Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

August 30, 2010 @ 03:08:59

By Cory J. Bonini
Edited by Bryce McRae

Rashard Mendenhall | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-foot-10, 225 pounds | 3rd year

2010 Projected NFL/Fantasy Football Statistics

Run Att		Run Yds		Run TD		Rec		Rec Yds		Rec TD		Tot TD
Lo	Hi	Lo	Hi	Lo	Hi	Lo	Hi	Lo	Hi	Lo	Hi	Lo	Hi
287	327	1208	1358	10	12	22	28	177	226	0	2	10	14

Pros: In 12 starts last year, Mendenhall was pretty good. He rushed for 1,108 yards (4.6 per carry) and scored eight total touchdowns (one receiving). The Steelers are likely to get back to pounding the ball with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suspended the first six games of the year. Pittsburgh drafted center Maurkice Pouncey in the first round, and he has won the starting job. Potential for Mendenhall is great, and you should expect an increase in carries this season. Pittsburgh's defense generally allows them to control the clock with the ground game. 

Cons: Once he became the full-time starter, Mendenhall was held to less than 4.0 yards per carry six times, including two games with a sub-2.9-yard average. We have no idea if Mendenhall can hold up to an increased workload. Running backs Mewelde Moore and rookie Jonathan Dwyer will be vying for touches; it is unknown if Mendenhall, only an average receiver, will serve as the third-down back yet. The offensive line took a hit with the loss of right tackle Willie Colon (Achilles') for the season.

Fantasy tip: There is a lot of potential for a breakout season for this promising back. Mendenhall has gone with the 10th overall pick, on average, and he has some upside. His value doesn't increase in PPR formats, but he makes for a quality choice in the late first round as your No. 1 back.

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Cory J. Bonini

Cory J. Bonini is a senior editor at KFFL. In late 2002, Bonini joined the KFFL staff as a research analyst. He vaulted himself into one of the industry's leading fantasy analysts.

Bonini has been involved in fantasy sports since 1996. A member of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association as well as Fantasy Sports Writers Association, he has been featured in print, on the radio and is also a published writer on scores of sites. Bonini co-hosted Big Lead Sports on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio from 2011 to 2012.

Bonini was recognized with the 2010 Best Article in Print Award from the FSWA and was a finalist for the same award in 2011. In '11, he finished first overall in the FSWA NFL experts challenge that featured 60 of the industry's best competitors.

Follow him on Twitter @CoryKFFL

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