When news broke that Le’Veon Bell would be out for at least 6-8 weeks, fantasy football owners across the globe cringed. You see, Bell was supposed to be a top-notch rookie running back and was taken in the fifth or sixth round of most fantasy drafts. Unfortunately, a Lisfranc injury will keep him sidelined and said fantasy owners will have to look elsewhere for production at the flex position.
Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offensive coordinator Todd Haley has vowed to make the team’s offense more balanced with steadfast running plays, which means that Pittsburgh isn’t going to abandon the run just because Bell is out for the first month or so.
Therefore, if Haley sticks to his word Jonathan Dwyer will emerge as a must-have fantasy football running back in 2013. Dwyer was shockingly productive in just 13 games last year with 623 rushing yards and another 109 yards receiving. However, the only thing keeping Dwyer from being a powerhouse runner is the injury bug. Many are claiming that Isaac Redman is the guy in the Steelers’ backfield that you want, yet his rushing statistics left a lot to be desired in 2012.
For now, I would place a claim in on Dwyer, who is all-around back, who can rush for 1,000 yards if healthy and definitely has a nose for the end-zone. At the end of the day, the Steelers are supposedly going back to the ground-and-pound offense that they used to be, so look for Dwyer to make his case as a fantasy football hero in 2013.
Devin O’Barr is the Content Commentator for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DevinOBarrRS, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
