Fantasy football: Fallback options for Le’Veon Bell owners in Week 1

Pittsburgh Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell has yet to report to the team’s facility, which has fantasy football owners worried about his Week 1 impact. Here are some fallback options from which to choose.

If your fantasy football team has Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell as your RB1 selection, you probably should be a bit worried the three-time Pro Bowler has yet to report to his team’s facility in advance of Pittsburgh’s season opener on Sept. 9 at the Cleveland Browns.

Bell is, of course, owned in nearly 100 percent of CBS Sports fantasy football leagues and is still ranked as a starter in 94 percent of them.

So, should you be worried about his status for Week 1?

Absolutely.

Remember, Bell went through something similar a year ago at this time. He ended his 2017 holdout on Sept. 1. And while it’s anyone’s guess if the same course of action takes place this season, it’s hard to avoid the parallel between Bell’s holdout last season and his sluggish start to 2017.

Bell’s first three weeks of last year went like this:

• Week 1 @ Cleveland Browns — 10 rushes, 32 yards, 0 touchdowns — 4 fantasy points
• Week 2 vs. Minnesota Vikings — 27 rushes, 87 yards, 0 touchdowns — 8 fantasy points
• Week 3 @ Chicago Bears — 15 rushes, 61 yards, 1 touchdown — 15 fantasy points

Even if Bell ends his holdout before the Steelers’ 2018 campaign begins, one might expect the talented runner to need some time to shake off the proverbial rust.

You won’t drop Bell from your lineup. That would be stupid. But you’ll want to monitor the situation closely, even if Bell winds up returning from his holdout between now and Sunday.

James Conner has been Pittsburgh’s No. 1 tailback this preseason, and he’ll wind up getting starting reps if Bell’s holdout lasts much longer. He’s owned in 47 percent of CBS Sports fantasy football leagues but starting in just four percent of them. If he’s available on your fantasy free-agent scrap heap, look to pick him up for a Week 1 handcuff.

And it might not be a bad idea to grab and start him if Bell returns anyway, as it wouldn’t be shocking to see Conner get the lion’s share of reps early in 2018.

Fantasy owners may also want to look at the 49ers‘ situation in the backfield, especially after the Niners lost No. 1 tailback Jerick McKinnon to a season-ending ACL injury. It’s likely San Francisco platoons runners Matt Breida and Alfred Morris — both of whom have seen a drastic increase in “percent owned” since McKinnon’s injury — which might negate your desire to rely on either as a true RB1.

But if either player is available in free agency or via a low-cost trade, you could do worse to help weather the storm until Bell gets his legs under him.

Another player to watch on the pre-Week 1 scrap heap is New Orleans Saints running back Boston Scott, who is owned in just 18 percent of CBS Sports leagues. Like the 49ers, the Saints employed a dual-back approach to great effect last year between Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara.

With Ingram out the first four weeks of 2018, though (suspension), using Scott as a handcuff might be the right move in the short run.

As per usual, monitor the Bell situation closely. And you might be inclined to go with another option even if Bell comes back from his holdout. If he doesn’t, you know what to do. But even if he returns, consider what happened this time last year and act accordingly.