once the defense is tired. That said, Marcus Mariota couldn’t succeed here, so that is at least some sort of a voucher to Tannehill’s ability.
The problem he faces this week isn’t his talent though, it is the talent of the Steelers defense. As a whole, this unit is pressuring QBs at an alarming rate, leading to brash decisions and bad passes. While the turnovers haven’t been as high as last year, the defense still does a good job of putting QBs in a position to fail. Tannehill is a fine QB, but this pass rush is likely to get to him and cause him problems.
While I do believe Tannehill will score once or twice, I don’t believe it will do enough to make him fantasy relevant after the turnovers he will likely give up to the Steelers. If the Steelers can shut down the run game, suddenly the entire offense will flow through Tannehill, something that shouldn’t be a positive thing for the Titans. He should be celebrated for reviving his career, but don’t be surprised if he struggles this week.
James Conner
Verdict: Start ’em
The Steelers run game was a surprising success against the Texans, as Conner turned in a strong overall performance. While a lot of this was due to the talent he has, the key to his success was the rotation of RBs that played. While Conner received the bell cow work, Anthony McFarland saw a lot of work to “change the pace” and Benny Snell came in on short-yardage work. This rotation allowed Conner to stay healthy and well-rested, aiding in his dominant performance.
Assuming the Steelers keep that rotation, Conner will be a savvy start this week in fantasy. He can do it all as a runner: gain yards, catch passes, and serve as the goal line back meaning he should be able to see similar production that he had last week. The problem before was defenses could hone in on him and put in players that would stop him. Now, with the changing players in the backfield, teams will have to be more on their feet and plan accordingly.
While Conner may not have 150 total yards, he should be a threat to gain 100 total yards a week. On top of this, receptions in the passing game can add to his point totals as well as his ability to score in the red zone. The Titans have struggled to stop the run, so the Steelers may be able to completely launch their rushing attack this week. Keep Conner in your lineups ahead of this week’s matchup and reap the rewards.
The Steelers have a lot of good fantasy matchups this week to keep in mind before finalizing your starting roster. Keep all of these players in mind when setting your lineups and reap the rewards of solid fantasy output.