Fantasy Analyst Not Sold on Steelers Offensive Value
PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger and company believe they have the tools for a successful passing attack in 2021, but not everyone feels the same.
Sports Illustrated fantasy football analyst Michael Fabiano isn't sold on Big Ben and his group of pass-catchers, ranking them 9th in the AFC in terms of fantasy value.
Roethlisberger threw for 3,803 yards and 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions as three wide receivers eclipsed 800 yards.
"The Steelers' pass attack lost 43 targets out of the backfield (James Conner), but the re-signing of JuJu Smith-Schuster means this offense remains mostly intact," Fabiano wrote. "As a result, look for Diontae Johnson, Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool to all see 100-plus targets once again. [Pat] Freiermuth is unlikely to make much of an impact as a rookie."
Fabiano named Freiermuth as the Steelers' "notable addition" while keeping their "notable loses" to none.
Steelers' first-round pick Najee Harris is also believed to make an impact in the passing game. Over the weekend, Harris gave his thoughts on Matt Canada's playbook, highlighting the similarities between Pittsburgh's and Alabama's offenses.
"A lot of things that are similar are how they are going to line me up wide," Harris said. "Utilize the running back in the passing game. Out wide, the slot, the X position.
"What they're doing in their offense really resembles a lot of what we did in terms of putting the players in the best position to make a play and not doing too much thinking --just fast playing. It seems like they're trying to make everything as easy as possible so players can just play fast and use the best of their abilities."
The Steelers' offense ranked second in the AFC North, only behind the Cincinnati Bengals (1st). The Baltimore Ravens ranked 10th and the Cleveland Browns ranked 11th.
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
