Week 3: 10 Things to watch
Chester Taylor's workload. His rushing attempts did take a hit in Week 2, dropping from 31 to 24, but with 55 on the season, Taylor is nevertheless on pace for a record-setting, 440-carry campaign (30 more than Jamal Anderson's 410 in 1998). For fantasy, it's nice to see him getting so much work, since it maximizes Taylor's chances at earning us points, but for fantasy, it's also a concern to see him getting so much work, since a 400-plus carry pace will do nothing but increase the likelihood he'll wear down the second half of the season. His career high in carries, incidentally, was 160 in 2004, so either his legs are fresher or he's not physically prepared for such a boost in his workload. Whichever it is, we're going to find out, because coach Brad Childress remains committed to a heavy dose of Taylor, meaning a 400-carry season, barring injury, is well within reach. He'll surely touch the ball enough to make an impact against the Bears, but could soon be a sell-high candidate.
Ben Roethlisberger's health. Was it his 100.4-degree temperature -- it wasn't the reported 104 degrees, which would have left him positively delirious -- or the remnants of his appendectomy that caused him to perform so poorly in his first game of the season? Roethlisberger has had a rough go of it so far this year, and while he seemed so promising leading his Steelers to Super Bowl glory last season, it's any wonder how quickly he'll return to that upward career trend. He's bound to be tested in Week 3 against the Bengals -- they scored 38 points against the Steelers in Week 13 last season -- and if he can't hang in there in what could be a surprising shoot-out, it's not going to speak well of his fantasy value for the short term.
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