RADIO
Not exactly a groundbreaking statement here, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL. We’ve all heard about the trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell, but there are some additional moving parts to look into heading into the 2017 season. If anything, the offense as a whole is still trending upward.
If there’s one drawback in Pittsburgh it’s that the team hasn’t been able to keep all of their key playmakers on the field at the same time. Whether it’s an injury or a suspension, the Steelers can’t seem to get out of their own way offensively. Having said that, every team in the NFL has to deal with the same issues at one point or another. So as much of a real-life NFL story as that is, we can’t really factor that in here. All we can do is work with what we know right now.
Let's take an in-depth look at the 2017 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position.
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Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 Team Outlook
Offseason Moves
Notable Acquisitions: WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR Justin Hunter, RB James Conner, QB Joshua Dobbs, TE Vance McDonald, OLB T.J. Watt, CB Cameron Sutton
Notable Losses: RB DeAngelo Williams, WR Markus Wheaton, TE Ladarius Green
Bonus: Wide receiver Martavis Bryant returns from a season-long suspension in 2016.
Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger had a roller coaster 2016 with inconsistent home/road splits and a meniscus injury to boot. The injury wasn't as terrible as it sounds as he only missed two games because of it. Still, Big Ben is no stranger to injury woes, reinforcing the notion that you can't depend on him for a full 16-game slate. The combination of missing games and being shaky on the road isn't something new, however.
Finishing as QB16, it's easy to dismiss Roethlisberger as a top-12 fantasy quarterback for 2017. The thing is, his drawbacks are already well-baked into his fantasy value. With an ADP of 96.6, Ben is being selected as QB12 in fantasy drafts. It's not like you need to pony up a hefty price tag to score a potential top-five quarterback. As far as planning for said drawbacks goes, waiting on quarterback to score Big Ben is typically a scenario where you'll want to give yourself two shots at hitting a home run. So the idea of needing to take a backup in the event he gets hurt again isn't all that bad. All things considered, Ben Roethlisberger is still a solid fantasy QB with more upside than most owners give him credit for. As long as you plan accordingly by snagging a serviceable backup, he is more than capable of helping you to the fantasy playoffs.
Running Back
I am not going to bore you with Le'Veon Bell stats, reiterating for the billionth time how patient he is. Let's skip all the preamble and cut to the chase. Le'Veon Bell is locked into being a top-two pick in every fantasy format imaginable. Unless you're in some crazy five wide receiver, one running back, two quarterback, IDP, non-ppr league, you're taking Bell within the top two. The only teeny tiny thing to worry about is that he hasn't shown up to camp as of writing. Coming from Bell's own mouth, he'll be there before the end of the pre-season. Besides, he's shown that he is more than capable of missing significant time and stepping right back into a hefty workload. Bell has had his own nicks and bruises with multiple suspensions on top of it all. Yet year-in and year-out, he returns massive production. Don't worry about him in the slightest.
The more complicated issue in the Pittsburgh backfield is that of the depth chart. The Steelers drafted rookie running back James Conner out of the University of Pittsburgh. Not only is he a local boy, but this kid bounced back from Hodkin's Lymphona on his way to the NFL. Regardless of your team of affiliation, it's hard not to root for the guy. Unfortunately, the assumption that Conner is the automatic replacement to stellar backup DeAngelo Williams has been somewhat overstated.
Fitzgerald Toussiant is still very much adored in the Steelers locker room. Conner hasn't officially usurped Toussaint as Bell's potential subtitute. We've seen scenarios where the Steelers use multiple backs when they're in a pinch. DeAngelo Williams was more of an exception, not the rule. When it comes down to it, though, Conner has light years more upside than Toussaint. Anyone looking for a super deep flier or a potential handcuff to Le'Veon Bell would be justified in stashing Conner. Just don't expect this to turn out to be a simple plug-and-play situation.
Wide Receiver
Remember what I just said about not bothering to spew unnecessary Le'Veon Bell stats at you? I'm going to make an exception for Antonio Brown. Only one receiver has finished in the top-five in both receptions and yards in the NFL and his name is Antonio Brown. Not much else I need to tell you. Top-three pick, no question. Moving right along, folks.
The biggest news here is the return of Martavis Bryant after missing all 16 games last season. That was Bryant't second suspension in a row as he was forced to sit out the first four games of 2015 as well. Add an injury to start his rookie campaign and Bryant has yet to show off what he can do over the course of a full year. Upside, upside, upside. That's the key to evaluating Bryant as a fantasy asset. He had 549 yards and eight touchdowns over 10 games in 2014, followed by 765 yards and six scores over 11 games in 2015. Already locked in as the second receiver in Pittsburgh, Bryant has a ton of potential as a legit WR2 for fantasy. Most of his scoring comes in the red zone with exactly half of his career touchdowns coming in that area of the field. At 6' 4" and 211 pounds, Bryant is a big body who can haul in TDs in close. He's put up plenty of a breakout games as well. All in all, Bryant should be targeted for those looking for a mid-round receiver who can well exceed his draft day value.
Beyond Bryant, the depth chart is a little cloudy at the moment. The presumption is that rookie Juju Smith-Schuster will eventually earn the No. 3 spot, even it takes longer than anticipated. That's perfectly fine for fantasy purposes. Juju is worth a deep round look in leagues of 12 teams or more. You're not going to look to start him within the first two or three weeks, but there's enough strength in this offense to produce three usable wide receivers at some point during the season. You don't necessarily have to draft him either. You can simply keep your eye on him once the season starts and pounce when waivers hit.
Eli Rogers and Sammie Coates will likely round out the depth chart in some order, with Darius Heyward-Bey and Justin Hunter sprinkled into the rotation as well. It's a crazy deep corps that is likely to take turns popping. The flip side is that there's always the chance of at least one of these guys getting cut. The only one that's safe with the potential to return fantasy usability is rookie Juju Smith-Schuster.
Tight End
Vance McDonald is a late addition to a team desperate for a reliable starting tight end. The Ladarius Green experiment fizzled out way faster than anyone would have hoped for, and Jesse James hasn't instilled confidence. Considering we've already seen the dress rehearsal in pre-season week three, the trade comes at an interesting time. All signs and comments point to the team having little faith in the prospect of James being a viable part of the offense. A surprisingly deep fantasy position in 2017, the Steelers' tight end situation is one you'll want to avoid barring a mid-season breakout.
Kicker
Kickers are kickers. Chris Boswell is more of a random bye-week dart throw than he is a kicker worth drafting. The Steelers reach the end zone enough that Boswell won't be pouring in field goal attempts. You're always better off either scooping up someone on a surge and keeping him, or streaming your kicker all year long anyway.
Defense/Special Teams
The Steelers are a young defense that added some key players via the draft. The biggest name is one T.J. Watt, brother of Houston Texans superstar J.J. Watt. T.J. has impressed the team so much so that he's already been named a starter. Considering the Steelers are more known for developing long-term prospects, it's a pleasant surprise to see a ready made rookie get the nod in definitive fashion. With James Harrison aging (yet still miraculously productive), Pittsburgh will need fresh meat ready to pounce.
Cornerback Cameron Sutton adds some much needed depth so look for the Steelers to play some more man coverage this year. If anything, the Steelers are an underrated unit that finished 15th in fantasy scoring among defenses in 2016. Not spectacular, but respectable. The important thing is that they should continue to improve. Other than the top-five, the best course of action to drafting your defense is to take advantage of a strong week one matchup. Pittsburgh plays Cleveland to start the year, a cupcake outing to say the least. See if you could strike oil with the Steelers in week one and right the hot hand to start things right.
