The Steelers are on the verge of starting their third different running back in a four-game span. Isaac Redman
, who missed the past two games because of injuries to both ankles, will be in heavy rotation Sunday against the Giants since both Rashard Mendenhall
and Jonathan Dwyer
are officially doubtful for the game. Mendenhall still can't get over his Achilles injury, which he suffered back in Week 6. Dwyer is being held back by a strained quad muscle. It's an unfortunate turn of events for the Georgia Tech alum after he put back-to-back 100-yard rushing games together over the past couple of weeks.
Fantasy Analysis:
So let's recap. Mendenhall is ruled out for Week 8 late last week, but all reports signal that he'll return in Week 9. Then this week arrives, Mendenhall can only go through limited practice, and he can't even get to the weekend before being unofficially ruled out again. Dwyer injures his quad late in last week's win over the Redskins, and everyone downplays the injury, saying it's nothing serious. He missed Wednesday's practice, which was expected, but when he practices Thursday, it looks like he'll be good for a third straight start. Then he is suddenly absent from practice Friday and will find himself on the sidelines this weekend.
In short, this is a reminder that, no matter what you hear or read, you never really know if an injured player will play until we get to game day.
Redman goes from way off the fantasy radar to a pretty nice flex option as he will get the start against the Giants, and I expect him to get 17-20 touches.
