Fantasy Football 2014: Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rundown
The Steelers are known for their defense and smash-mouth football, but until last season they had a Jerome Bettis-sized hole in their backfield. Going into last season, there was plenty of uncertainty about the Steelers running game, but most of that was taken care of once rookie rusher Le’Veon Bell recovered from a preseason injury and solidified the running game to complement the pass-heavy offense of Todd Haley.
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Bell was supplemented last year with a mix of Jonathan Dwyer, Felix Jomes, and Isaac Redman all of whom are gone to start this year. To back up Bell, the Steelers brought in LeGarrette Blount via free agency and drafted Dri Archer.
Let’s take a quick look at each of the Steelers’ running backs from a fantasy football perspective as we continue our RB rundown series. The ranking listed next to the player is based on my overall top 80 rankings which should give you a good idea of where I think they should fit on your roster and when they represent overspending or a good value.
player. 55. In his rookie season, Bell played 13 games and grew into the primary ballcarrier role. In the last eight weeks, he averaged over 20 rushing attempts per game and was also very involved in the Steelers passing game. He had 45 catches in his 13 games for 399 yards while rushing for 860 yards. He should easily surpass 1,000 total yards this season and is a fairly safe low-end RB1. He doesn’t have the upside of some of the injury gambles like Arian Foster or DeMarco Murray, but Bell is a nice late-first round pick if you are looking for steady top-ten production and are planning on going high-risk with your later round picks. . RB. Pittsburgh Steelers. Le'Veon Bell. 9
Blount will be a change of pace back for Bell and possibly get some goal line looks. Last season, he rejuvenated his career with a big year for New England and could be an interesting flex consideration depending on how the workload is shared with Bell. Bell is the better pass-catcher and short yardage back though, so Blount will mostly be just a different look as he tries to plow people over and gain yards. He’s not one of the first backups off the board but is an interesting timeshare to monitor and a decent depth option if your league runs this deep into the RB pool.. RB. Pittsburgh Steelers. LeGarrette Blount. 66. player. 55
NR. player. 55. An interesting sleeper to keep an eye on either at the end of your draft or on early-season waiver wires, Archer was a third-round pick out of Kent State for the Steelers this offseason who could step into a number of roles depending on the team needs. He is viewed primarily as a return specialist, but in the preseason opener he caught a pair of passes for 50 yards including a nice 46-yard catch out of the slot. He probably won’t get consistent enough touches to be a fantasy factor barring injury, but the Steelers aren’t exactly stacked with WR weapons so he could move up the depth chart quickly if he continues to turn in big plays. . RB. Pittsburgh Steelers. Dri Archer