Pittsburgh Steelers training camp: 3 Fantasy football storylines to watch
By Samuel Teets
1. How Ben Roethlisberger looks after surgery
Pittsburgh’s season hinges on Ben Roethlisberger. While Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward, or T.J. Watt is the best player on Pittsburgh’s roster, only Roethlisberger can sink or support the franchise this season. His recovery from season-ending elbow surgery significantly impacts the offense, altering the entire unit’s fantasy football projections.
Let’s begin with Big Ben himself. In 2018, the six-time Pro Bowler led the NFL with 5,129 passing yards and set a career-high with 34 passing touchdowns. Roethlisberger also scrambled for a career-high three rushing touchdowns. He finished the season with 340.86 fantasy points, which ranked third among all quarterbacks.
Even if Roethlisberger is only 80 percent of what he was in 2018, the 38-year-old could still warrant a selection as a backup quarterback in most fantasy leagues. However, the greatest impact of Roethlisberger’s recovery could be on his offensive weapons.
JuJu Smith-Schuster went from being the ninth-highest scoring wide receiver in standard leagues in 2018 to the 66th-highest scoring in 2019. Injuries also hurt the USC product, but not playing with Big Ben caused significant problems. Vance McDonald also took a hit, dropping from 12th place among tight ends in 2018 (83.0 points) to 35th in 2019 (45.5 points).
Next. Predicting the entire 2020 NFL season before camp. dark
Pittsburgh’s ability to throw the ball also impacts the running game. When the Steelers started Devlin Hodges and Mason Rudolph last year, opponents didn’t respect the air attack and sold out against the ground game. If Roethlisberger plays at a competitive level in 2020, James Conner could also see his fantasy stock rise.