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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 5: Somewhere, Steelers' Isaac Redman Is A Good Option

Isaac Redman has talent, but with the Steelers' offensive-line issues, is he worth a pickup?

If you're looking for help on your fantasy football team, you could do better than to look to the Steelers, who are struggling with a hideous and injury-ravaged offensive line. 

But hey. This is a Pittsburgh site. So let's do a thought experiment. Let's say we're on a deserted island playing in a fantasy league with one other person, and we can only pick Steelers, because only Steelers box scores are brought to the island by carrier pigeon each week. You would think that the carrier pigeon would be willing to carry your urgent message of help back to the mainland so that you and your friend can watch the Steelers on the couch at home, preferably while consuming a steak and a cold drink, and oh my gosh how good would a tall glass of water taste right now? But no! He is a mean carrier pigeon, and he is also, as luck would have it, a Ravens fan. So you, Steelers fan, can shove it, but oh-by-the-way feel free to enjoy these box scores chronicling their apparent decline, and good luck building that lean-to.

In that fantasy league, the guy I would want on the waiver wire is Isaac Redman. Redman still isn't among ESPN's top 50 running backs, but he's been very effective so far, rushing 22 times for 107 yards. That includes six carries for 40 yards last week against the Texans. On top of that, starting running back Rashard Mendenhall left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, and fellow running back Mewelde Moore suffered a foot injury in the game as well.

Mendenhall's injury doesn't appear to be serious, but if it is, Redman would suddenly be in line for a ton of carries. He'd have to deal with the same offensive line problems Mendenhall has, of course, but hey, a starting running back is a starting running back, and Redman has more upside than most backup options.

For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain.

Photographs by dizfunk used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.