FanHouse Heath Miller

Talk about two tight ends headed in different directions -- Vernon Davis and John Carlson have similar situations with offensive lines that need help protecting the quarterback. But Davis isn't going to stick back and help protect Alex Smith. Carlson, on the other hand, is being asked to block a lot these days. If Carlson wasn't facing a Lions defense this week, he'd be ranked a lot lower than where he sits.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is near the top of every major statistical category that quarterbacks track. Even though Manning has always put up incredible numbers, Dallas Clark said this week, "You probably never thought he (Manning)could raise his level of play, but he has." Not that Manning needed another reason to target Clark, but I bet Clark gets an extra red zone look or two just as a debt of gratitude from the All-Pro quarterback.

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Every Tuesday night, we'll give you an update on our FanHouse fantasy football league. Who hit on their sleepers? Who made the shrewd pickups? Who's practicing what they preach? In 'House Check, you'll find out.

Some teams struggle through the bye weeks, limping to a few wins here and there while trying to keep up with the competition. Some people make move after move, searching for a winning combination to turn a season around. Those people are not Will Brinson.

Will took down the previous high-scoring team this week, winning his fifth straight game after starting the season 0-2, with a ragtag bunch including workhorse back Cedric Benson and emerging No. 1 WR Sidney Rice. Other teams might fold when WR1 Greg Jennings struggles, but Brinson perseveres.

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Every week in this space we've been bragging about the abundance of depth at the tight end position. Well, thanks to the bye weeks the pickings have gotten just a little slimmer. Or maybe, it's just that some of the hot starts have cooled off a little. Anyhow, prepare to yawn as it's another week and yet again Dallas Clark clutches onto the top spot. Until we see proof otherwise, that's that.

Tony Gonzalez returns from the bye week, but faces a tough defense in San Francisco. Surely, the 49ers will be amped to stop the run which may lead to Gonzo slipping in a nice game. John Carlson returns to the upper echelon this week and should be primed to get back into good graces against a soft Jaguars defense at home. If Jason Witten can't somehow exploit the Chiefs' horrid defense, then you may want to press the panic button. And as for the rest of the ranks, follow along...

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Fantasy FanHouse's "Bust a Move" segment provides quick-hitting insight on the most popular adds and drops across Fleaflicker fantasy leagues between Tuesday and Wednesday of each week. Knowing who is on the move during this 24-hour period often provides a valuable edge with regard to outperforming or underperforming players, injuries and depth chart shifts. So do as the man says, "Don't just stand there..."

The Adds

Rashard Mendenhall (RB, Steelers, 3,178 adds) - Enough already about the Steelers moving away from their longtime pound-the-rock mantra and relying on the pass. Mendenhall finally showed up and put the backfield debates as to who should tote the ball to bed. Willie Parker's inability to get the ground game moving (3.1 yards per carry) coupled with an inability to overcome injuries finally got the best of him as Mendenhall should see the bulk of the touches going forward with Parker playing second fiddle. It's hard to argue with 165 and two touchdowns -- so why try?

Halfway through the NFL season opener, the Titans and Steelers are tied 7-7, which sounds just about right considering how stout these two defenses are. Here's some observations from the first half.

If you ask a knowledgeable Steelers fan why the 2009 team could be better than the 2008 Super Bowl champs, the best answer is that the special teams could go from being one of the league's worst to one of the league's best. One half into the season, that's coming true. Stefan Logan looked solid returning kicks. The Steelers' field goal defense blocked a field goal (thanks to a nice push by Aaron Smith) and punter Daniel Sepulveda, back after missing 2008 with a blown knee, averaged 43 yards per punt on four punts, but more importantly he put two punts inside the 20, including one that was downed at the two.

The old days of Pittsburgh being known as a team unwilling to spend the big bucks need to buried and forgotten. Pittsburgh capped off an extremely busy offseason of signings by re-signing defensive end Brett Keisel to a four-year contract extension.

By re-signing Keisel, Pittsburgh now has re-upped James Harrison, Max Starks, Heath Miller, Chris Kemoeatu, Trai Essex and Hines Ward during this offseason. While that still leaves a significant number of Steelers heading into the final year of their contracts (Casey Hampton, Willie Parker, Ryan Clark, Willie Colon and Jeff Reed are the most notable) it is a clear sign that Pittsburgh is willing to spend the money to keep the bulk of the Super Bowl champs together.

If Casey Hampton doesn't get a contract extension from the Steelers, his own words this weekend probably sum up why.

Hampton did finish his run test at camp this year, unlike last year, but he then told the beat writers covering the Steelers that he didn't change his routine this offseason to try to get into better shape. He says he's in the same shape this year that he was last year, when he wasn't allowed to practice until he had lost some weight.

Back in 2005, Heath Miller slid down draft boards because of concerns about a sports hernia that had needed surgery after his senior season.

That proved to be an opportune injury for the Steelers, as it meant Miller, the top tight end in that year's draft class, slid to the 30th pick in the draft. And it proved to be a red herring of an injury, as it hasn't bothered Miller during his four-year NFL career, until now.

The Steelers had a pretty lengthy to-do list for the offseason, but a little over a day before training camp starts, they've managed to check off nearly every key task.

The announcement that tight end Heath Miller has signed a six-year extension worth $35.3 million does a very good job of getting the Steelers ready for training camp. Since the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh has re-signed or extended the contracts of James Harrison, Chris Kemoeatu, Trai Essex, Max Starks, Heath Miller, Charlie Batch and Hines Ward assuring that most of the team that won last year's Super Bowl will be around for years to come. And they also managed to get all of their draft picks signed before training camp.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the...
Team with more Super Bowl titles than any other franchise in existence. Fresh off of their sixth Super Bowl title, the Steelers return in 2009 with a solid shot at a repeat performance. The stellar defense is still around and the main keys to the Pittsburgh offense are back and healthy.

While the NFL version of the Steelers is a force to be reckoned with, the Steelers, as fantasy assets, are just average.