Rashard Mendenhall is listed as doubtful on the Pittsburgh Steelers injury and is unlikely to suit up for Sunday night's season opener against the Denver Broncos, according to Jason La Canfora. Mendenhall was activated from the PUP list earlier this week after tearing his ACL in January. Mike Tomlin expressed optimism throughout the week regarding Mendenhall's availability, but the injury report suggests that he will be unavailable.
Fantasy Impact: Rashard Mendenhall was a former fantasy football stud, but injuries and poor offensive-line play have diminished his value. Mendenhall owners are going to have to be patient, as they should have expected when drafting a player so soon after injury. Jonathan Dwyer is the Steelers' running back to own in the meantime, with Isaac Redman also fighting through injuries. Pittsburgh will likely employ a running back-by-committee situation for the time being. While Dwyer has been the team's most impressive back, his workload is still a question mark, making him no more than a flex option at this point.
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