Here’s a glance at ESPN’s fantasy football projections for the coming game between the Steelers and Jets:
Rashard Mendenhall: 21 rushes, 82 yards, one touchdown, 14 fantasy points. Of course it’s always tough to predict if and how often a running back will score, but this seems about right. Mendenhall hasn’t had a touchdown since the Bills game, but he has nine on the season, and the Jets are struggling.
Hines Ward: four catches, 54 yards, one touchdown, 11 fantasy points. This is maybe a bit ambitious – Ward only has four touchdowns all season, and while he came up big against the Bengals, he was absent against the Ravens.
Ben Roethlisberger: 14-for-28, 192 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 11 fantasy points. This all gets weirdly arbitrary, of course, and I think Roethlisberger could do a little better than this, but this isn’t a bad projection. The Jets are a good pass-rushing team, and Roethlisberger and the Steelers’ offensive line have had trouble when teams have blitzed a lot. The Jets defense could also pick up a fair number of sacks here, since Roethlisberger tends to hold onto the ball too long.
Mike Wallace: four receptions, 84 yards, eight fantasy points. I like Wallace’s chances of scoring a touchdown more than I like Ward’s. Don’t give up on him just because he hasn’t found the end zone recently.