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Remember those ground and pound Pittsburgh Steelers of the decade past? They had the James Harrisons, the Joey Porters, and the Troy Polamalus who were just out there to kick the snot out of people and commit what some would believe to be attempted homicides. Then on offense they would grind out the Jerome Bettis's, the Duce Staleys and the Willie Parkers to the bone by pounding the run, keeping their dangerous D on the bench and rested. Then Big Ben would make a couple iconic throws in high pressure situations and they'd go and win the Super Bowl. Remember them? The Good Ole' Steelers we all knew and loved?
Guess what? Those days are gone, baby. Sayonara. Thanks for trying, we'll talk to you probably never (not really though, its all cyclical; they be back in a couple years).
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The Steelers of this year are looking to out-gain an offensive unit that was 2nd in both total and passing yards last year. Returning basically everyone (Le'Veon Bell a little later due to an unwavering love of the ganj), there are definitely plenty of fantasy targets to pick from on this year's version of the Black and Yellow. When its all said and done though, it's going to be a wide receiver that a group of savvy fantasy football owners will have the pleasure of employing. And it isn't one of the big guys either.
Martavis Bryant has made a habit of flying below the radar since he began suiting up for Clemson’s football team a few years ago. Slotted behind future 4th overall pick Sammy Watkins while at Clemson, the lack of exposure allowed the 6’4”, 211 lbs receiver to drop to the 4th round during the 2014 draft. Questions surrounding his hands and raw skillset became the main reason why general managers were afraid of him, despite his ability to run 40 yards in 4.42 seconds.
Bryant rode the bench for the Steelers through six games last season and when he finally did get onto the field, he proved to be one of the biggest fantasy gems of the year. He became one of ten players in NFL history to record 500 yards despite seeing less than 50 catches during the season (in fact he only saw 26 passes) and he scored more touchdowns than the rest of the nine players on that same list, while swinging countless number of fantasy leagues simultaneously as the season winded down. Let’s face it, an ability to score a touchdown every three catches is going to produce on a fantasy scale (what's that? You're claiming that to be unsustainable? Yeah, well maybe).
Yet, as we progress more and more through training camps, we see Marcus Wheaton listed as the number two in Pittsburgh and Big Ben is putting his support behind Wheaton to be the real breakout star for the team’s offense this year. And while Mike Tomlin has been real supportive behind the progress that Bryant has made since he became a member of the Steelers, it seems like he won’t get the starting nod barring any huge changes when they open the season in New England on September 10th.
So why should you buy into the hype? Because you’re looking to win. And because Roethlisburger strikes me as a less than reliable source.
Early mock drafts give Bryant an ADP somewhere at the end of the fourth round, around the 17th receiver off the board (and ahead of other talented number one’s like Amari Cooper). Numbers like that will make fantasy owners understandably nervous. But again, the biggest factor in Bryant’s corner is the Pittsburgh offense in general. In the seven games in which Bryant recorded a receiving touchdown, Big Ben averaged 354 yards per game and although this numbers seem a little unsustainable, you’re delusional if you don’t believe Ben should be topping 300 yards on a regular basis this season. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are going to get theirs every game which will put nearly 200 yards into the pot for the rest of the offense. Bryant will be a prime candidate for those left over yards primarily because of his ability to run deep and get above his defenders to pull down passes adds the wildcard factor that is going to keep opponents on their heels. His 21.1 yards per catch last year is proof of this. After an offseason where Bryant has supplemented an increase in muscle with MMA training and sand sprinting (and not to mention more time to work on chemistry with his quarterback) will ensure that the second year receiver will still be able to run his go-routes even better than he had last year.
What’s that? You’re still not convinced? You say that greater opportunity doesn’t translate to more stats in most cases? Okay then, let’s continue to dig deeper.
We can expect the Steelers, behind the offensive direction of Todd Haley, to exploit plenty of 3 receiver sets this season with their personel. The Darrelle Revis’s and Richard Sherman’s of the league are going to have their hands full trying to keep the ball away from Antonio Brown (many teams are going to send extra defenders at him when they don’t have adequate corners). Wheaton, and his 5’11’’, 190 lbs frame, is going to find himself plenty in the slot, sometimes demanding the attention of number two defenders. What’s that mean? The large and fast Bryant will probably see some one on one coverage on the outside than most teams are going to be comfortable allowing and after initial steps towards Bell and Brown, safeties are going to give it their all to recover on deep passes down the sideline.
The sheer fact that Big Ben hasn’t had a weapon as big as Bryant since Plaxico Burress left town over a decade ago has draw in itself. Through the early parts of training camp, us fans have been treated to a few jump balls in the direction of Bryant and he has done his part to put on a show. In this video, we see number 10 make a sweet behind the head touchdown catch as he sees some one on one coverage in the red zone.
Martavius Bryant making plays in practice
You’re not crazy in believing that Bryant may take over as the Steelers main safety valve once they enter into the 20 yard line, especially as we’ve watched as Heath Miller’s role has continued to dwindle in these situations. Throw in that AB is going out of his way to give the 23 year old a proper mentor (and what a mentor to have when the knock against you is your hands), and no one is surprised that there’s so much buzz going for Bryant amongst the fantasy world.
So let’s review. He was a difference maker in limited action during the second half of the fantasy season last year and is poised to take on a larger role in what might be the most prolific offense in football this season. He has the size and speed that imitates the measurements of some of the best receivers dominating the game today. The Steelers might aim to get 5000 yards out of Big Ben’s arm. And no one should be afraid that Marcus Wheaton is your main competition.
Expect Bryant’s ADP to fluctuate a bit during August as talking heads flip flop on whether or not the receiver is under or overrated to fill time, but expect some quality production as a WR2 or flex option with potential to really blow expectations out of the water. Pittsburgh hasn’t had two receivers with 1000 yard seasons since Mike Wallace and AB did it in 2012. I’m sure Big Ben is licking his lips at the thought of doing it again this year.
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