The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing it safe, preparing for the worst. We've seen players return to the field nine months after tearing their anterior cruciate ligament. But general manager Kevin Colbert isn't going to get his hopes up on running back Rashard Mendenhall , who tore his right ACL during the regular-season finale versus the Cleveland Browns and had surgery later in January.
"I never feel good about an ACL for a year," Colbert said on Monday.
Colbert also praised backup running back Isaac Redman for his work while filling in for Mendenhall, saying that the 27-year old had "established himself to be an NFL running back."

Fantasy Analysis:

The Steelers have Jonathan Dwyer and John Clay behind Redman, so they could definitely use a change-of-pace runner from either the draft or free agency. Mendenhall looks like a pretty safe bet to start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so don't anticipate seeing him contribute to your fantasy team until week seven at the earliest.