Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is a must start in all fantasy football league formats ever created. The guy is just that good so he should never touch your bench unless injured or on a bye. Yet with Ben Roethlisberger's mid-foot sprain keeping him out a week or two, Martavis Bryant may be the go-to target for backup Landry Jones.
That's not to say Brown is going to slink off into fantasy irrelevance with Jones at the helm. The speedy WR caught six passes on eight targets for 124 yards during Jones' Week 7 start against the Kansas City Chiefs. But Bryant may have a bit more of a connection with the young signal-caller at this point.
"Antonio Brown is coming off his 284-yard game, but Steelers starting quarterback Landry Jones has good chemistry with Martavis Bryant, who should bounce back from back-to-back average fantasy performances," ESPN Steelers reporter Jeremy Fowler wrote. "All three of Jones' touchdown passes have gone to Bryant, who had eight targets in Jones' first start at Kansas City. Jones has turned the ball over when throwing in the middle of the field, but he throws a good deep-end zone ball, which caters to Bryant's skill set. Bryant and Jones have been getting extra reps together this week in preparation for the Browns."
Again, both players are start-worthy this week. Cleveland's pass defense ranks 19th in receiving yards per game (264.3) and 30th in touchdowns (18) which means there will be plenty of opportunities for both Brown and Bryant to get going. But at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, Bryant is more of a red zone threat and an easier target than Brown, especially for a callow QB.
Overall, Bryant has caught 16 passes for 262 yards and four touchdowns in four games this year. Brown, meanwhile, currently ranks third in the NFL in targets (101), second in receptions (69) and receiving yards (1,002) and third in yards per game (111.3).
