PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers defense could be at full strength on Sunday when they face the Cincinnati Bengals.

Safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker LaMarr Woodley both practiced on Thursday Polamalu left last week’s 13-9 win over Kansas City in the first half with concussion-like symptoms while Woodley hasn’t played since Oct. 30 with a left hamstring injury.

Center Maurkice Pouncey also practiced in a limited role. He left the Chiefs game after becoming dehydrated due to the flu. Pouncey said he lost 12 pounds in a couple of days but expects to play against the Bengals.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left practice early after slightly aggravating his fractured right thumb, though offensive coordinator Bruce Arians called it no big deal.

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders did not practice with a foot issue.

Note: The opinions expressed here are my takes on each player’s individual matchup. As always, use your best judgment and conduct your own research on who to start or bench each week. You know your individual team and/or league situation better than anyone else.

Ben Roethlisberger(notes), QB

Averaging 16.30 fantasy points per game, Roethlisberger has proven to be a solid fantasy quarterback option this season. Although he scored only 11.52 fantasy points last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, he should rebound slightly this week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati is allowing 13.18 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season leading me to believe he will perform close to his average this week.

Rashard Mendenhall(notes), RB

Despite averaging 10.00 fantasy points per game, Mendenhall has been wildly inconsistent this season causing a great deal of frustration to fantasy owners. Last week was another “off” week against the Chiefs having scored only 6.70 fantasy points. He scored 19.00 fantasy points in their prior game in week 10 against the Bengals. Cincinnati is giving up 17.54 fantasy points per game to running backs this season, and paired with his big game in his prior meeting with the Bengals, I am confident he will put up solid numbers this week.

Mike Wallace(notes), WR

Averaging 12.00 fantasy points per game, Wallace has earned his fair share of fantasy points this season. He had a rough outing last week against the Chiefs scoring just 1.70 fantasy points due to constantly being in double coverage. He should rebound this week against the Bengals who are allowing 20.11 fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season.

Antonio Brown(notes), WR

Averaging 7.20 fantasy points per game, Brown has proven to be a dependable No. 2 receiving option for any fantasy team. He had a solid outing last week against the Chiefs scoring 8.60 fantasy points and appears to have a similarly favorable matchup this week against the Bengals. Depending on how Roethlisberger spreads out the targets, expect a performance around his average this week.

Heath Miller(notes), TE

Averaging 5.60 fantasy points per game, Miller is as average as they come as a fantasy tight end. He had a tough outing last week against the Chiefs catching just one pass and scoring only 2.00 fantasy points. He faces a tough matchup this week against the Bengals who are allowing only 5.81 fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. I would explore other options that may be available this week.

Shaun Suisham(notes), K

Averaging 7.60 fantasy points per game, Suisham sits in the middle of the pack in terms of fantasy kickers this season. He scored 8.00 fantasy points last week against the Chiefs and appears to have a similar matchup against the Bengals this week. Cincinnati is giving up 6.90 fantasy points per game to kickers this season leading me to believe he will have a game close to his average this week.

Defense

Averaging just 6.70 fantasy points per game, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ team defense is not quite the fantasy point powerhouse it once was. They had a strong 13.00 fantasy point showing last week against the Chiefs but will face some challenges this week against the Bengals. Cincinnati is giving up only 5.40 fantasy points per game to team defense this season leading me to believe they will score up to their average at best this week.

Sources:

All data provided by Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football

Paul Rados is an avid fantasy football participant and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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Not the best of wins

Monday, November 28, 2011 10:50 PM CST

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in the thick of the AFC playoff race.

They know, however, they’re not exactly playing playoff-caliber football.

The latest stumble came in an ugly 13-9 victory over Kansas City on Sunday night as the defending AFC champions let the undermanned and offensively challenged Chiefs stay in the game until the final minute.

Sure, Pittsburgh improved to 8-3 and remained in a tie with Baltimore atop the AFC North. Sure, the Steelers won for the sixth time in seven games on the strength of four turnovers. Sure, they made enough plays to avoid an embarrassing collapse against an overmatched opponent.

Yet it wasn’t exactly 60 minutes of crisp football. The offense managed just 13 points and 290 yards while turning it over twice. The defense let former Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko come within a minute of pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the season.

“You’re happy to get the win, but also disappointed with how the offense played,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “I think that’s what team is all about. The defense stepped up huge for us today and they carried us.”

It really didn’t have a choice after the Steelers fumbled away a scoring opportunity on Mewelde Moore’s fumble near the Kansas City goal line in the first quarter and couldn’t take advantage of prime field position on several occasions.

Roethlisberger passed for a season-low 193 yards, though that number would have been much higher if not for a pair of costly drops by normally sure-handed speedster Mike Wallace. The offensive line let the Chiefs get into the backfield with regularity and the running game continued to operate in fits and starts.

Rashard Mendenhall needed 17 carries to muster 57 yards and while Moore provided a spark, he also fumbled at the Kansas City 2.

“Tonight, I think we had our first setback,” Roethlisberger said. “I don’t think it’s anything to panic over. It’s one game against a good defense in a hostile environment.”

One that seemed to rattle the Steelers, who haven’t exactly lit it up on the road this year. Pittsburgh is 4-2 away from Heinz Field but only looked sharp in small patches even against mediocre teams like the Chiefs.

It makes getting homefield advantage throughout the playoffs a priority, though the Steelers need some help to make sure they don’t have to hop on a plane if they make the postseason. Pittsburgh needs the Ravens to finish a game behind in the standings to win the division. Baltimore holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the Steelers this season.

The playoffs, however, remain six weeks away. Though the schedule is friendly — two games against woeful Cleveland along with home dates against the Bengals and Rams — Pittsburgh has made a habit of playing to the level of the competition.

Against the Chiefs, it was finding ways to let Kansas City hang around for far too long. Pittsburgh committed six penalties and couldn’t convert turnovers into touchdowns.

“(It was) Steelers versus Steelers,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “Beating yourself is going to put you in position to have to make plays at the end, like we did.” Yet Pittsburgh hung around despite missing All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu for almost the entire game after being diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms following a low tackle on 6-foot-6, 290-pound Kansas City tackle Steve Maneri .

Tomlin said the team held Polamalu out as a precaution. It’s the second time this season Polamalu has left a game early following a blow to the head. He missed the final few snaps of a win over Jacksonville last month but played the following week against the Cardinals.

“I don’t know at this juncture if it was a concussion, I want to be clear,” Tomlin said.

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PITTSBURGH (AP)—The Pittsburgh Steelers remain in the thick of the AFC
playoff race.

They know, however, they’re not exactly playing playoff-caliber football.

The latest stumble came in an ugly 13-9 victory over Kansas City on Sunday
night as the defending AFC champions let the undermanned and offensively
challenged Chiefs stay in the game until the final minute.

Sure, Pittsburgh improved to 8-3 and remained in a tie with Baltimore atop
the AFC North. Sure, the Steelers won for the sixth time in seven games on the
strength of four turnovers. Sure, they made enough plays to avoid an
embarrassing collapse against an overmatched opponent.

Yet it wasn’t exactly 60 minutes of crisp football. The offense managed just
13 points and 290 yards while turning it over twice. The defense let former Pitt
quarterback Tyler Palko(notes) come within a minute of pulling off one of the biggest
upsets of the season.

“You’re happy to get the win, but also disappointed with how the offense
played,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger(notes) said. “I think that’s what team is all
about. The defense stepped up huge for us today and they carried us.”

It really didn’t have a choice after the Steelers fumbled away a scoring
opportunity on Mewelde Moore’s(notes) fumble near the Kansas City goal line in the
first quarter and couldn’t take advantage of prime field position on several
occasions.

Roethlisberger passed for a season-low 193 yards, though that number would
have been much higher if not for a pair of costly drops by normally sure-handed
speedster Mike Wallace(notes). The offensive line let the Chiefs get into the backfield
with regularity and the running game continued to operate in fits and starts.

Rashard Mendenhall(notes) needed 17 carries to muster 57 yards and while Moore
provided a spark, he also fumbled at the Kansas City 2.

“Tonight, I think we had our first setback,” Roethlisberger said. “I
don’t think it’s anything to panic over. It’s one game against a good defense in
a hostile environment.”

One that seemed to rattle the Steelers, who haven’t exactly lit it up on the
road this year. Pittsburgh is 4-2 away from Heinz Field but only looked sharp in
small patches even against mediocre teams like the Chiefs.

It makes getting homefield advantage throughout the playoffs a priority,
though the Steelers need some help to make sure they don’t have to hop on a
plane if they make the postseason. Pittsburgh needs the Ravens to finish a game
behind in the standings to win the division. Baltimore holds the tiebreaker
after sweeping the Steelers this season.

The playoffs, however, remain six weeks away. Though the schedule is
friendly—two games against woeful Cleveland along with home dates against the
Bengals and Rams—Pittsburgh has made a habit of playing to the level of the
competition.

Against the Chiefs, it was finding ways to let Kansas City hang around for
far too long. Pittsburgh committed six penalties and couldn’t convert turnovers
into touchdowns.

“(It was) Steelers versus Steelers,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “Beating
yourself is going to put you in position to have to make plays at the end, like
we did.”

Yet Pittsburgh hung around despite missing All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu(notes) for
almost the entire game after being diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms
following a low tackle on 6-foot-6, 290-pound Kansas City tackle Steve Maneri(notes) .

Tomlin said the team held Polamalu out as a precaution. It’s the second time
this season Polamalu has left a game early following a blow to the head. He
missed the final few snaps of a win over Jacksonville last month but played the
following week against the Cardinals.

“I don’t know at this juncture if it was a concussion, I want to be
clear,” Tomlin said.

Polamalu will be re-evaluated during the week as the Steelers go for a sweep
of surprising Cincinnati.

The Kansas City Chiefs had a typical game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Nov. 27 on Sunday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium. One half of the game was rocky while the other half was more settled. Kansas City managed just three field goals and turned the ball over too much in a 13-9 loss.

Like last week against the New England Patriots, Kansas City jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a drive that looked solid. Then the Chiefs got a big play when they recovered a fumble as the Steelers were driving for a touchdown on Pittsburgh’s first offensive drive.

Then the Chiefs fumbled the ball right back on a botched snap five plays later. It was a typical game for the Chiefs who were their own worst enemy throughout the game.

The critical error came on the final drive of the game for the Chiefs. Tyler Palko(notes), in just his second start, was throwing downfield to Dwayne Bowe(notes). Bowe slanted in on the route while Palko thought he was going to keep running towards the end zone. Palko overthrew him and Keenan Lewis(notes) picked off the pass with 29 seconds left, 23 yards away from a game-winning touchdown.

Palko thought Bowe was running a different route on the final interception that stalled the Chiefs comeback. It was a case of too little, too late. Palko is clearly frustrated as he came over to the sidelines animated and upset. Between the fumble and three interceptions, the former backup quarterback was responsible for all four turnovers by the Chiefs. He was only sacked once as the pass protection was good.

One of the keys to the game was to get to Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger(notes) early and often. I felt like the Chiefs did just that, but then Kansas City simply game the Steelers momentum by turning the ball over themselves.

If the Chiefs had cut down on the unforced errors all season long, they might be in first place in the AFC West at this point. Instead, Kansas City is now three games behind the Oakland Raiders atop the division at 7-4. Although not mathematically eliminated from the division crown, making up that kind of ground in five games will be difficult. Each of those games is against a team with a winning record.

The defense for the Chiefs is working just fine. It’s the offensive unit that has given the ball right back to opponents that has stymied Kansas City’s games all year long. The game against Pittsburgh was the fourth game in which the Chiefs only scored field goals. It was also the sixth game this season when the Chiefs scored 10 points or fewer, all losses.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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