Showing posts with label Anthony McFarland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anthony McFarland. Show all posts

Sunday, July 25, 2021

Fantasy Football Projections 2021: Pittsburgh Steelers

Our 2021 Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2021 fantasy football projections for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Ben Roethlisberger606.3391.14213.830.6210.3126.327.60.26274.73
Mason Rudolph42.226.1282.71.960.954.45.50.0217.92

Ben Roethlisberger: With Pittsburgh re-signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal, Roethlisberger has one of the league's best wide receiver trios at his disposal. Only the one-win Jaguars (66.2%) threw it on a larger percentage of plays than the 12-win Steelers (65.48%) in 2020, per Team Rankings.

At this stage of his career, however, he no longer pushes the ball down the field -- his 9.5 Y/C and 6.3 Y/A were the lowest of his career (excluding a two-game 2019 season). The Athletic's Ed Bouchette highlights why those peripherals may be better in 2021, but given that the Steelers used their first-round pick to draft Najee Harris, Alabama's all-time leading rusher, fantasy managers should expect a greater shift towards the run in 2021.

RUNNING BACKS

PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
Najee Harris273.81163.78.0853.4418.22.9250.77
Benny Snell54.8219.21.379.265.20.242.46
Jaylen Samuels24.192.80.2412.587.70.428.14
Anthony McFarland Jr.35141.80.445.2360.123.62
Derek Watt1.130.02190.12.42

Najee Harris: The all-time career rushing leader in Alabama history, Harris rushed for 1,466 yards and 26 touchdowns and added 43 receptions for 425 yards and four more scores last season. With few holes in his game, Harris will step in as a Week 1 workhorse. Given the team's propensity to feature its lead back, Harris has the chance to vastly exceed his ADP.

Benny Snell: While there is some competition on the depth chart, Snell -- or whichever back ultimately slides into the RB2 role -- would become a top waiver-wire add if the team's first-round rookie misses any time given how the team historically features one back.

WIDE RECEIVERS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Diontae Johnson87.6953.36.83.314.90.02181.54
Chase Claypool68.8944.36.81135.80.88178.49
JuJu Smith-Schuster75.1854.36.4000161.38
James Washington24.23353.400066
Ray-Ray McCloud16.5143.90.54.4330.0929.48

Diontae Johnson: Tied with Davante Adams and Keenan Allen, no receiver had more games with double-digit targets than Johnson (10). The second-year receiver averaged only 10.5 Y/R, but he turned his 144 targets into 88 catches for 923 yards and five touchdowns. While he needs to cut down on the drops, Johnson should be one of the league's most-targeted wideouts in 2021 even though the team re-signed JuJu Smith-Schuster.

Chase Claypool: Claypool scored 11 touchdowns -- nine receiving and two rushing -- in the regular season and added two more receiving scores in the team's playoff loss to Cleveland. Re-signing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a one-year deal puts a dent into Mapletron's upside in year two, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was the team's top-producing wideout in 2021.

JuJu Smith-Schuster: After averaging 65.5 and 89.1 yards per game, respectively, in his first two seasons with the Steelers, Smith-Schuster has averaged 46.0 and 51.9 per game in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Steelers re-signed Smith-Schuster to a one-year contract and he is a WR3 (both in fantasy and on his own team).

TIGHT ENDS

PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Eric Ebron46.9481.1400095.56
Pat Freiermuth14.6148.40.800026.94
Zach Gentry2.120.20.10003.67

Eric Ebron: In his first season with the Steelers, Ebron finished with 56 catches for 558 yards and five touchdowns. Given the team's talented trio of wide receivers and the likelihood that the Steelers run more often in 2021, Ebron's year-over-year numbers will likely dip.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football Projections 2020

In addition to viewing our 2020 Fantasy Football Projections by position, we will post our preseason projections per team.

Below you will find our 2020 fantasy football projections for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for all 32 NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS


PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Ben Roethlisberger520.1334.23926.826.2711.4429.582.60.74251.97
Missing virtually all of 2019, Roethlisberger is a QB2 that should produce QB1-type numbers on a per-game basis. GM Kevin Colbert improved the supporting cast around him by adding Eric Ebron in free agency and Chase Claypool through the draft.
Mason Rudolph39.124.2244.41.741.134.27.60.0415.48

RUNNING BACKS


PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
James Conner212.9904.87.9828235.20.98167.76
Durability is an obvious concern as Conner played in only 10 games, several of which he exited early, in 2019 and he missed three games with a high-ankle sprain towards the end of 2018. While the team drafted Anthony McFarland in the fourth round, Conner is still the team's No. 1 back. If he can stay healthy, he should outperform his current ADP.
Jaylen Samuels50.6177.10.5135.2242.91.7655.62
Samuels finished fourth on the team in targets (57) and second in receptions (47) last year, but The Athletic's Ed Bouchette left him off his 53-man roster projection.
Anthony McFarland Jr.84.3354.11.99.873.50.255.36
Conner has struggled with durability over the past couple of seasons and McFarland has the potential to carve out a role where he's the second-most productive of the team's backs.
Benny Snell33.7131.40.592.116.20.0418.54
Derek Watt1.12.40.043.227.20.033.38

MORE: Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster projection

WIDE RECEIVERS


PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
JuJu Smith-Schuster77.51011.46.59000140.68
With Ben Roethlisberger lost for nearly the entire season, Smith-Schuster struggled to get anything going and finished with career lows in receptions (3.5) and yards (46.0) per game, yards per target (7.9) and catch rate (60.0%). A healthy Big Ben will lead to improved numbers in his age-24 season but far less than his career-best 2018 season (111/1,426/7) when he benefited from the presence of Antonio Brown as the WR1.
Diontae Johnson64.5790.15.813.220.80.03116.13
As a rookie, Johnson posted team highs in targets (92), receptions (59) and touchdowns (five) and was second in receiving yards (680) as he finished as fantasy's WR41. Even though the team drafted Chase Claypool in the second round and JuJu Smith-Schuster missed several games, Johnson should post better year-over-year numbers in his second year with the Steelers, especially if Ben Roethlisberger is able to stay healthy.
Chase Claypool39.9532.74.0900077.81
Claypool provides the Steelers with a physical mismatch due to his size (6'4", 238 pounds) and athleticism (4.42 forty and 40.5" vertical). While he may start out as the team's fourth receiver, it's possible that he pushes James Washington for snaps in three-wide sets. Not only are teammates calling Claypool a "PROBLEM" (in a good way), The Athletic's Mark Kaboly recently wrote that "practice after practice, the rookie is making non-rookie-like plays after running non-rookie-like routes and making non-rookie-like catches."
James Washington30.8446.62.3100058.52
Washington led the team in receiving yards (735), but the addition of second-rounder Chase Claypool could (eventually) bump him down to fourth amongst the team's receivers behind Smith-Schuster, Johnson and (eventually) Claypool.
Ryan Switzer4.227.30.132.16.30.024.26
Deon Cain1.8220.090002.74

TIGHT ENDS


PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Eric Ebron40.3455.43.8300068.52
The 10th-overall pick in 2014, Ebron is still just 27 years old and only one season removed from his career-best 66/750/13 campaign with Indianapolis (Andrew Luck) in 2018. Touchdown regression was expected in 2019, but Ebron also averaged a mere 34.1 yards per game (the lowest since his rookie season) in an injury-shortened 11-game campaign. He should be more involved as a receiver than Vance McDonald, but Ebron is better-viewed as a mid-TE2 type as he transitions to a new team and offense.
Vance McDonald24.9262.71.8700037.49
Zach Gentry1.814.80.090002.02

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Monday, August 17, 2020

Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football Projections 2020

In addition to viewing our 2020 Fantasy Football Projections by position, we will post our preseason projections per team.

Below you will find our 2020 fantasy football projections for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for all 32 NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS


PlayerAtt.Comp.YardsTDINTRushYardsTDPoints
Ben Roethlisberger517.3332.43905.626.1211.3829.582.60.74250.64
Missing virtually all of 2019, Roethlisberger is a high-end QB2 that could produce QB1-type numbers on a per-game basis. GM Kevin Colbert improved the supporting cast around him by adding Eric Ebron in free agency and Chase Claypool through the draft.
Mason Rudolph41.926261.91.861.224.27.60.0416.48

RUNNING BACKS


PlayerAtt.YardsTDRec.YardsTDPoints
James Conner177.1752.76.6425.8216.70.9142.18
Durability is an obvious concern as Conner played in only 10 games, several of which he exited early, in 2019 and he missed three games with a high-ankle sprain towards the end of 2018. While the team drafted Anthony McFarland in the fourth round, Conner is still the team's No. 1 back, but it's likely to be more of a committee backfield even if Conner stays healthy.
Jaylen Samuels67.5236.30.6837.5258.81.8864.87
Anthony McFarland Jr.94.9398.62.149.873.50.261.25
Benny Snell42.2164.60.742.116.20.0422.76
Derek Watt1.12.40.043.227.20.033.38

MORE: Pittsburgh Steelers 53-man roster projection

WIDE RECEIVERS


PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
JuJu Smith-Schuster77.51011.46.59000140.68
With Ben Roethlisberger lost for nearly the entire season, Smith-Schuster struggled to get anything going and finished with career lows in receptions (3.5) and yards (46.0) per game, yards per target (7.9) and catch rate (60.0%). A healthy Big Ben will lead to improved numbers in his age-24 season but far less than his career-best 2018 season (111/1,426/7) when he benefited from the presence of Antonio Brown as the WR1.
Diontae Johnson64.5790.15.813.220.80.03116.13
As a rookie, Johnson posted team highs in targets (92), receptions (59) and touchdowns (five) and was second in receiving yards (680) as he finished as fantasy's WR41. Even though the team drafted Chase Claypool in the second round and JuJu Smith-Schuster missed several games, Johnson should post better year-over-year numbers in his second year with the Steelers, especially if Ben Roethlisberger is able to stay healthy.
Chase Claypool36.6483.13.6600070.27
Claypool provides the Steelers with a physical mismatch due to his size (6'4", 238 pounds) and athleticism (4.42 forty and 40.5" vertical). While he likely will start out as the team's fourth receiver, it's possible that he pushes James Washington for snaps in three-wide sets.
James Washington30.8446.62.3100058.52
Washington led the team in receiving yards (735), but the addition of second-rounder Chase Claypool could (eventually) bump him down to fourth amongst the team's receivers behind Smith-Schuster, Johnson and (eventually) Claypool.
Ryan Switzer5.334.50.162.16.30.025.16
Deon Cain1.8220.090002.74

TIGHT ENDS


PlayerRec.YardsTDRushYardsTDPoints
Eric Ebron41.1464.43.900069.84
The 10th-overall pick in 2014, Ebron is still just 27 years old and only one season removed from his career-best 66/750/13 campaign with Indianapolis (Andrew Luck) in 2018. Touchdown regression was expected in 2019, but Ebron also averaged a mere 34.1 yards per game (the lowest since his rookie season) in an injury-shortened 11-game campaign. He should be more involved as a receiver than Vance McDonald, but Ebron is better-viewed as a mid-TE2 type as he transitions to a new team and offense.
Vance McDonald25.8272.21.9400038.86
Zach Gentry2.722.10.140003.05

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