Rex Ryan jabs Jets for passing on Martavis Bryant

The Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to be without wide receiver Martavis Bryant for the first few games of the season due to a ban, according to reports.

-DE Stephon Tuitt, who sprained his left ankle in the third preseason game, should be ready to return for the opener at New England September 10.

Bryant was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, which reportedly includes “multiple failed marijuana tests”.

Bryant could bring a mid-season spark to your fantasy team, or he may fall out of the receiving rotation.

The Steelers already will be without running back Le’Veon Bell (suspension) for the first two games and center Maurkice Pouncey (broken fibula) for probably half the season at least. A more stable role, with no Bryant or Bell in Week 1, should make him a must-start PPR target.

Now it will be up to Brown, Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and rookie Sammie Coates to carry the load for an offense that doesn’t look quite as explosive as it appeared when training camp opened a month ago. Again disappointed. Disappointing not only for him on a personal level, but he let his teammates down, this organization down, his family and friends and obviously Steelers Nation (down).

Bryant was expected to have a big year in 2015 as Pittsburgh’s number two wide receiver behind superstar Antonio Brown.

That is pretty much how Mike Tomlin has used Roethlisberger and many of his veteran starters in the preseason. Bryant had only three receptions but he tallied up 138 yards and a touchdown in the first game after the suspension was announced.

This shouldn’t be a catastrophic blow to the Steelers – Bryant didn’t even see any snaps until midway through the 2014 season, and the offense did well without him.

By all accounts it takes a moron of the first degree to fail an NFL drug test. Bryant is obviously not the brightest bulb on the Steelers’ Christmas tree. He’s a big-play receiver and the clear No. 2 with Marqise Lee out for weeks. “We don’t have a definitive plan in place as we sit here today, but I promise you that we will for him in terms of how he moves forward”.

-P Jordan Berry kicked off in Buffalo after the hamstring injury suffered by K Garrett Hartley, and also had a 78-yard punt in his attempts to unseat Brad Wing, who punted for the Steelers last season.