The Pittsburgh Steelers have moved through the past couple of weeks without the services of Pro Bowl running back James Conner due to a lingering issue ankle sprain.
This will once again the case for this week's game against the New Orleans Saints as Conner has been declared out for the third straight game, according to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
JuJu Smith-Schuster listed as questionable with his groin injury. James Conner is out. All others expected to play versus the Saints.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) December 21, 2018
There had initially been optimism that Conner could make enough progress toward being able to make his return this week, but he continues to be hampered by the ankle injury. He has even acknowledged that he wasn't anywhere near being ready to be back in the fold.
When healthy, Conner has proven to be highly productive as he’s currently 10th in the league with 909 rushing yards, along with being second with 12 rushing touchdowns along with hauling in 52 catches for 467 receiving yards and a touchdown. He has also recorded more than 100 rushing yards five times while becoming the first player in league history to post four games within a single season of 100-plus rushing yards, 50-plus receiving yards, and a touchdown.
His absence will put rookie Jaylen Samuels into the starting role for the third straight week as he continues to excel in that increased role. Samuels is coming off the best performance of his brief NFL career as he posted a career-high 142 rushing yards along with two catches for 30 receiving yards in the 17-10 win over the New England Patriots. In the last two games, he has tallied 170 rushing yards along with nine receptions for 94 receiving yards.
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