Pittsburgh Steelers: 2014 Fantasy Football Analysis & Team Outlook

In preparation of the 2014 fantasy football season, we will be taking a look around the NFL at various team outlooks. Based on the NFL draft and off-season transactions, there will be lots to cover. Our goal here at RotoBaller is to help you shape a solid fantasy football draft strategy by getting a feel for each NFL team, their off-season moves, any relevant injuries and review potential impact rookies. By taking a look at the relevant fantasy football positions for each team and providing player analysis, hopefully we can uncover some sleepers to target in drafts, potential busts to avoid, and identify the risers/fallers for the 2014 season. For those in keeper and dynasty formats, be sure to pay extra attention to our analysis on the rookies.

Offseason Changes

Offseason Acquisitions – RB LeGarrette Blount, WR Lance Moore, WR Darrius Heyward-Bey

No Longer on the Roster – WR Emmanuel Sanders, WR Jericho Cotchery

Coaching Changes – New Offensive Line Coach Mike Munchak

After starting the year a dreadful 0-4, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to turn what appeared to be a lost season into a respectable one, going 6-2 in their last eight and just narrowly missing the playoffs. The catalyst for that turnaround was second-year offensive coordinator Todd Haley and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger working as a unit to get the offense rolling. Now in their third year together, it appears the days of being a pure “dink and dunk” offense are behind them, which is good news for all players involved.

Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback

The Pittsburgh offense started to click once Todd Haley let Ben run more of the no-huddle later in the season. In fantasy, it’s always reassuring to see offenses close out the season strong, as it could mean big things heading into the following year. There may very well be truth to that statement for the Steelers, as early reports out of camp indicate an effort to allow Ben to run even more of the no-huddle.

That said, I wouldn’t get over-excited and start bumping up players in the rankings just yet. Nevertheless, it should make you feel confident enough to roll with Roethlisberger as your starter in a deeper league if it comes to that. Ben has never been really been a top-tier fantasy quarterback, but that’s okay. Chances are if Roethlisberger is on your team it’s because you waited to draft a quarterback, loading up early on running backs and wide receivers.

Big Ben has always been solid when healthy, and that’s all you need if you decide to wait to draft a passer. Speaking of his health, Ben played all 16 games last year for the first time since 2008.  With starting center Maurkice Pouncey returning from injury and new offensive line coach Mike Munchak dedicated to keeping Ben upright, Ben’s protection should be at least somewhat improved.

Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receivers

Without question the breakout fantasy star of last year’s Steelers team was wide receiver Antonio Brown. There were some concerns as to whether or not he could step up to being the number one guy once Mike Wallace took his talents to South Beach, but those concerns were quickly eradicated. In an era where most teams have more than one dominant pass catcher, Antonio Brown is “the guy” in Pittsburgh. In fact, the reports of allowing Roethlisberger to call more plays with the no-huddle should be viewed as a vote of confidence for Brown repeating last year’s breakout season. Most rankers have Brown slated in the back half of the top ten at wide receiver. That would place him somewhere in the third round in most leagues, which sounds about right.

Brown finished second in both receptions and yards last season, but he didn’t boast a high touchdown total, grabbing just eight such passes in the end zone. It’s safe to say that his production is more dependent on volume than touchdowns, which should serve to benefit owners in PPR leagues. Antonio’s high reception total at 110 doesn’t mean the other receivers on the team should be completely ignored for fantasy.

Behind Brown lies a whole lot of turnaround at the wide receiver position. Veterans like Jerricho Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders have found new homes in Carolina and Denver, respectively. In their place reside free agent signees Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey, as well second-year player Markus Wheaton. Although the offense has only ever supported one fantasy stud receiver, the players filling numbers two and three on the depth chart have always been somewhat useful.

Early reports suggest Markus Wheaton is the number two guy opposite Antonio Brown, which is positive news. Darrius Heyward-Bey has had a relatively disappointing career and it could be argued that Lance Moore was a product of the system he was in down in New Orleans. Wheaton’s rookie season was plagued with a lingering finger injury so his lack of production last year was not performance related. Wheaton is the guy you want to target late in a draft, as he could be a valuable sleeper, especially in deeper leagues or leagues where you start three receivers. Sure, it is possible Moore and Heyward-Bey contribute, but when you’re looking for sleepers you want the guy with the most upside, and that’s Wheaton, especially if he’s already listed as the number two receiver.

Pittsburgh Steelers Running Backs

Despite missing the first three games last season, Le'veon Bell showed he could be a solid fantasy contributor at running back. It’s rare for a team to openly commit to a rookie running, back but the Steelers did just that prior to Bell’s injury. Once healthy, Bell gave the Steelers the much-needed pop they had been missing in their ground game.

Bell is not exactly a speedster as evidenced by his low yards-per-carry last year, but that’s not what he’s on the field for. Bell is there to be the main running back on the team, with or without the big runs. He gets in solid work out of the backfield in passing downs, as well, which should keep him on the field more often than not.

It’s difficult to compare Bell’s overall numbers to other backs, given the fact that he did miss the first three games due to injury. It’s conceivable those extra three games could have padded his stats some more, improving upon his eight touchdowns and respectable 860 rushing yards. The common fear of players like Le'veon Bell is the dreaded Sophomore Slump, as we saw as recently as last year with Trent Richardson. The truth is that no one knows for sure which running backs are legit and which aren’t after one season, so the best you can do is take whichever one you feel is safest.

After Eddie Lacy, Bell has the fewest questions regarding a second-year slump. Both Zac Stacy and Giovanni Bernard have newly drafted rookies right behind them on the depth chart. Stacy is in somewhat of a weak offense and Bernard actually lost his offensive coordinator.  With most rankers putting Bell in the 8-12 range, he should absolutely be targeted in the second round over his peers, maybe even late in the first if there’s a run on running backs early. If you were wondering who is behind Le'veon Bell, the answer would be free agent acquisition LeGarrette Blount.

The signing of Blount is interesting in terms of stashing a late-round back but I wouldn’t categorize Blount as true handcuff to Bell. Blount was effective when given the opportunity in New England last year. Teams don't typically sign productive backs unless they intend to use them. Some reports out of camp indicate a throwback approach with more use of the ground and pound. This would benefit Blount as he would certainly see more action than a regular backup but not enough to hurt Bell. After all, Blount was beat out by Doug Martin in Martin’s rookie season and only had opportunities in New England due to ineffective play and injuries to other backs. Blount is a name to monitor and snag if you need an extra back late in your draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers Rookies & Tight Ends

As far as rookies are concerned, the Steelers selected lightning-fast RB/WR Dri Archer and Clemson wide receiver Martavis Bryant. Archer is an interesting player, given that he is currently listed as both a running back and a wide receiver. He’s rather small to be a true NFL receiver but that doesn’t mean they won’t have a few plays to get him the ball in space and show off his speed. Listed at just 5'8'', Archer boasted a 4.26 forty time that won’t go unexploited on the field. It’s possible the Steelers selected Archer as a way to replace Antonio Brown in the return game. After all, not many teams allow their star receiver to return kicks and punts these days.

As for Martavis Bryant, in a weird sort of way he appears to be a rookie version of Lance Moore and Darrius Heyward-Bey in that he’s lower in the depth chart but could still contribute in the passing game. It’s conceivable he could step up into being Roethlisberger’s third receiving option, but I wouldn’t count on it, especially given the fact that tight end Heath Miller is still around. Heath has always been Mr. Consistent at the tight end position and he should serve as a solid bye week fill-in. I wouldn’t classify Heath as a top-12 tight end at the moment, but he has always been serviceable. There’s been some chatter linking free agent tight end Jermichael Finley to the Steelers. With so many teams running two-tight-end sets, this could simply be a way to expand the playbook and keeps things fresh. If that signing comes to fruition, Heath takes a bit of a hit, but he could still fill in if needed.

In Summary

Overall, the Steelers offense should improve upon their late-season surge last year, which should solidify Le'veon Bell's and Antonio Brown’s status as superb fantasy contributors. Antonio Brown is the number one receiver on a team that wants the quarterback to have more control of the offense. Le'veon Bell is one of the safer running backs to target in the late first/early second round. If you choose to wait on quarterback, don’t grab Colin Kaepernick in the fifth or sixth round. Commit to the idea and take two guys real late like Tony Romo and Ben Roethlisberger. Expect both Bell and Brown to live up to their draft day expectations. Take a flyer on Markus Wheaton, and keep guys like Lance Moore and Dri Archer on your radar once the season starts. It should be a solid year for the Pittsburgh Steelers offense which should result in an improvement on their 8-8 record.