Fantasy Player Projections

Ben Roethlisberger

The Steelers' banged-up backfield will put more pressure on Roethlisberger and the passing game this week. No problem. The Bengals have allowed opposing quarterbacks to complete 66.1 percent of their throws, and they have not faced a passer as good as Roethlisberger.

Rashard Mendenhall

Mendenhall suffered an Achilles injury last week that has fantasy owners concerned. The running back has downplayed the injury, perhaps because he is anxious to face a Bengals defense that gives up 116.8 rushing yards per game.

Isaac Redman

The star of the Steelers' passing game a week ago, Redman is coming off an ankle injury, much like teammate Rashard Mendenhall. If both play as expected, the Steelers will likely divide the touches evenly to lessen the load on both backs.

Antonio Brown

Brown has become a steady possession receiver for Ben Roethlisberger, although last week he managed just 20 yards despite being targeted 10 times. Brown had 153 yards in two games against the Bengals last year and should produce again.

Mike Wallace

Wallace makes the most of his opportunities. He was thrown to just four times last week, but took one of those passes 82 yards for a touchdown. The Bengals couldn't keep Josh Gordon from slipping behind the coverage last week; good luck with Wallace.

Emmanuel Sanders

Sanders is usually off the fantasy radar, but this week he might deserve consideration as a flex option. The Steelers threw the ball an average of 28 times in games against the Bengals last year, and could eclipse that number this week with the running game in limbo.

Heath Miller

The Bengals have had trouble defending opposing tight ends like Dennis Pitta and Fred Davis. Unlike those guys, Miller has been on a roll all season long.

Shaun Suisham

Suisham has experienced an uptick in opportunities the past two weeks, with seven field goal attempts. He remains a fringe kicker for fantasy owners, but this could be a matchup in which he earns the nod.

The Steelers forced the Bengals to throw three interceptions in two games last year, and in the December meeting James Harrison notched three sacks. Pittsburgh is hungry for respect, and ready to gain ground on Baltimore in the AFC North.

Andy Dalton

Well, if Matt Hasselbeck can complete passes to eight different receivers en route to a 290-yard performance, Dalton can surely slice up the Steelers' secondary. Of course, it helps that Troy Polamalu is still nursing a calf injury.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis

Green-Ellis was given 80 percent of the Bengals' carries in Week 6 and produced his best yards-per-carry total of the season. However, he still has yet to average 4.0 yards in a game. Don't expect him to get there against Pittsburgh.

A.J. Green

The Bengals do not have a running game, and Green does not have a very good complementary receiver. Yet week after week, he posts some of the best totals in football. He is averaging 104.6 yards, a touchdown and 11.1 targets per game. #bestfantasyWR

Andrew Hawkins

Hawkins may have peaked in Week 3. Since then his numbers have slowly faded, as has his involvement in the passing game, with five or fewer targets in four of the Bengals' last five games.

Jermaine Gresham

Gresham has posted three solid games in the past month. We still have not seen him explode (no career 100-yard games) and we may never. Still, Gresham is a solid fill-in for fantasy owners, and could do well in this contest if Troy Polamalu is unable to find his way back into the lineup.

Mike Nugent

The Bengals are capable of putting big points on the board -- just not in a divisional game against Pittsburgh. Nugent is a mid-level kicker worth benching this week.

Only the Packers have generated more sacks than Cincinnati's "no-name" front seven, led by Geno Atkins and Michael Johnson. Fantasy owners can expect to see an aggressive game plan with the Steelers' ground attack stuck in the garage.