In this article series, I’m analyzing every one of the 32 NFL teams and all of their redraft-relevant fantasy assets. It’s a long project, but I want to make sure that you, the reader, have something you can refer to for every team. For each article, I’ll split up the fantasy assets into three categories: high-end assets, usable contributors, and dart throws. I’ll reference my PPR redraft rankings at the time of writing, which are here. If you want to read my previous work in this series, the full list with links is at the bottom of the article. Let’s jump into the Steelers.
High-End Assets
JuJu Smith-Schuster
I think it’s reasonable to have concerns with JuJu Smith-Schuster. In 2019, he fell on his face, finishing as the WR65. He caught 42 of 70 targets for 552 and three touchdowns, a far cry from his previous highs. He recorded 1,426 yards and 111 receptions in 2018, so he is clearly a talented receiver in the NFL.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger missed almost the entire 2019 with an elbow injury, which may have contributed to Smith-Schuster’s struggles. His replacements, Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, both performed exceptionally poorly, leading to a decline in the entire Steelers’ passing game. Also, Smith-Schuster struggled through some injuries in 2019, which could have also been a part of his poor performance.
Honestly, I found Smith-Schuster the toughest player to rank coming into 2020. Roethlisberger should return to the starting quarterback role, but his health is not entirely clear. I have no idea if Smith-Schuster will return to the heights of 2018. Therefore, I’ve decided to rank him as my WR12. I think he’ll be the top receiver on the team, and I choose to believe in his talent, considering that he’s still only 23 years old. He showed so much at such a young age, and I hope he doesn’t burn me in 2020.
Usable Contributors
James Conner
Similar to Smith-Schuster, James Conner struggled in 2019 after a strong 2018. He muddled through 10 injury-riddled games, rushing for only 464 yards and four touchdowns. He left midway through multiple games, destroying the hopes of fantasy owners in those weeks. Honestly, both Conner and Smith-Schuster were some of the most frustrating players to own in 2019.
However, the Steelers failed to make any significant investments in the backfield, just adding Anthony McFarland in the fourth round. Conner’s 2019 backups, Benny Snell and Jaylen Samuels, both performed poorly on the ground, especially Samuels. Samuels is only a third-down back and provides no challenge to Conner on early downs, while Snell is just a plodder. Therefore, Conner will remain the starter going into 2020 and will garner the lion’s share of touches, at least at first.
I have Conner ranked as my RB21, but I don’t feel good about that ranking. When ranking players, it’s hard to assume that they will miss time. If Conner stays healthy, I believe he will be the starting running back for a good offense and will be a solid RB2 at least. The problem is that Conner has never completed a full season, and McFarland is an intriguing rookie with upside. I’d probably suggest avoiding Conner in drafts since he’s so risky.
Diontae Johnson
Diontae Johnson had a successful rookie season in 2019, leading the Steelers with 92 targets, 59 receptions, and five touchdowns. He finished with the second-most receiving yards on the team with 680, just behind James Washington’s 735. This performance brought him to a WR39 finish in 2019. Considering that he was a rookie and played with Rudolph and Hodges for the majority of the season, Johnson smashed in 2019.
However, I’m less than optimistic that he can repeat that performance in 2020. First, Smith-Schuster should return to form and reclaim the number one receiver role, cutting into Johnson’s targets. Also, the Steelers added tight Eric Ebron, who should claim more than Vance McDonald’s 55 targets from 2019.
Most concerning, though, the Steelers selected wide receiver Chase Claypool in the second round of the NFL Draft. The Steelers clearly stated that Claypool would play the outside wide receiver position, with Smith-Schuster shifting back to the slot. Therefore, Claypool is in direct competition with both Johnson and Washington for two spots in the offense. While I think that Johnson should be the number two receiver in 2020, nobody would have expected Johnson to beat out Donte Moncrief and Washington in 2019. Therefore, I think Johnson carries significant risk and little upside, coming in as only my WR51.
Ben Roethlisberger
Like the majority of quarterbacks, Roethlisberger falls into the usable contributors’ tier. He had a lost season in 2019, playing in only two games. However, in 2018, he threw for 5,129 yards and 34 touchdowns, finishing as the QB3. Unlike in 2018, Roethlisberger doesn’t have both Antonio Brown and Smith-Schuster as his top two receivers. While he does still have Smith-Schuster, the other weapons are just not on Brown’s level.
Also, we still don’t know the exact health of Roethlisberger’s arm, so he will be a risky selection in redraft. With that said, he starts the season at the Giants. While Roethlisberger has tended to play poorly on the road, the Giants were a terrible defense in 2019, ranking 30th in points allowed to opposing offenses. Even with the strong matchup, I probably won’t feel comfortable drafting Roethlisberger as my quarterback unless I see him play in the preseason, and his elbow looks 100%. He’s currently my QB20, which shows the depth of the quarterback position in fantasy football.
Dart Throws
Anthony McFarland
McFarland was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, going at 124th overall. In two seasons at Maryland, McFarland played as a committee back. He recorded 131 and 114 carries for 1034 and 614 yards, respectively. In 2019, he did manage 17 receptions for 126 yards and a touchdown, showing some PPR upside. Overall, he looks like a decent player, but not someone who projects as a workhorse back in the NFL.
In 2019, Snell took the Steelers’ backup role behind Conner, and I predict McFarland will step into that spot for 2020. Snell recorded 108 carries in 2019 for 426 yards and two touchdowns. While that wasn’t fantasy relevant, perhaps McFarland could do more with that role. Also, Snell managed only three receptions on four targets, whereas McFarland brings passing-game skills to the table. Either way, unless Conner gets injured, McFarland won’t be relevant, and even if he does, I don’t see McFarland being a real workhorse in Conner’s place. There are other handcuff-style players I’d prefer, such as Alexander Mattison, Tony Pollard, or Chase Edmonds.
Jaylen Samuels
There’s very little to say about Samuels. In 2018, he had a short stint as a real running back, replacing James Conner. While he performed well, that success didn’t carry over to 2019. Samuels turned his 66 carries into only 175 for a horrific 2.65 YPC in 2019. Samuels did find success as a pass-catcher, though. He caught 47 of 57 targets for 305 yards and a touchdown.
Even in PPR leagues, I prefer not to draft dedicated third-down backs outside of the top few in that category like James White and Tarik Cohen. Samuels has never approached the passing game usage of those players, and the Steelers only added more weapons going into 2020. He also has no upside on the ground, and the Steelers added a rookie running back in McFarland, who brings passing-game upside as well. I have Samuels ranked as my RB59 because he will put up some receiving numbers, but I’ll never draft him in any of my leagues.
Eric Ebron
I suppose Ebron has some upside in the Steelers’ offense for 2020. He put up a great season in 2018 for the Colts, finishing as the TE4. He had 66 receptions on 110 targets for 750 yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns. However, Ebron severely regressed in 2019, managing a paltry 31 catches on 52 targets for 375 yards and three touchdowns in only 11 games played.
Coming into 2020, Ebron should vault to the top of the depth chart, surpassing Vance McDonald as the Steelers’ primary receiving tight end. However, the Steelers are also paying McDonald a significant salary in 2020, so I don’t believe McDonald will completely go away. Therefore, I think this will be a messy tight end committee where you don’t want to own either player, although I’d far prefer Ebron to McDonald. Ebron is my TE22, so he’s far outside the range of draftable TEs in regular redraft leagues.
The Rest
The Steelers have a very deep group of skill position players, with many more players that have a shot at some fantasy relevance. First, as mentioned above, Benny Snell could potentially hold onto the backup role over McFarland. I don’t expect that to happen, but he’s still a name to at least keep in your mind.
Similarly to Snell and McFarland, I expect newcomer Ebron to overtake Vance McDonald, but if Ebron gets hurt again, McDonald found relevance in 2018 when he played with Roethlisberger. He was the TE10 that season, so there’s some theoretical upside there, although McDonald isn’t a player you’ll draft.
Lastly, both James Washington and rookie Chase Claypool have some potential flex appeal. Roethlisberger has supported two fantasy wide receivers multiple times in his career, most notably in 2017 and 2018 with Smith-Schuster and Brown. While I believe Johnson has the inside track on the number two role, Washington did take a big step forward in 2019, so he has a chance to surpass Johnson. Claypool is pretty raw, but if Johnson climbed the depth chart as a third-round rookie in 2019, Claypool could do it from the second round in 2020. Just remember these two as potential dart throws for waivers, even if they’re not worth drafting.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
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