Mendenhall anyone?

[egbbfb03 0]

I drafted R Mendenhall in the 15th round last weekend. I figure I can hold him to see if he can come back this season. May provide some RB depth. My question......I am wondering if I should drop him and pick up Turbin from Seattle. I could use him to handcuff M Lynch since he seems to be injured right now. We play 2RB and another in the flex if I wish. My RB's are as follows:

 

McCoy (*PHI)

M Lynch (SEA)

Doug Martin (TB)

R Williams (ARI)

Mendenhall (PIT)

 

Thoughts?

[Frozenbeernuts 1,652]

I drafted R Mendenhall in the 15th round last weekend. I figure I can hold him to see if he can come back this season. May provide some RB depth. My question......I am wondering if I should drop him and pick up Turbin from Seattle. I could use him to handcuff M Lynch since he seems to be injured right now. We play 2RB and another in the flex if I wish. My RB's are as follows:

 

McCoy (*PHI)

M Lynch (SEA)

Doug Martin (TB)

R Williams (ARI)

Mendenhall (PIT)

 

Thoughts?

If you are going to have a guy taking up roster space Turbin seems to be the more valuable.

[Brownsfan21 1]

If you are going to have a guy taking up roster space Turbin seems to be the more valuable.

 

I would handcuff Lynch with Turbin..That Pittsburgh Backfield is a mess and will most likely be a committee all season long

[deefree93 0]

If your league has an IR spot, I think its worth it and in that case he is a draftable flier as he won't take up an actual roster spot until he can contribute. Otherwise, its probably not worth the spot, and if you really want him can probably wait until a week or so before he comes back.

[PATSSOX 22]

Sounds like Mendenhall is making nice progress

 

Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall (knee) took a spot among the first team Monday in his first full practice since tearing his ACL in Week 17 last season against Cleveland. "It's been progressing. Feels good, felt normal. I was able to cut, no hesitation. But I just take it one day at a time and just try to build on that," said Mendenhall, who is still likely weeks away from playing in a game. "I was never really on a timetable. I'm just kind of working through every day. I've been able to do what I was asked to do, and do it well."

(Updated 09/03/12)

 

Fantasy Analysis

 

While Mendenhall did not rule out the possibility of playing in the season opener at Denver, but he still needs more work in his preparation to play -- and especially to start. The Steelers are expected to rely Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer in the backfield while Mendenhall is sidelined, which could extend past the first month of the season. Pittsburgh has yet to determine a clear timetable for the 25-year-old, who churned out just 4.1 yards per carry in 15 games. Those Fantasy owners who wisely grabbed Mendenhall as a solid value pick in the late rounds of drafts should continue to leave him benched for now as he's weeks away from making an impact.

 

Im debating offering Demarious Thomas and Mendenhall for Andre Johnson

[SameSongNDance 0]

My problem with Mendy is that he looked rather underwhelming before he went down the the knee injury, largely being a first round bust. I'm not so sure he's anymore talented than Redman and Dwyer to be honest. At best this looks like it's going the be a full blown RBBC down the stretch. Dwyer is the only one with a bit of upside.

[PATSSOX 22]

My problem with Mendy is that he looked rather underwhelming before he went down the the knee injury, largely being a first round bust. I'm not so sure he's anymore talented than Redman and Dwyer to be honest. At best this looks like it's going the be a full blown RBBC down the stretch. Dwyer is the only one with a bit of upside.

 

Thats what i was thinking too. I think im gonna flip him to the Redman owner.

[R8RMick 242]

My problem with Mendy is that he looked rather underwhelming before he went down the the knee injury, largely being a first round bust. I'm not so sure he's anymore talented than Redman and Dwyer to be honest. At best this looks like it's going the be a full blown RBBC down the stretch. Dwyer is the only one with a bit of upside.

 

 

My thoughts exactly, in fact I want to junk punch the jackasses at Fantasy Football Index for ranking Mendenhall #5 last year among RB's. That call was Peter King-esque...

[fantasy master 0]

If Dwyer keeps running like he has been Mendenhall may never come off the PUP.

[kutulu 1,548]

If Dwyer keeps running like he has been Mendenhall may never come off the PUP.

[SameSongNDance 0]

 

He meant they'll break his knee and put him BACK on the PUP.

[pachyderm 0]

Starting RB for the Steelers is just not as valuable as it once was. This has to do a lot more with their lack of commitment to the run. They are not a run first team anymore.

[We Tigers 71]

I think Dwyer presents the best value on the Steelers right now. He's healthy, been running great, and should see a lot of work. I'd have a hard time justifying a roster spot on Mendenhall given the logjam at RB and the fact that he probably won't play till October. They only took him off the PUP after Redman got banged up. In order of draft value right now, I'd probably rank them Dwyer-Rainey-Redman-Mendy.

[epinindy 0]

Mendenhall will miss the first 4-5 weeks likely. He is already getting first team reps in practice, I would not drop him.

[remote controller 133]

If Dwyer keeps running like he has been Mendenhall may never come off the PUP.

this

 

Between he and rainey, they have all their bases covered.

[R8RMick 242]

Starting RB for the Steelers is just not as valuable as it once was. This has to do a lot more with their lack of commitment to the run. They are not a run first team anymore.

 

I thought that's why they ran Bruce Arians...? Bigger problems are injuries to the O-line I think.

[SameSongNDance 0]

Coach Mike Tomlin suggested that RB Isaac Redman must get over his ankle injury to start at Denver Sunday night.

Redman did practice on Monday, but Tomlin lumped him in with players such as Rashard Mendenhall and James Harrison in seeing "where the week takes us." Despite Tomlin's newfound optimism on Mendenhall, it's doubtful that he will play in the opener. The upshot is that Jonathan Dwyer could be in line for a major role this week.

[bigmark3333 11]

I noticed in my ESPN league that he's been upgraded to questionable with this note in his profile:

 

"Mendenhall (knee) showed "burst and long speed" that left Steelers players "buzzing" in practice Monday, according to Scout.com. This comes on the heels of coach Mike Tomlin saying the Steelers are "leaving the door open" for Mendenhall to start the season opener against Denver.

 

Spin: While this is great news for Mendenhall owners, we don't expect him to see significant action, if any, on Sunday after missing the entire preseason. How this impacts the value of Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer remains to be seen, and we will monitor how Mendenhall's knee responds during the week."

 

 

I drafted him with the intention of sitting him in my leagues IR spot until he came back. I'd be surprised if he played this week, but it sounds like he may be closer than many people expected.

[R8RMick 242]

Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall (knee) took a spot among the first team Monday in his first full practice since tearing his ACL in Week 17 last season against Cleveland. "It's been progressing. Feels good, felt normal. I was able to cut, no hesitation. But I just take it one day at a time and just try to build on that," said Mendenhall, who is still likely weeks away from playing in a game. "I was never really on a timetable. I'm just kind of working through every day. I've been able to do what I was asked to do, and do it well."(Updated 09/03/12)

 

 

I wonder if that includes scoring from inside the five yard line.

[cbfalcon 824]

"Mendenhall (knee) showed "burst and long speed"

 

If that's the case, he should have given himself this injury years ago.

[LoOnAtIk 75]

Any steelers homers here? I don't watch EVERY game but i'm pretty sure a healthy Mendenhall is more talented than Redman or Dwyer.

 

I don't see a RBBC at all once he comes back. Redman will be 3rd down guy again.

[SameSongNDance 0]

If that's the case, he should have given himself this injury years ago.

 

 

Any steelers homers here? I don't watch EVERY game but i'm pretty sure a healthy Mendenhall is more talented than Redman or Dwyer.

 

I don't see a RBBC at all once he comes back. Redman will be 3rd down guy again.

 

You don't need to be a homer, all you had to do was watch him run last year. Instead of hitting the holes hard, like you'd expect from a RB his size, he oddly tries to spin/dance too much. There's like, too much lateral movement in his game. Once Redman came in, you saw how much better suited a downhill runner was for PIT's game. I don't think he's bad per say, I just don't see him being very much of an upgrade over the current options. Oh, and his upright running style doesn't help his case either.

[Turf CamelToe 1]

I grabbed Mendenhall late in my Saturday draft, while Dwyer was still on the board. I figure Mendy has a greater risk reward value (Steeler fan, not that it matters)

[PATSSOX 22]

I ended up traded Mendenhall and Demaryious Thomas for Greg Jennings yesterday. While the news coming out of Pittsburgh sounds good on Mendenhall he struggled last year when he was healthy. He had double digit pts in 6 of 15 games or 40% off games and only went over 100 yards in 2 of 15 which is 13.3%. And never went over 76 yards expect the only 2 times he broke 100. So not good

 

WK	 OPP	ATT	YDS	TD	PTS
1	@Bal	12	45	0	2
2	Sea	19	66	1	13
3	@Ind	18	37	0	3
4	@Hou	9	25	1	8
5	Ten	0	0	0	0
6	Jac	23	146	1	20
7	@Ari	13	32	0	3
8	NE	13	70	0	9
9	Bal	13	52	1	11
10	@Cin	16	44	2	18
11	BYE	-	-	-	-
12	@KC	17	57	0	6
13	Cin	16	60	2	18
14	Cle	18	76	0	7
15	@SF	15	64	0	8
16	StL	18	116	1	20
17	@Cle	8	38	0	3

 

latest from Rotoworld:

Beat writer Ed Bouchette isn't buying coach Mike Tomlin's suggestion that Rashard Mendenhall could play in Sunday night's opener at Denver.

"I don't expect him to play," said Bouchette. "Maybe (Tomlin) just wants to have the Broncos thinking a little bit. ... But maybe (Mendenhall) is coming along a little quicker than they thought." Mendenhall just shed his red non-contact jersey in an impressive Monday practice. We suspect it will be at least another week or two before he's ready for game action. Sep 4 - 2:53 PM

Source: CBS Pittsburgh

[murf74 461]

He practiced fully again today. Did anyone notice he dressed for the last preseason game?

[murf74 461]

I ended up traded Mendenhall and Demaryious Thomas for Greg Jennings yesterday. While the news coming out of Pittsburgh sounds good on Mendenhall he struggled last year when he was healthy. He had double digit pts in 6 of 15 games or 40% off games and only went over 100 yards in 2 of 15 which is 13.3%. And never went over 76 yards expect the only 2 times he broke 100. So not good

 

WK	 OPP	ATT	YDS	TD	PTS
1	@Bal	12	45	0	2
2	Sea	19	66	1	13
3	@Ind	18	37	0	3
4	@Hou	9	25	1	8
5	Ten	0	0	0	0
6	Jac	23	146	1	20
7	@Ari	13	32	0	3
8	NE	13	70	0	9
9	Bal	13	52	1	11
10	@Cin	16	44	2	18
11	BYE	-	-	-	-
12	@KC	17	57	0	6
13	Cin	16	60	2	18
14	Cle	18	76	0	7
15	@SF	15	64	0	8
16	StL	18	116	1	20
17	@Cle	8	38	0	3

 

latest from Rotoworld:

 

They struggled because the offensive coordinator had no idea how or when to call a run play.

 

Your trade was good but ariens is an awful run coordinator.

[PATSSOX 22]

They struggled because the offensive coordinator had no idea how or when to call a run play.

 

Your trade was good but ariens is an awful run coordinator.

 

Did Ariens just forget how to call a game his last year as Offensive Coordinator? To me it looks like they just start to sling the ball all over the field and did not hand it off to him like they had the year before. Alot of that could probably be attributed to their defense not being anywhere near as good as it has been in years before.

 

SEASON	TEAM	GP	ATT	YDS	AVE
2009	PIT	16	242	1,108	4.6
2010 	PIT	16	324	1,273	3.9
2011	PIT	15	228	928	4.1	

[murf74 461]

Did Ariens just forget how to call a game his last year as Offensive Coordinator? To me it looks like they just start to sling the ball all over the field and did not hand it off to him like they had the year before. Alot of that could probably be attributed to their defense not being anywhere near as good as it has been in years before.

 

SEASON	TEAM	GP	ATT	YDS	AVE
2009	PIT	16	242	1,108	4.6
2010 	PIT	16	324	1,273	3.9
2011	PIT	15	228	928	4.1	

So you are actually proving my point. He didnt know when or how to design run plays or how to establish a rhythm in the run game. Look at the attempts...his ypc went up last year ariens was an idiot

 

If mendy was not injured he would be a top 10 rb in fantasy draft with Haley running game and addition of an actual fullback and all the attention those stud wrs will be getting.

 

But he is hurt so it is what it is but I think you proved yourself wrong....he didnt have a bad year he just wasn't involved enough

[Turf CamelToe 1]

So you are actually proving my point. He didnt know when or how to design run plays or how to establish a rhythm in the run game. Look at the attempts...his ypc went up last year ariens was an idiot

 

If mendy was not injured he would be a top 10 rb in fantasy draft with Haley running game and addition of an actual fullback and all the attention those stud wrs will be getting.

 

But he is hurt so it is what it is but I think you proved yourself wrong....he didnt have a bad year he just wasn't involved enough

 

4.1 yds a carry = not too shabby. As a Steeler fan, I hope they don't rush him back. After the Bye week would be nice.

[Performance Enhanced 0]

4.1 yds a carry = not too shabby. As a Steeler fan, I hope they don't rush him back. After the Bye week would be nice.

 

 

Mendenhall was far from a fantasy stud last year before he even got hurt. I in no way shape or form would be excited about him on my roster. I understand he would be the starting back there in Pitt but I still don't think much of him in terms of fantasy points.

[murf74 461]

Mendenhall was far from a fantasy stud last year before he even got hurt. I in no way shape or form would be excited about him on my roster. I understand he would be the starting back there in Pitt but I still don't think much of him in terms of fantasy points.

 

Are you not reading...he had 100 less carries in 2011 vs 2010 he got hurt last game of regular season. 4.1 ypc deserves more touches. 100 carries is like 5 less games than the year before.

 

Its a big deal you can't overlook

[callahan28 0]

The best thing about mendenhall this year is the VALUE that people are gonna get from him. If I'm able to start a running back like him in my flex when i got him as a 15th rounder then I am happy with his production of 1000 yards and 7 tds. That could be over 12 games too. Just wait to start him. No one picked him up to start him right away.