What It Means:

According to "information gathered" by Profootballtalk.com, there is a "strong sense" in league circles that Bell will remain out of commission for the first four weeks of the season. The 24-year-old back is allegedly claiming that a new cellphone number prevented the NFL from contacting him prior to a scheduled drug test, therefore causing him to miss the test, leading to the four-game ban. However, that defense won't hold, because Bell would have been required to notify the NFL if his contact info actually did change. Compounding matters, there have been additional reports that Bell missed a handful of drug tests, rather than just one. DeAngelo Williams will likely be a bellcow back for the Steelers in Weeks 1-4, with Bell unavailable until Week 5.

Bell was one of the league's most efficient backs in limited action in 2015, recording 0.03 Rushing Net Expected Points (NEP) per carry, which ranked sixth among the 44 backs to see at least 100 carries. If the suspension holds, Williams (0.07 Rushing NEP per carry last season) becomes an excellent value in fantasy football while Bell is on the shelf.