Uncovering the Steelers top gems for fantasy football
As the 2024 NFL season approaches, football fans are gearing up to draft teams for their fantasy leagues. Steelers fans may be wondering which of those players on their “reality” team are viable options to add to their pretend team.
Over the years Pittsburgh has had mixed results when considering Steelers players for fantasy usage. Ben Roethlisberger, for example, is a future Hall of Fame quarterback that would often go undrafted in fantasy leagues due to a lack of consistent, flashy statistics. Yet, when Big Ben was the starting quarterback, you could count on players such as Antonio Brown or Le’Veon Bell to put up fantastic numbers that would lead both, the reality and fantasy teams to victory.
Fantasy managers who invested in the Steelers’ stars in the past have most often been rewarded with consistent performances, alongside the occasional boom game that can really win a week’s matchup for them. The trend, as of late, hasn’t been as solid. Under former offensive coordinator Matt Canada, the Steelers offenses were among the league’s worst over the last few seasons.
As the fantasy football landscape morphs, it’s equally important for managers to have a feel for every team. Much like low minimum deposit casinos, the Pittsburgh Steelers organization is one in which many players went from hidden gems to fantasy gold throughout their careers, and this season isn’t different from the past one.
Here’s the lowdown on several Steelers and how they may impact your fantasy roster.
Russell Wilson & Justin Fields
It’s been three seasons since Russell Wilson has thrown for 30 or more touchdown passes in a single campaign. Wilson has done so at least five times in his 12-year NFL career, and as he enters year 13, we have to ask if he’ll return to being in MVP talks as he once did back in 2020. (When Wilson threw for 40 touchdowns.)
Knowing that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will focus on running the football, Wilson is the type of quarterback you don’t want as your primary starter.
You may, however, want to stash him on your bench as a backup, just in case the 35-year-old makes a comeback. It’s still tough to envison him putting up three or four touchdown games with four hundred yards passing, so if you’re in a league that favors quarterback scoring, you may want to look elsewhere for your starter.
With that said, Justin Fields is firmly the backup to Wilson and probably doesn’t merit using a bench spot to keep on your roster. If Fields were to play at all this season, it would be due to Wilson underperforming or being injured.
Najee Harris & Jaylen Warren
Both running backs may be worth a look, especially in deeper leagues, as Harris topped 1,000 yards rushing for the third consecutive season while Warren had over 1,000 all-purpose yards and the second-most receptions on the team in 2023.
Harris is a dependable back who hasn’t missed an NFL game in his three seasons in the league. One would think that Warren’s presence would eat into Harris’ numbers, yet, Harris had his most rushing touchdowns of his career (8) last season. For PPR formats, Harris’ catches took a dip, but that was also true in 2022. Warren is the primary pass-catching back in the Steelers system, but offers most of his fantasy value as a handcuff to Harris in the event of injury.
George Pickens
Despite playing with three different quarterbacks in 2023, Pickens accumulated 1,140 yards and five touchdowns. He would lead the team in yards and receptions and enters the 2024 season without any significant competition for those plays.
A physical superstar with a large catch radius, George Pickens is the go-to guy when it comes to contested catches and deep throw opportunities. He’s the definite WR1 in the Steelers offense and should continue to breakout for big games: last season Pickens had five different games with 100 or more yards. Two of those came in the final three games of the season, right as fantasy championships are won.
Other Steelers Receivers
There’s nothing to write about here. The Steelers wide receiver room is a great unknown and rostering anyone outside of Pickens is a true gamble. Tread lightly, and monitor names such as Calvin Austin III, but don’t break the bank on acquiring him or others to place on your roster.
Pat Freiermuth
Will 2024 be the year that Freiermuth truly breaks out? It could be. However, making Freiermuth your TE1 is a risk unless you’re stuck near the end of the draft without a starter where the marquee names have already been gobbled up.
Freiermuth is capable of putting up numbers, but regressed largely due to injuries in 2023. Target share and the distribution of targets within the offense also play a role in determining fantasy value for these players.
With a lack of proven receivers, Freiermuth may benefit the most from Arthur Smith’s new offense, but once again, it’s a risk to add the former Penn State standout to your roster expecting a big weekly output.
Steelers Defense
Want to know the real hidden gem of winning your fantasy leagues? It’s this right here: the Steelers defense.
Led by T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers defense was a force last season. They ranked sixth in points allowed and third against run scoring. Pittsburgh finished eight in turnovers in 2023 (9 interceptions, 21 fumble recoveries) while adding 47 sacks. They also forced a safety.
If your league has generous scoring for defenses, the Steelers should be targeted when the time comes to add one. With additions such as Patrick Queen, DeShon Elliott, Donte Jackson, and Payton Wilson, they could be even better than they were last season.
Chris Boswell
Boswell is another interesting case study because fantasy owners will want a kicker who scores. That could mean an offense that falls short of a touchdown and relies on their kicker’s leg, rather than a high-powered offense that only allows their specialist to boot extra points.
Boswell attempted 31 field goals last season, converting 29 of them. On average, Boswell attempts around 35 field goals per season, with a career average of converting 87.2%.
Particularly important is if your league gives points based on the distance of the kicks. Boswell made 6 of 7 field goal tries from 50 or more yards last season and has only missed four of his 25 attempts from that distance in the last three seasons. He also went 7-of-8 from 40-49 yards and didn’t miss any of his tries from fewer than 40 yards.
He’s as consistent of a kicker you can get in fantasy or reality football.
