Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu is likely to miss his second consecutive game on Thursday in a game against the Carolina Panthers. He did not practice on Tuesday. His injury has been classified as a Achilles tendon injury and is listed as questionable. On Monday, he was limited in practice. When asked whether he would play, Polamalu responded, "I would look forward to playing. Honestly, that's all (the decision of) coach (Mike) Tomlin. We just don't comment on injuries. Game planning, and all that." His teammate linebacker James Farrior said, "If he can play, he'll play. If he wants to go and he feels like he can play and make an impact on the game, he'll be out there."

Fantasy Analysis:

The Steelers defense has been one of the best this season. Polamalu is obviously a big part of that success. Over the last two seasons, the Steelers are 5-7 without Polamalu and 13-4 with him. Carolina's offense is easily one of the worst in the league so while Pittsburgh may like to have him, he certainly won't make or break this potential victory for the Steelers. For fantasy owners, the Pittsburgh defense is still a strong start here regardless if Polamalu is active or not. The Steelers have the highest scoring fantasy defense in standard scoring leagues and remain a must-start at this critical time of year.