Big return: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might be close to making his return. The veteran hopes to play in Sunday’s second and final regular-season meeting with the Ravens. “I’m going to try,” Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sunday. “It’s killing me to watch.” ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reportedBig Ben will start soft-tossing the ball early this week to examine his range of motion and work through the pain, according to team sources. That sound you just heard was every Mike Wallace owner putting their head through the ceiling from jumping for utter joy. The wideout has been anemic without his quarterback, posting a miserable total of 1.30 fantasy points over his last two games.

Can Ben Roethlisberger save Mike Wallace owners from fantasy despair? (Brad Penner/US Presswire)

Fast one: Denver Broncos coach John Fox pulled the rug out from under our feet on Sunday by starting running back Knowshon Moreno over Ronnie Hillman. A ghost up until yesterday, Moreno toted the rock 20 times compared to Hillman’s three. The Georgia product becomes the back to own in Denver. As Michael Fabiano notes in his Week 13 waiver wire analysis, Moreno is available in 98.7 percent of leagues, so owners in need of help have found their solution. That is, if you’re the lucky one atop the waiver order this week.

Bear the pain: Chicago Bears running back Matt Forte left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and did not return to action. Little was cleared up on Monday, coach Lovie Smith simply stating that there is “concern” about the health of the back and he was “hopeful that he will be able to go.” Michael Bush took over in Forte’s absence, but as fantasy expert Jason Smith notes in his “Targets and Touches” analysis, a timeshare could be in the future. “Bush’s 22 touches rank him 11th this week for running backs, but more importantly, Bush and Forte had split the carries until Forte’s injury in the second half of the Bears win. If Forte is out, Bush becomes a low-end No. 1 fantasy running back. If Forte can play, Bush is now a very good flex play, simply because you know he’s going to get the goal-line carries for Chicago in addition to half the workload.”

-Adrian Mojica
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