Dec 17, 2015 4 min read

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While hosting the Antonio Brown Show on WDVE this week, I asked the Steelers’ star receiver when the team will conduct its voting for MVP.

He wasn’t sure, but it is coming up next week and should be an interesting selection.

I expect Brown to win because he’s been the team’s biggest star who has remained healthy this season. He’s also put up near-historic numbers once again and leads the AFC in receptions and receiving yards.

But he won’t be the only player to receive consideration.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is a strong candidate every year, even though he’s only won the award one other time – in 2009. But Roethlisberger has missed four full games and parts of others, so it would be difficult for him to win it, even though he likely deserves it.

Running back DeAngelo Williams also should get some consideration for what he’s done. Despite starting just seven games to this point, he’s tied for the AFC lead with eight rushing touchdowns and already has topped 1,000 total yards.

Defensively, Cam Heyward will get some votes. He’s the unquestioned leader of the defense and has been the glue holding that unit together all season.

But here are a couple of other players who likely won’t win but should be considered:

* Alejandro Villanueva and Cody Wallace.

Neither guy was expected to do much, if anything this season. In fact, some were trying to find ways to get Wallace off the roster.

All he’s done is start all 13 games at center in place of Maurkice Pouncey.

Villanueva, meanwhile, has gotten better each week at left tackle over the past six weeks after Kelvin Beachum went down.

Either of those injuries could have been killers for this team if not for the contributions of those two guys.

But guards David DeCastro and Ramon Foster and right tackle Marcus Gilbert also have played well. In fact, the sack by Carlos Dunlap in Cincinnati last week was the first Gilbert has allowed this season.

And he’s faced Dunlap previously along with Elvis Dumervil, Khalil Mack and Justin Houston.

@ Turns out that Vontaze Burfict was fined for his hit on Roethlisberger last Sunday. According to his agent, he will appeal.

The agent had said Wednesday that his client had not been fined for hitting Roethlisberger low from behind.

Perhaps after leading with his head several occasions against the Steelers, Burfict was so concussed that he forgot he had been fined.

@ Speaking of Williams, he missed practice on Thursday for the Steelers with an illness.

The Steelers expect Williams to be OK, but having the running back at anything less than 100 percent would be bad news heading into Sunday’s meeting with Denver.

@ Roethlisberger needs 11 passing yards to reach 3,000 in a season for the 10th consecutive season. He would be just the sixth player in league history to accomplish that feat.

@ Heath Miller needs one reception for his fifth-consecutive 50-reception season.

Miller doesn’t get the publicity of some other tight ends, but he’s now 76th on the NFL’s all-time list with 581. With three games remaining, here are some guys directly ahead of him: Mark Clayton (582), Marcus Allen (587), Fred Biletnikoff (589), Terry Glenn (593), Sterling Sharpe (595).

@ With Brock Osweiler at quarterback, the Broncos have gone three-and-out on 47 percent of their drives. That’s the worst in the league.

@ How important is Roethlisberger to the Steelers this season?

Their red zone efficiency – touchdown percentage – is 61.3 with him. Without, it galls to 45.5.

Their third-down conversions go from 48.3 percent with him at quarterback to 22 percent without.