Rashad Mendenhall

[12D3]

I have been seeing Mendenhall going later and later in drafts. A month ago he was a top 10 pick. Now I'm seeing him fall to round 3 in some leagues.

 

Did the broken arm rumor scare off a lot of people? Or are projections just dipping on him?

[Avernus]

I'm bigger on RB's who are more of a factor in the passing game and I'm just not too high on the Steelers at least for the 1st half of the season...

 

I don't see him getting more than 3ypc with 8 in the box - he'll be seeing plenty of 8 in the box...

[shotgun72]

I got him in a 12 team .5 per reception ppr with pick #32 in the 3rd round. Couldn't believe it and happily snatched him up.

[delfamdelfam]

With Roethlisberger out and the bad o-line teams are going to stack the box, also Mendenhall has injury issues so if they use him to much which they will without Roethlisberger, he could get hurt.

 

I also agree with avernus, I'd rather draft a RB who can catch the ball, especially in PPR.

[jjpro11]

the interior of their line will actually be upgraded with Pouncey starting at center. Hartwig was one of the worst centers in the league last season. other than Mendenhall's freak injury by Ray Lewis his rookie year, he held up just fine last season.. Willie Parker started the first 3 weeks, after that Mendenhall had at least 10 carries in every game from week 4 on.

 

what may hurt his production is the use of Isaac Redman near the goal line. the Steelers have been using a two-back set this preseason with Redman at FB and handing the ball off to him numerous times... in the red zone especially, as his nickname happens to be "Redzone Redman." Isaac Redman is a power back who will be taking the place of Willie Parker this year as the backup RB. in the end though, Redman won't be a TD vulture like Bettis was in the last 2 sesons of his career. he'll get some chances, but Mendenhall is still the workhorse in this offense.

[BearBroncos]

the interior of their line will actually be upgraded with Pouncey starting at center. Hartwig was one of the worst centers in the league last season. other than Mendenhall's freak injury by Ray Lewis his rookie year, he held up just fine last season.. Willie Parker started the first 3 weeks, after that Mendenhall had at least 10 carries in every game from week 4 on.

 

what may hurt his production is the use of Isaac Redman near the goal line. the Steelers have been using a two-back set this preseason with Redman at FB and handing the ball off to him numerous times... in the red zone especially, as his nickname happens to be "Redzone Redman." Isaac Redman is a power back who will be taking the place of Willie Parker this year as the backup RB. in the end though, Redman won't be a TD vulture like Bettis was in the last 2 sesons of his career. he'll get some chances, but Mendenhall is still the workhorse in this offense.

 

Which could potentially lead to SJax 2009 type numbers. Good yardage but only 4 or 5 TD's.s

[DO Jaded]

Which could potentially lead to SJax 2009 type numbers. Good yardage but only 4 or 5 TD's.s

 

Which is not bad for a 3rd round pick. That's where I got him in ECB this weekend.

So back to the original question, yes he has fallen on most draft boards for many of the reasons stated above. I'm hoping they are all wrong and he really is top 10 pick worthy.

[BearBroncos]

Which is not bad for a 3rd round pick. That's where I got him in ECB this weekend.

So back to the original question, yes he has fallen on most draft boards for many of the reasons stated above. I'm hoping they are all wrong and he really is top 10 pick worthy.

 

I absolutely agree. I felt he was going to high from the start. Mid 2nd to high 3rd is about right. In the first I thought was to much. But, tit for tat.

[Sturphy]

I'm all in with Mendenhall this year, and going forward. Drafted him at #13 in WODMD (which was a wee bit of a reach frankly), and he'll be starting in two of my dynasty leagues this year. I'm banking on the increased workload and all the positive publicity coming out of Steelers camp about him and about a shift to more running game in the offense. The rookie year injury is proving to be a one time Ray Lewis induced crushing and he's a sturdy guy otherwise.

 

There... it's all on the table, I said it, I'm on record.

[Ice717]

Mendenhall is one of a handul of backs that is not in a RBBC which should in itself put him above alot of the other RBBCs backs. The O-line is bad but not terrible for running. Willie Colon was an all around Tackle but Flozell can still handle the running game, its the passing game which he struggles with.

 

People being scarred of Mendenhall due to the lack of Big-Ben is a little silly as well, yes the box will be stacked but he will be getting the rock quite a bit. Mendenhall also has good hands and will be utilized out of the backfield more than I think people give him credit for. He was an all around back at UoI.

[WashingtonD]

I've seen nothing to indicate that he should drop out of the 2nd round...for me in a PPR format he's a low end first round, high end second round pick with some decent upside due to the fact he's not in an RBBC, he is in an offense where he is going to get touches, they've committed to using him at Goal line and in 3rd down situations...as long as he doesn't get hurt, he's going to be a very good performer for the Steelers and Fantasy Owners.

[i_am_the_swammi]

Ratchet him down another few notches....the vulture has been announced, potentially eliminating Mendenhall inside the 5 yard line.

 

Per The Huddle:

 

Steelers RB Isaac Redman was named the short-yardage back by coach Mike Tomlin, according to Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider.

 

Huddle Up: Ask any Steelers homer, this 230-lb bruiser named Redman has made an impression on the coaches. It remains to be seen if "short-yardage" also means "goal-line" to Tomlin, but it's obvious Redman will have a role in the backfield. Rashard Mendenhall-owners should monitor their investment and watch how Redman is used in the first couple of games.

[Grimm74]

Although it may not mean much to some folks last year was pretty much his rookie year. It was his first 16 game season. On top of it all he was not an every down back. This year he is minus some short yardage situations.

 

I actually think his prduction will increase once bens back.

[i_am_the_swammi]

I actually think his prduction will increase once bens back.

 

To be honest, thats a no-brainer....with Roethlisberger out, he'll be facing a ton of 8-men-in-the-box defense....his first four games are likely to be rough-going. The fact they plan on potentially using Redman to cash in TDs is a brutal blow to his fantasy production, if indeed it pans out.

[Grimm74]

I am not so sure it is a "no-brainer" at all. I have read a few times from "experts" that he is the man while Ben is gone which elevates his value....but we all have our opinions.

[JUMbotron]

Tomlin said Redman is the short-yardage guy (goal line?) but also added later that Mendenhall will be the primary 3rd down guy. I hate it when Tomlin starts talking about his backfield, he makes fantasy owners cringe with the simplest remarks. I remember when he scared Parker-owners with that "Pony" backfield idea with three backs.

[JUMbotron]

Steelers reporter Ken Laird

 

http://twitter.com/Ken_Laird/statuses/24036620531

brcue arians says rashard mendenhall will be goal line back

16 minutes ago via txt

Retweeted by 3 people

[JUMbotron]

I dug up another article on the Steelers running game.

 

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianp...wwlVB2x3qOzGAOQ

They spent more off-season and training camp time working on short-yardage and goal-line running situations, major deficiencies last season. They also drew up a twin-back set in which Mendenhall and another running back, usually second-year player Isaac Redman, are in the backfield together, but not in the classic tailback-fullback formation.

 

JUM