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Colby Cavaliere | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer


2015 Player Outlooks: Pittsburgh Steelers
7/13/15

 

LeVeon Bell

Adjust your early-round running back strategy and don't be afraid to rely on Le'Veon Bell as your RB1.


QB Ben Roethlisberger
(2014 QB Rank – No.5, 23.6 FPts/G)

Since Todd Haley’s hiring as offensive coordinator in 2012, Ben Roethlisberger has blossomed into a bona fide QB1, but there is a good bet that when he went bonkers with a 50-point game in Week 8 last year he was on your fantasy bench. Did you then curse your luck, pass it off as a statistical aberration and have him on your bench the very next week when he threw another 6 touchdown passes? (let’s hope I’m not the only one!). After watching the Steelers offense shift to a pass oriented mentality since Haley’s arrival, I’ve been targeting Roethlisberger as my QB2 for several seasons now. After his No.5 overall finish in 2014, I think the value days are over.

With career highs in attempts (608), yards (4,952), touchdowns (32) and completion percentage (67.1), Roethlisberger is taking his game to the fantasy stratosphere. With two of the league’s elite playmakers at his disposal in Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown, Roethlisberger not only has the weapons, but also the perfect situation to repeat, or even improve upon his fantastic season. With a pass offense built around his talents, and a defense that hasn’t significantly improved this offseason, look for Big Ben’s pass attempts to again approach 600. Despite the projected workload and production, Roethlisberger doesn’t come without risks. The AFC south defenses, especially Cleveland and Jacksonville, should be much improved, and as a playoff team, the Steeler’s overall schedule will be tougher. Roethlisberger will also be without Bell for three games to start the season, which is a huge blow to the offensive game plan. Either way you slice it, the Steelers are going to have to throw to win games, and that means Ben has a chance to stay in the top-5 conversation. I would be thrilled to sit back and take him as my QB1 after the first tier studs come off the board.

RB Le’Veon Bell
(2014 RB Rank – No.2 18.0 FPts/G)

Much has been said and written about the physical transformation Le’Veon Bell underwent between his rookie season in 2013 and his dynamic sophomore campaign last year. He went from one of the league’s biggest plodders (3.5 yards-per-carry in 2013), to a forceful, patient, home-run capable back that ran for a strong 4.7 yards-per-carry in 2014. The thing is, Bell just didn’t improve drastically on the ground, he wound up being the second leading receiver on the team with 83 receptions, and was second in the entire NFL with a total of 373 touches (yards + carries). Throw in 11 total touchdowns (he only had one rushing score going into Week 11), and you have the making of an absolutely elite fantasy season in any format. With his dual threat capabilities, he was one of the best weekly bets for production, as he only had one game all year where he scored single-digit fantasy points. So is the 23-year old ready to repeat his fantasy magic?

It certainly won’t be easy as he’s set to miss the first three games of the season due to suspension. That is a big factor fantasy owners drafting at the top of the first round will have to think about when they consider Bell. Three games is nearly the quarter of the season, and owners drafting Bell will need to add extra talent at the running back position to get through the first few weeks. But for the long haul, I actually think the missed games could help Bell’s overall production. Taking a quick look at Week’s 15-17, it seems the season’s workload may have got to him. He averaged 2.4, 3.5, and 2.5 yards-per-carry in those final three games, while suffering a significant knee sprain that cost him the Wild Card game. I’m inclined to think that Bell, could, and should be fresher down the stretch in 2015. Any missed games are surely going to impact his final numbers, but not enough to scare me away from Bell’s high weekly floor. There is enough room for Bell to improve on his redzone numbers, and with little on the bench behind him, he should see the field plenty when he returns. Grab a runner earlier in your draft to get your through the first few games and don’t be afraid to rely on Bell as your RB1.

RB DeAngelo Williams
(2014 RB Rank – No.91 4.4 FPts/G)

After coming in just above Kerwynn Williams and Justin Jusczczyk in the final 2014 scoring rankings, DeAngelo Williams is lucky to still have a home in the NFL. Frankly, the only reason he has fantasy relevance is the fact that he could be starting for the Steelers during the first three games of the season while Le’Veon Bell serves his suspension. Coming off an injury riddled 2014 campaign, it’s very hard to say how much Williams has left in the tank at 32 years old. He was all but phased out of the offense late last season in Carolina when he was healthy, finishing with a career low 63 carries. Despite having the opportunity to see the majority of touches in Bell’s absence, the Steelers have brutal match-ups with the Patriots, 49ers, and Rams during Weeks 1-3. Williams might get some sniffs from Bell owners looking to protect themselves, but other than that, Williams will likely be a mainstay in your league’s free agent pool.

WR Antonio Brown
(2014 WR Rank – No.1 15.6 FPts/G)

Pound for pound the best receiver in the game, Antonio Brown optimizes what it means to be an elite fantasy receiver. Blessed with outlandish quickness and speed, Brown might stand at only 5’10’’, but he plays like a giant. 2014’s No.1 receiver was a dynmo, finishing with an NFL high 129 receptions (18 more than No.2 Demaryius Thomas) to go along with 13 touchdowns. Prized by fantasy owners for such a high weekly ceiling (he has an active 32-game streak of at least 5 catches and 50 yards in a game), Brown is simply one of the top-3 fantasy receivers no matter the format. He will again be the focal point of the Steeler’s passing game, and while his ridiculous 33 targets in the redzone is sure to drop with the development of 6’5’’ Martavis Bryant, Brown is capable of scoring from any part of the field. Look for a slight downtick in overall numbers if some of his younger counterparts earn the trust of Ben Roethlisberger and the coaching staff, but without a doubt Brown belongs at very near the top of the WR1 rankings.

WR Martavis Bryant
(2014 WR Rank No.43 – 10.4 FPts/G)

Mothballed by the Steelers for the first six weeks of the 2014 season, Martavis Bryant was nowhere to be found in the fantasy world. But Bryant quickly made a name for himself starting in Week 7, as he went on to score six touchdowns over his first four NFL games. Following those first few games, Bryant returned to earth, as it was clear his role on the Pittsburgh offense was only as a deep threat, as he averaged just 4.8 targets a game. When he didn’t beat the defense for a long bomb, he probably bombed a few fantasy quads with four scoring games under 5 fantasy points. While Bryant was a boom-bust WR3/4 for most of the second half of the season, he has a legitimate chance to take a step forward in 2015.

With a full offseason to refine his route running, Bryant has fully cemented his place on the outside opposite Antonino Brown. Starting from Week 1, and with an expanded role, Bryant can, and should advance past the “deep threat only stage”, making him a strong bet to double his 26 receptions from a year ago. The touchdown opportunities will be there as his 6’5’’ frame oozes with redzone scoring potential, and he’ll enjoy an up-tempo, high volume passing attack. Bryant has serious break-out potential and makes for amazing value as a WR3, as he could approach WR2 numbers by seasons end.

WR Markus Wheaton
(2014 WR Rank No.59 – 4.9 FPts/G)

Wheaton was the young Steeler receiver that drove the hype machine last offseason. He started off 2014 with a bang, compiling a 6-97 line in the opener. But Wheaton never approached those numbers again and eventually was left in the dust by the break-out of Martavis Bryant. It’s clear from OTAs this season that the Steelers view Wheaton as strictly a slot receiver, allowing Brown and Bryant to man the outsides and soak up the medium and long range targets. With running back Le’Veon Bell, and tight end Heath Miller carrying the routes close to the line of scrimmage, Wheaton is going to be left with a very supplemental role in 2015, and will struggle to be anything more than fringe roster fantasy receiver.

TE Heath Miller
(2014 TE Rank – No.12, 5.9 FPts/G)

Two years removed from his ACL injury, Miller showed he has enough left in the tank to be a fantasy asset, as he finished as a fringe TE1 in most fantasy leagues. He flashed some of the crafty athleticism and solid fundamentals of yesteryear as he had monster games in Weeks 4, 8, and 13. The problem is these three games made up over 36% of his season’s yardage totals. Despite being one of Big Ben’s favorite targets, there were more than a few games he was a clear afterthought in the game plan. But while his physical skills may have diminished, Miller is still the uncontested starting tight end. Pittsburgh did add mammoth 6’7’’ Jesse James from Penn State in the fifth round, but that won’t do much to cut into Millers playing time this season. Look for Miller to provide much more value to the Steelers offense with redzone and third down consistency, but with a chance at another 90+ targets, Miller should retain just enough value to provide fantasy owners with a low ceiling TE1 option.