Dynasty Capsule: Pittsburgh Steelers

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As part of the premium content package, we’re again unveiling dynasty capsules for every team in the NFL leading up to free agency and the NFL Draft. This year, we’re again going to do a follow-up on all the teams after all the free agency and NFL Draft movement to assess the impact of any players teams have gained or lost. Since these capsules are always done as a simple snapshot in time, we figured that was the best way to tackle the off-season and provide ultimate value for our subscribers. All in all, we’ll have close to 500 player profiles found in these capsules over the off-season.

We continue our path through the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Quarterbacks

benroethlisbergerBen Roethlisberger

In 2013, Roethlisberger set career highs in attempts (584) and completions (375) while throwing for the second most yards (4,261) and touchdowns (28). You could say he finally stopped fighting offensive coordinator Todd Haley and embraced the system change. The Steelers passing offense is now less vertical and more horizontal, so his depth of throws and yards per reception are down. Even though the signal caller does not throw down deep as often, Roethlisberger has the arm strength to stretch the field.

The former Miami of Ohio University star may not be the fastest or most mobile athlete, but he does a good job moving around in the pocket and uses his big body to ward off would-be tacklers.  He surprised Steelers Nation by staying healthy throughout the 2013 season, but he will be 32 in March.  Time is marching on with his body and the huge amounts of punishment he takes.  Roethlisberger is still a borderline fantasy QB1, who will be most effective as a QBBC player on your dynasty team.

Bruce Gradkowoski

The best thing to say about your backup quarterback is that he did not need to play in 2013.  Gradkowski is a more mobile player than Roethlisberger, but has started and produced in limited time throughout his career.  If Roethlisberger ever went down, the former Toledo Rocket would be a good replacement for a month or less.  He has zero fantasy value for someone who does not own Big Ben.

Landry Jones

Last year’s fourth round pick did not see a lot of action in the preseason and no time in the regular season.  I thought he was a bit of a reach in the fourth round, but the Steelers need to develop a younger answer at quarterback as both their starter and backup are in their early thirties.  He has a decent arm, but is not nearly as mobile as the other Pittsburgh signal callers.  It is difficult to imagine Jones starting for the Steelers down the road for any great length of time. Leave him be unless you play with 60+ roster spots.

Running Backs

Le’Veon Bell

The rookie missed the first three games of the regular season due to a foot issue, but became a big fantasy surprise in the second half.  Despite only rushing for over 100 yards once, Bell carved out a significant role in the offense.  He is a smooth glider who doesn’t give defenses a lot to hit, but is strong enough to move a pile.  Bell is also a good receiver and pass protector as he contributed with 45 receptions and 399 yards on top of his 860 yards rushing.  While I do not believe that he is an elite back, Bell should be considered a solid RB2 with his young age (he’ll be 22 in August) and his less than huge workload at Michigan State.

Jonathan Dwyer

Dwyer is still an intriguing running back.  In a few games, he reminded many fans of Jerome Bettis with his portly belly and quick feet.  His carries went down quite dramatically from 156 in the 2012 season to just 49 in 2013.  As a change of back, Dwyer runs with a bit more power than Bell and could shake defenses up with occasional touches.  There are reports the Steelers plan to re-sign Dwyer as the primary backup to Bell.  He is worth a stash in leagues with roster sizes of 30 or more players.

LaRod Stephens-Howling

The former Arizona Cardinal only played one game with the Steelers before suffering a knee injury. His presence was missed in the offense and special teams.  I doubt Stephens-Howling has much of a role in the offense, but he has good hands and works well in space.  If injury were to strike, his skill set is much closer to Bell’s than Dwyer’s.  I would roster him in larger leagues that use return yardage.

Wide Receivers

Antonio Brown

When the Steelers rewarded him with a huge contract and decided to walk away from Mike Wallace, I was skeptical.  The front office was right as he rewarded the Steelers and fantasy owners alike with 110 catches, almost 1,500 yards, and eight touchdowns on a whopping 166 targets.  Brown is a hard worker much in the same mold of former Pittsburgh wide receiver Hines Ward.  He is a good blocker, runs good routes and is a talented returner.  He did not have a game with fewer than five catches or less than 50 yards.  Even more of the offense will be placed in his hands –  hopefully either Markus Wheaton or an early draft pick will immerge to lighten the load. As he proved last season, Brown is a low end dynasty WR1.

Emmanuel Sanders

The gritty fourth year receiver jumped up his production with career highs of 112 targets, 67 receptions, 740 receiving yards and seven touchdowns last season.  While these numbers are a drastic improvement from his earlier production, they are disappointing considering the amount of times the Steelers passed the ball.  Sanders is not as explosive or the adept route runner Brown is.  The Patriots twice tried to trade for him and the Jets have already shown significant interest in Sanders.  Due to this, I do not expect him back in a Steelers uniform. He might be worth a WR3 depending on where he lands.

Markus Wheaton

The 2013 third round selection severely disappointed Steelers and dynasty fans alike with just six catches for 64 yards last season.  As his college graduation was later than most, Wheaton was already behind coming into training camp and then broke two of his fingers during the regular season.  The young receiver is very explosive and has a huge catch radius, but needs to dramatically increase his contributions this season.  I would not want to be counting on him for more than a dynasty WR4 until he shows more in the NFL.

Jerricho Cotchery

When Wheaton disappointed dynasty owners, Cotchery owners jumped for joy.  The eleven year vet was the Steelers best passing red zone threat, scoring ten times in 2013.  He chipped in 46 receptions for 607 yards as well.  The receiver efforts were amazing, but it was the perfect storm with Heath Miller slowly getting back to health and Wheaton’s lack of production that led to huge increase across the board.  I would expect the Steelers to re-sign Cotchery for close to the veteran’s minimum, but do not count on these kind of numbers again.  He is a depth player who is a WR5/6 at best in dynasty leagues.

Tight Ends

Heath Miller

Coming off the knee injury, Miller missed the first two games of the season and did not look healthy until after their bye in week six.  His touchdowns went from eight in 2012 to only one in 2013.  Some of that was Cotchery’s red zone production, but the Steelers got better running the ball near the goal line as well.  Miller has taken quite the pounding over the years and did not look as spry as he once did.  I would be happy to have him as a TE2 with a younger tight end like Dwayne Allen as my starter.

David Paulson

The second year tight end got a few touches for an injured Miller, but that is about where it ends.  The Steelers would be more apt to use Matt Spaeth, who is more of a blocker than a receiver over the former move tight end from Oregon.  I don’t see any fantasy relevance with either Paulson or Spaeth.

For further questions or comments, please contact me on twitter @AndrewMiley