Fantasy football : Expect Steelers' Brown to bounce back

TAKE A LOOK at Antonio Brown's numbers - 136 catches and 1,800 yards last year, two-time first-team All-Pro, 100-plus calls handled daily at the ESPN reception desk - and one question pops into mind.

How did this guy not get drafted until the sixth round in 2010?

You remember the 2010 draft. Sam Bradford was at the top. Ryan Mathews went 12th. Brandon Graham went No. 13. Demaryius Thomas (22nd) and Dez Bryant (24th) were the two wide receivers taken in the first round. Brown was mostly an afterthought.

He lasted until the 195th pick; 36 spots after Riley Cooper and four after the Bengals – the Steelers nastiest current rival – picked Kansas wideout Dezmon Briscoe, who last played in the NFL in 2012.

Who Dey? No.

Who He?

Brown's rise not only has led to that humorous ESPN commercial, but to his ascension as the consensus No. 1 fantasy draft pick this year. He had a rough game last week against Cincinnati, but don't worry about that. History says he'll rebound against the Eagles. He kills teams in that conference.

Brown had four catches for 39 yards and no scores in the worst statistical performance with Ben Roethlisberger quarterbacking since Brown became a regular starter in 2012. With Eagles starting corner Leodis McKelvin nursing a hamstring, Brown is primed for a redemption game.

In 12 games with Roethlisberger against NFC opponents since 2013, Brown has reached 100 yards eight times and scored 13 touchdowns. Roethlisberger threw it to Brown at least 10 times in each of those games.

"The amount of targets he gets, his production and his ability to stretch the field, I think the closest guy in our division is probably Odell Beckham," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said. "But when you talk about the amount of production Antonio Brown puts in year in and year out it's really unmatched."

When Adrian Peterson was suspended for the final 15 games two years ago, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer initially turned the majority of the workload over to Matt Asiata before riding then-rookie Jerick McKinnon. But then McKinnon injured his back in Week 11 and Zimmer went back to Asiata.

McKinnon is the fantasy pickup now that Peterson is out again indefinitely with a knee injury. McKinnon is a flex option this week against the Panthers

Carolina gave up 92 yards and a TD to Denver's C.J. Anderson in the opener (as well as a 28-yard TD run by fullback Andy Janovich), but limited San Fran's Carlos Hyde to 34 yards last week.

The real fantasy gem for Minnesota could turn out to be quarterback Sam Bradford, who looked very comfortable with Stefon Diggs, an every-week fantasy WR2. Offensive coordinator Norv Turner knows how to use tight ends, so keep Kyle Rudolph on the fantasy radar as well.

Carson Wentz's 190 yards against the Bears might not have looked like much, unless you're Chuck Wimer, of Coatesville.

Wimer, with a guess of 192 yards, won our contest by coming closest to Wentz's total. He earned a coveted fantasy football T-shirt valued at well over four dollars.

Quarterbacks: Carson Wentz put his trash out this week. Jon Gruden absolutely loved it. The ESPN analyst was way over the top in his praise of the Eagles QB on Monday . . . Russell Wilson (ankle) has practiced all week and is a full-go as a mid-QB1 . . . Since the start of 2015 and counting postseason, Cam Newton has accounted for 35 touchdowns (27 pass, 8 rush) in 11 home games.

Running backs: Detroit's Theo Riddick had double-digit carries last week for the first time in his four-year career. With starter Ameer Abdullah (foot) out at least two months, Riddick will get a chance to show he can do more than catch passes. Green Bay, this week's opponent, stuffed the Jaguars and Vikings running games, so Riddick's best used as a flex play in PPR leagues. Seventh-round rookie Dwayne Washington, who made the Lions partly for his work as a kick returner, is a sleeper. He had four carries for 31 yards last week and was used on the goal-line in Week 1. He ran for 1,311 yards at UW last year despite missing the final four games . . . Arian Foster's hurt (groin), but Miami has a stable of backs too unproven to take a run at in fantasy . . . Ranking the RBs who are expected to see an increase in workload: Christine Michael, Theo Riddick, Fozzy Whittaker, Charles Sims, Jerick McKinnon.

Wide receivers: T.Y. Hilton is off to a miserable start for Indy, but he begins a run this week of games against San Diego, Jacksonville and the Bears.

Second-year pro Phillip Dorsett, who presumably will step in for injured starter Donte Moncrief (broken scapula), is also a commodity . . . Miami's

DeVante Parker caught eight of his 13 targets for 106 yards last week after missing the season opener. With the running game uncertain, Parker is a WR3.

Quarterbacks.................Opp.

1. Drew Brees, NO . . . vs. Atl.

2. Cam Newton, Car. . . . vs. Min.

3. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit. . . . at Phi.

4. Matt Ryan, Atl. . . . at NO

5. Aaron Rodgers, GB . . . vs. Det.

6. Carson Palmer, Ari. . . . at Buf.

7. Eli Manning, NYG . . . vs. Was.

8. Andrew Luck, Ind. . . . vs. SD

9. Russell Wilson, Sea. . . . vs. SF

10. Philip Rivers, SD . . . at Ind.

11. Ryan Tannehill, Mia. . . . vs. Cle.

12. Dak Prescott, Dal. . . . vs. Chi.

Running backs............Opp.

1. David Johnson, Ari. . . . at Buf.

2. Ezekiel Elliott, Dal. . . . vs. Chi.

3. DeAngelo Williams, Pit. . . . at Phi.

4. Melvin Gordon, SD . . . at Ind.

5. Todd Gurley, LA . . . at TB

6. DeMarco Murray, Ten. . . . vs. Oak.

7. Matt Forte, NYJ . . . at KC

8. C.J. Anderson, Den. . . . at Cin.

9. Lamar Miller, Hou. . . . at NE

10. LeGarrette Blount, NE . . . vs. Hou.

11. Mark Ingram, NO . . . vs. Atl.

12. Spencer Ware, KC . . . vs. NYJ

13. Latavius Murray, Oak. . . . at Ten.

14. Eddie Lacy, GB . . . vs. Det.

15. LeSean McCoy, Buf. . . . vs. Ari.

16. Frank Gore, Ind.. . . vs. SD

17. Rashad Jennings, NYG . . . vs. Was.

18. Devonta Freeman, Atl. . . . at NO

19. Ryan Mathews, Eagles . . . vs. Pit.

20. Christine Michael, Sea.. . . vs. SF

21. Theo Riddick, Det.. . . at GB

22. Fozzy Whittaker, Car. . . . vs. Min.

23. Charles Sims, TB . . . vs. LA

24. Jerick McKinnon, Min. . . . at Car.

25. Carlos Hyde, SF. . . at Sea.

Wide receivers.............Opp.

1. Antonio Brown, Pit. . . . at Phi.

2. Odell Beckham, NYG . . . vs. Was.

3. Julio Jones, Atl. . . . at NO

4. Dez Bryant, Dal. . . . vs. Chi.

5. DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. . . . at NE

6. Allen Robinson, Jac. . . . vs. Balt.

7. A.J. Green, Cin. . . . vs. Den.

8. Travis Benjamin, SD . . . at Ind.

9. Jarvis Landry, Mia. . . . vs. Cle.

10. Kelvin Benjamin, Car. . . . vs. Min.

11. Jordy Nelson, GB . . . vs. Det.

12. Amari Cooper, Oak. . . . at Ten.

13. Brandon Marshall, NYJ . . . at KC

14. Brandin Cooks, NO . . . vs. Atl.

15. Alshon Jeffery, Chi. . . . at Dal.

16. Stefon Diggs, Min. . . . at Car.

17. Larry Fitzgerald, Ari. . . . at Buf.

18. Doug Baldwin, Sea. . . . vs. SF

19. Mike Evans, TB . . . vs. LA

20. T.Y. Hilton, Ind. . . . vs. SD

21. Demaryius Thomas, Den. . . . at Cin.

22. Jordan Matthews, Phi.. . . vs. Pit.

23. DeVante Parker, Mia. . . . vs. Cle.

24. Julian Edelman, NE . . . vs. Hou.

25. Jeremy Maclin, KC . . . vs. NYJ

Tight ends...............Opp.

1. Jordan Reed, Was. . . . at NYG

2. Greg Olsen, Car. . . . vs. Min.

3. Julius Thomas, Jac. . . . vs. Bal.

4. Delanie Walker, Ten. . . . vs. Oak.

5. Rob Gronkowski, NE . . . vs. Hou.

6. Travis Kelce, KC . . . vs. NYJ

7. Dennis Pitta, Bal.. . . vs. Jac.

8. Martellus Bennett, NE . . . vs. Hou.

9. Clive Walford, Oak. . . . at Ten.

10. Gary Barnidge, Cle. . . . at Mia.

11. Jesse James, Pit. . . . at Phi.

12. Jason Witten, Dal.. . . vs. Chi.

Quarterbacks: Ryan Tannehill, Dak Prescott

Running backs: Rashad Jennings, Charles Sims

Wide receivers: T.Y. Hilton, Sterling Shepard

Tight ends: Clive Walford, Gary Barnidge

Ed Barkowitz, whose first-round pick was Adrian Peterson (grumble, grumble), has been writing about fantasy football since 2001.