Death, taxes and Antonio Brown picking up at least five catches for at least 50 yards. Those were the certainties in life until Ben Roethlisberger got hurt.
Now, all of a sudden, the Pittsburgh Steelers look mortal offensively, and Brown was virtually nowhere to be found with Michael Vick throwing him the football for the first time last week.
The good news is that Vick has had a week and a half since his first offering as a Steelers starter to get on the same page with the team's top receiver.
The bad news is that a prospective fantasy matchup against Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers probably isn't going to go all that well.
We just don't love the prospects of Brown at this point. Le'Veon Bell is taking on a bigger role with each passing game, and when he needs a blow, DeAngelo Williams has proven to be a capable alternative. Vick isn't nearly as accurate of a passer as Big Ben is. Now, Martavis Bryant is back from his suspension as well and will give Vick another option to throw the ball to.
Last week could've been a lot better had Brown hauled in a long touchdown pass as he was sliding to the ground against the Ravens, but without that catch, he finished with a meager five catches for 42 yards. Sure, he still led the team receiving, but Vick averaged just 4.77 yards per pass attempt and had nothing going down the field at all the whole game against a defense which, for our money, is no worse than the one which will be on the field this weekend in San Diego.
What’s worse though, is just how bad this Pittsburgh secondary really is. This is a unit which made Colin Kaepernick look like Joe Montana. Yes, things have been better these last couple weeks against the Rams and the Ravens, but go ahead and name any of the wide receivers who were on the field in either of those games, especially after Steve Smith went out with a back injury. Tough to do, right?
Rivers' wide receivers are certainly banged up with Stevie Johnson and Malcom Floyd both getting hurt last week, but Keenan Allen is still a fantastic possession receiver, and when it comes to catching touchdowns – the ultimate equalizer in fantasy football – we have a tough time envisioning the Steelers stopping the combination of Antonio Gates and LaDarius Green when they are on the field together.
Remember that Pittsburgh allowed Rob Gronkowski to haul in three scores in Week 1. Granted, Gates isn't Gronkowski, especially at 35 years old and coming off of a four game suspension to start the season, but he still had 12 touchdowns last year and is sure to be a big threat in this game.
Rivers has at least two touchdown throws in three of his first four games, including three last week against Cleveland, and it's really tough to see how he doesn't get at least two into the end zone in this one. Just from that standpoint alone, we'd have no problem laying a solid dozen points in this matchup against Brown, and we'd think about laying even more if we had to do so.
The NFL odds for this Monday contest were first released by BookMaker, and the San Diego Chargers were positioned as 3.5-point favorites with a total of 44.5. Now you can wager in-game while the action unfolds with BookMaker's live betting option.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The matchup between the San Diego Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers will take place Monday, October 12, 2015, at 8:30 p.m. ET at Qualcomm Stadium. The game will be televised on ESPN.
