Fantasy football is just around the corner. Here is a breakdown of the five best Pittsburgh Steelers to draft in 2020.
The 2019 season was one of the worst fantasy seasons for Steelers players that I can remember. Once Ben Roethlisberger went down, the whole offense followed. It was a busted year for just about any fantasy owner who invested their stock into a Steelers player.
Even though 2019 was a bad year for them, we can expect the 2020 season to be a whole lot different. With a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, a hungry Juju Smith-Schuster, a rejuvenated James Conner, an emerging star in Diontae Johnson, and an elite tight end in Eric Ebron, the sky is the limit for this offense.
With all these playmakers, we might be looking at a top-15 season at their respected positions for all of them. There is no doubt about it, there is a different vibe from the Steelers players this offseason. I believe their hunger and drive will excavate the elite talent within all of them. They are all highly capable of being one of the best in the league, whereas they all were in 2018 (all pro bowlers aside from Diontae Johnson).
I believe all of these players will have fantasy value, but some a lot more than the others. I am high on taking some, and not so high on others. Here are the five best Steelers players that I believe should be drafted this and where I would feel comfortable drafting them.
5. JuJu Smith-Schuster
JuJu Smith-Schuster coming in at number five on the list may or may not come as a surprise to many people. He is now looked at as the Steelers number one receiver and struggled in his first season with that role. Obviously, Ben Roethlisberger not being healthy played a big part in that as well. Even with the return of Roethlisberger, there are still some concerns pertaining to his fantasy value.
He is a tremendous young player but has struggled to find the find the end zone more than seven times in a single season. That is a huge hit to fantasy value. In his 2018 season, he finished with 111 receptions, 1,426 yards receiving, and 7 touchdowns. He finished with 296.9 fantasy points (Wide Receiver 8) due to his high volume. This dropped to a very poor 113.2 fantasy point total (Wide Receiver 65) in 2019 without Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. He finished that season with an abysmal 42 receptions, 552 yards receiving, and only 3 touchdowns with Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges at the helm.
Regardless of who was throwing to him, Juju Smith-Schuster often showed the inability to get open in 2019. He is not the best-polished route runner and struggles with a sloppy release at times. He was not able to create very much space with what seemed like at all against single coverage, nevertheless double coverage. However, Roethlisberger could have gotten him a lot more targets and opportunities than he was awarded this year.
I have very mixed emotions about drafting the young wide receiver this year. There are just too many safer options. On one hand, Roethlisberger returning from injury does give him a lot of hope. On the other hand, it seems as if he will struggle to find the end zone again, depleting his fantasy value. With the signing of Eric Ebron and the emerging star of Diontae Johnson, Juju’s value just does not seem to be there. He is projected to be about the 14th receiver taken off the board. I would not even consider drafting him until at least the end of the third round, preferably the end of the fourth round because I do believe he will slip.
4. Ben Roethlisberger
Coming in at number four on my list is none other than “Big Ben” Roethlisberger. He is an elite talent that many people would want on their team. If he is healthy, then the sky is the limit for him in fantasy, but that is a big “if”.
Roethlisberger has only played a full sixteen game season four times in his sixteen-year career. Injuries have been a concern in the past and they have never been more of a concern than right now going into the 2020 season. We truly do not know if he will actually be 100% healthy by the time the season rolls around, but we can expect him to give it his all.
If he is healthy, we know that he has no problem slinging the pigskin around thirty-five times a game if he has to. In 2018 season, he finished the season as the NFL passing yards leader while throwing for 34 touchdowns. In fantasy, he finished that same season with a total of 341.86 points (Quarterback 3). That was the highest total fantasy points he had ever finished within a single season in his career, which does give people lots of hope for him.
The Steelers defense will also help Roethlisberger tremendously in fantasy. They will give him more opportunities with the ball than he is used to, along with giving him better field position. This will increase his chances at touchdown passes, but not so much passing yards. However, I would take touchdowns over yards any day simply because the yards will always be there, but touchdowns will not.
He lost his favorite receiver, Antonio Brown (accounted for fifteen of Roethlisberger’s thirty-four touchdowns), after the 2018 season, but he does still have a lot of firepower on his offense. Some of his weapons include Juju Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, James Washington, Eric Ebron, Vance McDonald, Chase Claypool, and James Conner. All of these players are able to make big plays for just about any offense that they are in. These playmakers definitely help me with being a bit more confident in drafting Ben Roethlisberger.
He is currently projected to be the fifteenth quarterback taken off the board, standing at about the middle of the pack. That would put his draft range towards the end of the eleventh round, going into the twelfth round. That is around the time that I would feel comfortable taking him as well.
I believe that if Roethlisberger is healthy, he could very well end up finishing as a top-seven fantasy quarterback. He is someone that has the opportunity to score you 15-20 points on any given night, however, his injury concern will probably stray me away from him, but that is just me. I would be very wary to draft him, but I would not complain if he was my QB1 because there are a lot worse. I am just worried about his injuries and his on the road struggles in recent years past.
3. Eric Ebron
The Steelers went out this offseason and grabbed one of the best touchdown scoring tight ends in the NFL. This man is none other than Eric Ebron. I have him coming in at number three on my list solely because of that reason. I believe he will be high volume tight end who will receive a high amount of red-zone targets. This will help his value tremendously, especially since a good fantasy tight end is hard to come by without the likes of George Kittle, Zach Ertz, or Travis Kelce.
In 2018, Ebron finished the season with 66 receptions, 110 targets, 750 yards receiving, and 13 touchdowns (Tight End 4). Those were all career-highs. That all happened in his first season with the Colts after four seasons with the Detroit Lions. As the stats would show, the Lions do not utilize the tight end position as well as the Colts and Steelers offense do. He was selected to the pro bowl later that year.
In 2019, injuries derailed his season. His stats dropped to 31 receptions, 52 targets, 375 yards receiving, and only 3 touchdowns (Tight End 27). He only started three total games that season along with getting thrown to by the likes of Jacoby Brisett/Brian Hoyer.
I get that Vance McDonald might stray people away from Eric Ebron, but keep in mind that Ebron was playing alongside Jack Doyle in Indianapolis and was still able to produce TE1 numbers. Although Vance McDonald will still likely see his touches, Eric Ebron should be the top tight end and red zone target for the Steelers in the 2020 season.
He is still one of the best pass-catching tight ends in the NFL and a big target that Ben Roethlisberger will love. I would draft him along the lines of the 12-13 round rage. His value should also be increased due to the fact that he will most likely be the TE1 and because Vance McDonald has struggled to stay healthy throughout his seasons in Pittsburgh.
2. Diontae Johnson
Coming in at number two on my list is the young man, Diontae Johnson. In his rookie season, he led all rookie receivers in receptions, finishing with 59. He was able to produce and make plays in a lackluster offense led by Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges.
With the return of a healthy Ben Roethlisberger, I think Diontae Johnson will have a breakout season. He is somebody that I am very high on for the 2020 season. Coming out of college, his NFL comparison was none other than Antonio Brown, and we know how much Ben loved throwing to him over the years.
He is able to get open against just about every coverage, especially man. His route running ability will help him a lot since he will not have the top opponent cornerback in coverage versus him. He will most likely be lining up against the CB2, while Juju Smith-Schuster will be facing off against the CB1. I would put my money on Diontae Johnson versus a CB2 just about any day.
He is also a big threat after the catch, forcing seventeen missed tackles (tied for first in the league). Whenever the ball is in his hand, his elusiveness and versatility allows him to make any defender miss in the open field. Expect him to catch a lot of short to intermediate passes with the hopes of making plays with his legs. This boosts his fantasy value even higher, especially in PPR leagues.
Another tidbit that boosts his value slightly higher is the possibility of him returning kickoffs and punts for the Steelers in 2020. In college, Diontae Johnson made First Team All-Mac punt returner in 2017 and 2018, along with making Second Team All-Mac kick returner in 2017 and 2018. In his rookie season, he began returning punts about halfway through the season and ended up returning one for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.
He is currently projected to be the 39th receiver taken off the board, but I would personally take him above a handful of receivers ranked ahead of him. He is projected to be drafted around the beginning of the ninth round, but I am personally going to take him towards the beginning of the eighth round.
I obviously have a biased opinion, but I am so hyped for Diontae Johnson’s upcoming fantasy season. I believe he will put up tremendous numbers and is a player that you must have on your team. If you can get him for cheap, towards the middle of the ninth round, he will be the steal of the draft for sure. Pair him with a couple of other elite PPR receivers and you can guarantee yourself at least 50-60 points a game from that trio alone. I think Diontae Johnson himself is a surefire bet to get you about 12-14 points per game at a minimum.
1. James Conner
Number one on my list should not come as any surprise, especially for a PPR. James Conner will more than likely end up being the best fantasy player on the Steelers strictly because he plays the running back position. Running backs in PPR leagues are hands down the best position to draft. They get you rushing yards, receiving yards, catches, and the opportunity at more touchdowns, especially if he is the workhorse.
James Conner is that workhorse for the Steelers. His 2019 season was not the best due to injuries and poor quarterback play. Teams were able to stack the box against him, making it nearly impossible to break anything big. With Roethlisberger returning, that should take care of that issue.
In 2018, with Roethlisberger, James Conner finished with 973 yards rushing, 55 receptions, 497 yards receiving, and 12 total touchdowns. He totaled up 280 fantasy points (RB7) that season. In 2019, his numbers dropped exponentially to 464 yards rushing, 34 receptions, 251 yards receiving, and 7 total touchdowns.
With the upcoming 2020 season, I expect him to return to his 2018, pro bowler form. Roethlisberger should take a lot of the heat off of him and spread out the defenses. Roethlisberger also has no problem dumping the ball off to James Conner and letting him get YAC (yards after the catch).
His volume makes him a prime fantasy target. He is projected to go towards the end of round three, beginning of round four. I know he will get his touches in the Steelers offense, much like Le’Veon Bell did, so I definitely feel comfortable taking him in the third round. He should finish the season as a top ten fantasy running back.