However, fantasy owners shouldn’t touch Galloway with a ten-foot goalpost. Sure, he’s a big name joining a pass happy team — but he’s not going to get much time on the field. At best, he’ll be the team’s fourth WR behind Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace.

If you need further proof that Galloway doesn’t belong in fantasy football discussions, look at what he did for the New England Patriots earlier in the season. He was brought in by the Patriots and got a legit shot … but massively failed — to the point that New England cut him.

As for Sweed, the young wide receiver is struggling to live up to his potential. He had only one catch on the season and team insiders are pessimistic concerning his long-term future with the Steelers.

Joey Galloway was a disaster with the Patriots (Image: Zuma Press)

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Instead, Dennis Dixon will be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The backup in Pittsburgh is Charlie Batch — but he too is injured. That leaves the job to Dixon, who has only thrown one pass in his NFL career.

Dixon is best known for his years at Oregon, where the athletic 6-foot-3 quarterback found himself in the Heisman talk a number of times. But right now, that Heisman talk is a long ways away. Instead, he faces a stout Ravens defense on the road in the middle of a ferocious playoff race. Good luck, Dennis.

For fantasy football purposes, stay far, far away from Dixon. He’s in an extremely tough situation. If he throws for more than one TD or gets more than 200 yards passing, I’d be shocked. He’s likely to have a very rough outing that could hurt your fantasy team more than help.

Dennis Dixon will get the start for the Steelers (Image: Zuma Press)

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If Polamalu has just a sprained left MLC, his likely return date is between Week 4 and Week 9. Considering that the team has a Week 8 bye, there’s a good chance that the Steelers would play it conservative and hold Polamalu out until Week 9.

For fantasy football purposes, this move could have a lot of ramifications. First of all, the Steelers defense isn’t worth as much without Polamalu in the lineup. He’s their playmaker and seems to always be in the right place at the right time. Without him, the Steelers D will find it more difficult to create turnovers.

For offensive players going against the Steelers, they will be worth slightly more on a weekly basis — especially quarterbacks. Without having to worry about Polamalu, a QB’s job is a lot easier.

Keep your ears open until the Steelers give a definite diagnoses. Until then, there’s a chance Polamalu could be back in a few weeks — but there’s also a chance he could miss the rest of the season if a worse injury is diagnosed.

Troy Polamalu (Image: Press Release)

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1. Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers won a Super Bowl last year thanks to their great defensive unit. In 2009 fantasy football, their defense should be dominant once again.

2. New York Giants
With a defense that can get to the quarterback and plays with impressive physicality, the Giants make things happen on the defensive end on a weekly basis.

3. Minnesota Vikings
Last year, it turned out that the Vikings defense was overrated. This year, they may be underrated. Draft the Vikings D with confidence.

4. Baltimore Ravens
It’s never safe to count out the Ravens on the defensive side of the field. They are talented and mean — a good combination to have on your side.

5. Tennessee Titans
The Titans loss of Albert Haynesworth is huge but Tennessee should be able to survive and thrive. You can count on the coaching to be top notch.

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In fantasy football, Willie Parker’s value seems to be on the decline. Last year, Parker only had a decent season. He rushed for 791 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. It was the first time in three seasons that he had less than 1,200 rushing yards. Perhaps most damning is the fact that he had a yards per rush average of 3.8 yards — and that number has declined each season in his career.

If Parker struggles at all, the Steelers will take a look at Rashard Mendenhall. Last year, Mendenhall was drafted in the first round and it’s thought that he’ll eventually become the team’s starting running back. However, his rookie season wasn’t too impressive — 58 rushing yards on 19 carries and a season-ending shoulder injury.

If you pick Parker in fantasy football, be sure to handcuff Mendenhall.

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RB Carey Davis, Pittsburgh Steelers
Most fullbacks aren’t startable in the fantasy football world but with Carey Davis of the Steelers, you can be confident that he’ll at least get a couple touches. In the two games Pittsburgh has played in the playoffs, Davis has five touches. In their last three games, he has seven touches. If you need an emergency starter and all the other RBs are taken, look at Davis.

WR Jerheme Urban, Arizona Cardinals
There’s no doubt that the Cardinals will try a couple trick plays against the Steelers to try to catch Pittsburgh off guard. One target for the trick play could be Urban, who is the fourth wide receiver for the Cardinals. During the regular season, he threw a pass that was complete and he also had two touchdowns in the final three games.

WR Limas Sweed, Pittsburgh Steelers
Against the Ravens, Limas Sweed’s stat line would have looked a lot better if he would have hauled in the long bomb that fell right through his finger tips. If Hines Ward is banged up and Santonio Holmes is double-covered, Sweed could be the difference maker as a long ball threat.

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RB Willie Parker, Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of knowing about Super Bowls, Willie Parker has fond memories of his lone Super Bowl appearance. He was big in that game and could come up huge again for Pittsburgh.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals
The most talented player in the Super Bowl has to be Larry Fitzgerald. He’s living up to his potential and is showing why he might become the best WR in the league sooner rather than later.

TE Heath Miller, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger trusts Heath Miller and if Hines Ward is banged up at all, there’s a chance that Miller will become Big Ben’s go-to receiving option.

K Neil Rackers, Arizona Cardinals
Not only is Neil Rackers kicking well, he has a strong leg and will likely be called upon a lot if the Cardinals are moving the ball. Rackers finishing with two or three field goals is somewhat likely.

D Pittsburgh Steelers
Despite going against a high-powered offense, the Steelers have the best fantasy football defense in the Super Bowl. They are aggressive, stout and make plays on a consistent basis.

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The good news for Steelers fans and for those of us playing playoff fantasy football is that Hines Ward now says he’s 100% certain he will play in the Super Bowl. Tests after the game indicated that Ward sustained a sprained MCL during the Ravens game.

Although a sprained MCL usually sidelines a player anywhere from three-to-six weeks, Ward insists that the sprain was in a part of his knee that has a lot of blood flow and will thus be more easier to heal. To help the healing process, Ward is rehabbing almost constantly — even getting up from his sleep to work on his injured knee.

For the Steelers, they’d be in deep trouble if they didn’t have Ward. He’s not only their best wide receivers, he’s a vicious blocker who can ignite the running game. Without Ward, the Cardinals defense wouldn’t have nearly as much to worry about.

As far as Hines Ward’s fantasy football status, it’s best to simply regard him as a healthy player. Even if he isn’t totally healthy, the adrenaline of the Super Bowl is sure to have Ward playing at a high level. Outside of Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals, Ward should be the best wide receiver going in the Super Bowl.

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Saturday, January 3rd – 4:30 PM Eastern
Atlanta Falcons at the Arizona Cardinals

Saturday, January 3rd – 8:00 PM Eastern
Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

Sunday, January 4th – 1:00 PM Eastern
Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, January 4th – 4:30 PM Eastern
Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Bye Week: Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, Carolina Panthers

Photo credit: Newscom

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D Indianapolis Colts
With the playoffs quickly approaching, the Indianapolis Colts are playing very good defense. Their only sub par defensive game came against the Detroit Lions — surprisingly enough. Overall, the Colts are showing Super Bowl level defense.

D Minnesota Vikings
Even though the Vikings aren’t healthy and also have to worry about some suspensions on the defensive side of the ball, they are still producing very well in fantasy football. While they haven’t quite lived up to their preseason hype, they are still a top tier fantasy defense.

D Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Using a good blend of veterans and youth, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of the best defensive units in the NFL. They’ve been a bit erratic in terms of fantasy football production, but when they are playing well they are one of the best defenses to own.

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