Welcome to the last week, in most leagues, of the fantasy football season. Certainly, it has been a wild, crazy ride to this point. Managers across the land are scrambling to either cement their spot or simply qualify for the postseason. We here at Belly Up Fantasy Sports would like to help in this endeavor with some start/sit advice. Unfortunately, leading off this week’s games is Thursday’s Patriots taking on the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Frankly, there’s not a lot to like as far as starters in this game. Even so, this fantasy football Steelers/Patriots starts/sits edition will help get your lineups started the right way.

As with all of my articles, discussion and debate are highly encouraged. Do you have a comment or a question? Let me hear from you! Having said all of the above, let’s get into it, shall we?

Quarterback Sits

Let me be as straightforward as I can be. There is no reason to start any of the quarterbacks that will be playing in this game. Surely, with only two teams on bye this week, there are much better options out there. It doesn’t matter if we discuss Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe, Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett. The outcome will be the same: sit them all.

There is little, if any, reason to have any of them on a one-quarterback league roster, but that’s a different discussion. For the present, there’s no reason to stress yourself out in deciding which QB to start in this game. That is especially true given the fact that the Steelers ranked sixth and the Patriots ninth against fantasy QBs. Simply stated, keep them all as far from your starting lineup as possible.

Running Back Start

Ezekiel Elliott, Patriots

For starters, let me be clear. There are talented running backs on both teams. Unfortunately, injury hangs over both of them. For the Steelers, there is Najee Harris. For the Patriots, they have Rhamondre Stevenson.

Harris is questionable due to a knee injury, which popped up this week. Harris has looked much better of late, so this is not good news for Pittsburgh or his fantasy managers. New England is middle of the road against fantasy RBs, so if Harris plays, he is certainly startable. If Harris doesn’t play Jaylen Warren is worth a look. Best advice, though, is there has to be a better choice out there.

As for Stevenson, the news is much more dire. Currently, he is listed as doubtful due to a high ankle sprain. Fact is, however, he will most likely miss several weeks, perhaps the remainder of the season. In any case, he can’t be anywhere near fantasy lineups for this game.

As that is true, Ezekiel Elliott moves to the head of the class. Despite the Patriot’s ineptitude on offense, Elliott rushed 17 times for 52 yards while catching four of five targets for another 40 yards.

Fortunately, there is good news to be found on this fantasy football Steelers/Patriots starts/sits edition. The Steelers rank 20th against fantasy RBs. If in a real pinch, Elliott can be placed in fantasy lineups this week.

Wide Receiver Start

Diontae Johnson, Steelers

Quite frankly, there is only one wide receiver in this game that merits any starting consideration. That player is Diontae Johnson. If I can be even more blunt, this isn’t a recommendation that I am shouting from the rooftop.

Without question, Johnson is the Steelers’ best wideout, and the matchup against the Patriots is a good one. The Patriots rank just 22nd against fantasy wideouts.

However, given the issues at quarterback for Pittsburgh, Johnson’s stats don’t jump off the page. He did catch a TD pass last week against Arizona, but was only targeted five times. Johnson did have eight targets in each of his previous two games and had 14 once, though, so he does have fantasy value.

If your wide receiver health is failing on your roster and there aren’t many options, look Johnson’s way. The final conclusion on this fantasy football Steelers/Patriots starts/sits is to remember to keep your expectations for Johnson under control.

Tight End Sits

Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

Honestly, trying to find a reasonably productive tight end is like trying to find the fountain of youth. The search is a frustrating one that yields little, if any, results. Don’t expect there to be any major discoveries in this game, either.

A few weeks ago, Pat Freiermuth exploded like a roman candle when he caught nine of 11 targets for 120 yards against Cincinnati.

However, he went back to the near invisible player that he has been all season against Arizona with only three catches of five targets for 29 yards.

Except for the game against the Bengals, Freiermuth hasn’t had more than four targets in any game this year. With the Patriots ranking fifth against fantasy tight ends, Freiermuth is best left on benches this Thursday.

Hunter Henry, Patriots

Just like the quarterback position, there aren’t any tight ends worth starting in this game. Certainly, Hunter Henry doesn’t merit your attention. Last week against the Chargers, Henry had just two catches. He hasn’t had more than four targets since week two.

Undoubtedly, lots of managers were excited after Henry had a TD in his first two games. Unfortunately, he has just a single TD since then. Since those first two games, Henry has double digits in fantasy points just once.

Even more distressing is the fact that score was back in week nine. The Steelers are a little more charitable to tight ends than the Patriots, but not by much. Currently, they rank 12th. Thus, the best advice is to leave Henry on the wire.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy football Steelers/Patriots starts/sits edition! As always, I welcome suggestions, comments and input from all my readers. Let’s discuss!

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