Dynasty Capsule: Pittsburgh Steelers
Every year we give our premium content members a team-by-team, player-by-player look at the NFL season that was. The coverage will be in-depth, but because the Dynasty Capsule series begins immediately after the regular season, we won’t use it to discuss free agency or the draft. Come see us in early May once Mr. Irrelevant is off the board for another 32-article series giving you the same detailed discussion you’ll see below.
Buckle up dynasty fans, because you’re about to be reminded why our motto is, “There is no off-season.”
Quarterback
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Despite missing four weeks due to a sprained MCL, Roethlisberger had a very productive season. He passed for 3,938 yards and 21 touchdowns. He was very efficient, passing for 8.40 yards per attempt and he completed 68 percent of his passes. He was a tremendous asset to your fantasy lineup when he was healthy by averaging 27.13 fantasy points per game. He will be turning 34 years old in March, and has plenty of years left a head of him before you have to worry about retirement. He’s a tough quarterback; showcasing his pain tolerance by leading the Steelers to a game winning drive after injuring his shoulder in the fourth quarter during the Wild Card game against the Bengals. This speaks volumes, because you don’t have to worry about miniscule ticky-tack injuries affecting his performance.
Pittsburgh’s offense is stocked full of stud fantasy prospects. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are both top dynasty assets. Roethlisberger is going to reap the rewards from being surrounded by lucrative skilled players for the next few years. As long as he stays healthy, he should be consistently finishing as a top twelve quarterback in fantasy.
I expect his dynasty value to dip a little bit during the off-season creating a great buying opportunity if you are in need of a quarterback. Add his age along with the shoulder injury he suffered during the playoffs and you should have some owners willing to sell him at a discount. Of course, this doesn’t go for all leagues, but it’s an option to entertain if you want to acquire potential QB1 production at a discount.
The Steelers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He was drafted to be the long-term back up behind Roethlisberger. This season he passed for 513 yards, and three touchdowns while Roethlisberger was out due to an injury. The odds of him developing into a major contributor for your dynasty team are highly unlikely.
He will be a UFA going into the 2016 off season. His journey in the NFL is almost over and his long-term player value should be completely diminished. There’s a chance that he might get picked up by a team but the chances are slim that he will start ever again in the NFL.
Running Back
A season that was filled with a ton potential was cut short due tearing his MCL and PCL during week eight against the Bengals. He’s expected to make a full recovery in time for next season. We can’t forget about the two game suspension that he served during the beginning of the season for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Bell proved why he is one of the most lucrative running backs to own in dynasty by averaging 18.78 fantasy points per game this season. He’s young, he will only be 24 years old heading into next season. He is also one of the most productive running backs in the league. His use in the passing game creates a very high floor for his fantasy production. He averaged 6.18 targets per game in 2014 which led to him catching 83 receptions for 854 yards. The DLF consensus running back rankings has him ranked second amongst running backs. He’s a stud and even with his current injury concerns he should continue to be valued as a stud running back.
He picked up the slack after Bell’s season was over due to an injury. He finished the season rushing for 907 yards and eleven touchdowns. He’s under contract through next season and he should continue to be the primary backup to Bell. He’s going to be an excellent insurance policy if Bell is unable to play during the beginning of next season. He is a grizzled veteran with eleven seasons under his belt and Pittsburgh is the perfect spot for him to finish his career at.
On May 29, 2014, he signed as an undrafted free agent by the Baltimore Ravens where he spent last season on the practice squad. He was cut by Baltimore in September, and Pittsburgh quickly signed him after he cleared waivers. He spent most of the season on the practice squad. He received an opportunity to start during the Wild Card game against Cincinnati due to an injury to DeAngelo Williams. In that game he caught four receptions for 60 yards and he also rushed for 58 yards. He is signed through 2016 on a small contract and should get an opportunity to compete for a spot on the roster during training camp.
The San Diego Chargers drafted him in the sixth round during the 2011 draft. He has bounced around the league playing for Minnesota, Carolina and Jacksonville before signing with the Steelers in September. He will be a free agent going into next season. The odds of him getting an opportunity to start for an NFL team are very slim.
Wide Receiver
He finished in the top three in receiving each of the last three seasons. It’s hard to beat his production as he was the top fantasy scoring wide receiver in PPR with 395 fantasy points averaging 24.73 points per game. Without a doubt he is one of the best route runners in the league, pair that with 195 targets and you will have one of the top players in fantasy. He easily should be considered a top five dynasty wide receiver due to his efficiency and volume of targets. Being paired with Ben Roethlisberger is a major plus because you know he’s going to get consistent catchable targets.
Bryant was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. His lack of production due to playing behind Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins at Clemson was one of the major factors to why he fell in the draft. His combination of size and speed creates a mismatch for defenders. Playing in just twelve games this season, Bryant managed to catch 50 receptions for 765 yards and six touchdowns. His production was consistent as he averaged 63.75 receiving yards per game. His dynasty stock should steadily increase. He is currently ranked nineteenth in our consensus wide receiver rankings. He missed four games this season due to being suspended for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The knucklehead factor should be figured into his price, because if he fails another drug test then he will be facing a much larger suspension. Still, he’s very talented with a very high ceiling. Ever since he entered the league he has been very productive. He’s a dynamic player that should be hot commodity this off-season.
Wheaton finished the last six games of the season strong averaging 4.6 receptions and 79.33 yards per game. His volatile production stems from being the number three receiver in a high volume offense. He will be signed with the team through 2016 and won’t hit free agency until the following year. His dynasty stock doesn’t really hold much value. He can be acquired with a late round rookie pick or even as a throw in on a trade. With his up and down fantasy production he shouldn’t be considered a dependable starter but he’s a cheap player to acquire if you need a receiver as a bye week fill in.
He’s going to be an unrestricted free agent during the off-season. There’s a good chance that he won’t be on an NFL roster come August. You might as well drop him if you own him on any of your teams, because the odds of him turning the ship around and becoming productive are very low.
The Steelers selected Coates in the third round of last year’s draft. Athletically, he’s very comparable to Martavis Bryant. His size and speed makes him an intriguing wide receiver prospect. The Steelers spent a top-100 draft pick on him, so they will give him plenty of opportunities to develop. With Brown and Bryant soaking up most of the targets, will there be enough volume to make Coates a consistent fantasy asset? Unless your league has very shallow rosters, he should be considered a cheap stash with tons of upside.
Tight End
Miller finished the season catching 60 receptions for 535 yards and two touchdowns. He also finished thirteenth amongst tight ends in fantasy production with 132.20 fantasy points. He turns 34 in October, and his age is starting to show. He is under contract with the Steelers through 2016 and he will be a UFA during the following off-season. Miller’s dynasty value is at the point where he’s valuable to contending teams and not relevant to rebuilding teams. Teams that are considered contenders for 2016 should think about purchasing Miller. He’s cheap, and there’s enough volume with in the offense to help your team win. If anything he could be solid depth. Rebuilding teams should think about selling or avoiding him because Miller will be on his way towards retirement once your team is ready to contend for a championship.
James was selected in the fifth round during last year’s draft and he could possibly develop into Miller’s replacement. He should be considered a cheap end of the bench roster stash.
Spaeth is just a blocking tight end whose nine year career consists of just 55 catches for 420 yards and ten touchdowns. He’s a very good blocker for twelve personnel packages, but he shouldn’t be on anyone’s radar for fantasy.
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