Martavis Bryant returns to the end zone, repeatedly

Mid-way through the third quarter at Heinz Field on Sunday, Martavis Bryant broke open on a quick slant, shedding Colts corner Josh Gordy with ease. Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw an absolute dart that hit Bryant in stride, on the hands ... and the rookie bobble the ball, then dropped it.

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Immediately, Bryant hung his head in disbelief. Only a single safety stood between Bryant and a 77-yard touchdown, which would have been his third spike of the afternoon.

"I should have kept my eyes on the ball and focused," Bryant would later say. "I'm going to get a lot more work this week on the JUGS machine and get back to work."

Had Martavis snagged the ball, he might still be running. It was the right throw against beaten coverage. And if Bryant would have grabbed it, then Roethlisberger might now own the all-time NFL single-game rec...

Well, let's not get mired in hypotheticals. Big Ben's fantasy owners should not be complaining about his absurd 522-yard, six-touchdown performance. Bryant investors have no reason to gripe, either. The rookie wideout finished among the scoring leaders at his position, one of nine receivers to top 20 standard fantasy points in Week 8.

We're now two games into Bryant's pro career, and he's caught seven of 12 targets, gaining 123 yards and breaking the plane three times. Not bad for a guy who entered the league as a developmental prospect out of Clemson, a kid in need of serious seasoning.

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Drops were definitely part of Bryant's scouting profile back in May, but so was upper-tier athleticism. He really has ideal size (6-foot-4), plus he offers terrific speed (4.42), leaping ability (39-inch vertical) and wingspan (6-foot-7). At this point, his big-play ability is well-established. Bryant played 33 snaps on Sunday, just one less than Markus Wheaton, so his role in the offense is clearly growing. If you have a need at receiver — or you're simply looking for a high-ceiling flier — Martavis should be a priority waiver add. He's unowned in 93 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment, available to most of you.

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