Benny Snell probably isn't available in some leagues, but if he is, I think he's the top pickup of the week. He's been pretty solid with his chances, and he's facing Cleveland this week. Steelers tailbacks have had their way in this matchup in recent years.
That didn't work out two weeks ago. James Conner tried to play hurt, left early, and the Steelers cycled through Jaylen Samuels and Trey Edmunds before abandoning the run and trying to win via the pass. Now Conner says he won't be able to return in Week 13. It should be Snell as the lead back, and his fresh legs have worked out well so far.
Snell has had a sizable role twice this year. At the Chargers (in Devlin Hodges' first start) and at Cincinnati last week. He ran well in both games.
| SNELL WITH 10-PLUS CARRIES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opp | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| LAC | 17 | 75 | 4.4 | 0 |
| Cin. | 21 | 98 | 4.7 | 0 |
Short track record, and Snell hasn't scored yet. But he should be their main runner this week, against a Cleveland defense ranked 25th against the run. It's a new year and a different runner, but when Pittsburgh faced Cleveland last season, it gave Conner a heavy workload in both games. And he delivered.
| CONNER VERSUS CLEVELAND, 2018 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 31 | 135 | 4.4 | 2 |
| 24 | 146 | 6.1 | 2 |
Pittsburgh is starting Devlin Hodges at quarterback, and will likely emphasize the run. Jaylen Samuels will play in passing situation. But I like Snell's chances of putting up very good rushing numbers this week.
--Andy Richardson