According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, LeVeon Bell is not expected to suit up for Week 1. His teammates aren't pleased, with Fowler quoting Steelers' offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey as saying, "Obviously it's Le'Veon over the Steelers and we are the Steelers."
The concern around Bell has already caused Director of Forecasting John Paulsen to drop him from the number two running back slot down to ninth in our season-long rankings. That would certainly change for the better if Bell were to report before Saturday when the deadline hits for him to save a game check. For this week, the primary beneficiary of Bell's absence is likely to be sophomore back, James Conner. Paulsen speculates he will be in consideration as a flex play/RB2 until we have more information on how much of a role Stevan Ridley will play.