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2008 Team Preview by RotoExperts.com Staff Writer Jonathan Phillips.
OVERVIEW
The Steelers enter the 2008 season as reigning division champs. But for most, the Steelers lack of punch toward the end of 2007 and in the post-season left a hollow feel. Perhaps partly to blame was the rapid decline of the AFC North, a division that was expected to have three solid playoff contenders, with the fourth team being the Browns. It turned out the Brownies were ready to play all year long, and the Steelers barely escaped with their lives. The Steelers offense was ranked seventh in red zone efficiency, and the defense finished second in points allowed (third overall). However, their ability to run was stifled in the final weeks as Willie Parker was lost to injury, and their defensive pass rush all but evaporated. After a 6-2 start, the Steelers went 4-4 in the second half. This year, the Steelers enter the season having drafted key weapons that will add to a growing and powerful offense, but they didn't necessarily address their dire needs: offensive and defensive line. With the departure of stalwart left guard Alan Faneca and the decreasing number of defensive sacks, the Steelers approach the 2009 campaign as a formidable team, but one with a lot of question marks. Even worse, they command one of the toughest schedules in the league. Nine of their 16 games are against teams that posted 10-plus wins last season, and an eleventh is the Redskins, who tallied a 9-7 record. Though there's no way to know whether the teams of yesteryear will give repeat performances, one must consider that the Steelers fantasy value as a whole takes a hit on schedule alone. |
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger, (3), Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon Running Back: Willie Parker (2), Rashard Mendenhall (9), Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell Wide Receiver: Hines Ward (4), Santonio Holmes (6), Nate Washington, Limas Sweed, Willie Reid Tight End: Heath Miller (5), Matt Spaeth Kicker: Jeff Reed (16), Daniel Sepulveda NOTABLE PLAYER MOVES Additions: RB Mewelde Moore, C Justin Hartwig
Subtractions: OG Alan Faneca, LB Clark Haggans, WR Cedric Wilson, LB Clint Kriewaldt, QB Brian St. Pierre 2008 ROOKIES TO WATCH Round One: Rashard Mendenhall, RB, Illinois
Round Two: Limas Sweed, WR, Texas
Round Three: Bruce Davis, DE, UCLA
Round Five: Dennis Dixon, QB, Oregon TOP POSITION BATTLES Chris Kemoeatu/Sean Mahan - LG
Larry Foote/Lawrence Timmons - RILB
Max Starks/Willie Colon – RG
Justin Hartwig/Sean Mahan - C 2008 SCHEDULE Top matchups in bold Sept. 7: Houston
Sept. 14: @ Cleveland
Sept. 21: @ Philadelphia
Sept. 29: Baltimore
Oct. 5 : @ Jacksonville
Oct. 12: BYE
Oct. 19: @Cincinnati
Oct 26: NY Giants
Nov. 2: @ Washington
Nov. 9: Indianapolis
Nov. 16: San Diego
Nov. 20: Cincinnati
Nov. 30: @New England
FANTASY PLAYOFF MATCHUPS
Dec. 7: Dallas
Dec. 14: @ Baltimore
Dec. 21: @ Tennessee
Dec 28: Cleveland  | ENGEL EYE ON: THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS | I'm avoiding Willie Parker as a No. 2 running back this season. Yes, he'll roll up some good yardage numbers at times. However, the Steelers have found their physical complement to Parker in rookie Rashard Mendenhall, and there will be very few touchdown opportunities left for Parker. Most of the time, "Fast Willie" won't score unless he breaks off a long run. Mendenhall is bound to steal more than goal-line carries, and I'm expecting Parker to see a drop in his workload that will be significant enough to make him very frustrating to own as anything more than a flex player |
2008 FANTASY POSITIONAL OUTLOOKS Quarterback:
Last year, "Big Ben" Roethlisberger proved not only that 2005 wasn't a fluke, but that 2006's injury-riddled season was behind him. In 2007, Roethlisberger had a career year statistically, and he did it behind a declining offensive line. For the year, Roethlisberger was the second ranked quarterback in the league behind Tom Brady. He completed over 65% of his passes and attained a QB rating of 104.1. He achieved two perfect passer ratings in games against Baltimore and St. Louis, while setting franchise and career highs in touchdown passes with 32. Yet things are not all "wine and roses" with Big Ben. Offensive line problems took shape in the 2007 season, to the tune of 47 sacks. Roethlisberger's tendency to hold onto the ball can be blamed in part for such a high tally, but a lot has to fall onto the back of a constantly shifting offensive line. This year will be no different, although he'll have the addition of a more physical running game and a new big receiving target in Limas Sweed. Also, the arrival of Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians last year signaled a more Roethlisberger-controlled offense. The result speaks for itself, and you can still expect Big Ben to rise to the top of the fantasy crop. Charlie Batch is a solid second string who understands the offense, and if he gets into a groove, he can be deadly accurate. Dennis Dixon is likely to be the clipboard carrier. Running Back:
Willie Parker has never found the end zone as often as fantasy owners would like, and thus the tendency to shift him down draft boards has been understandable. Last year, Parker had his greatest opportunity to prove he was elite back. While he did a fine job of running the football, Willie only crossed the goal line twice, which is not enough to warrant elite status. However, consistency is the key, and few halfbacks have been as consistent as Willie Parker the last few years. Parker has carried the ball an average of almost 300 times the past three seasons and has guaranteed 1300-1500 yards a year. He's averaged 15 games a season which speaks to amazing durability. The problem has been his declining yards per carry average (4.7 in '05, 4.4 in '06, 4.1 in '07). Though Parker has never been an elusive back, he's only 27, and it is more likely that this decline in ypc is a direct repercussion from running behind a revamped offensive line. The arrival of Rashard Mendenhall is actually a bonus for Parker. Fewer carries for Parker will result in a more balanced offensive ground game and a healthier season. Expect Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore to split the bulk of third down action, in addition to Mendenhall likely garnering one or two series a half. Also, if Mendenhall is as good a blocker as they say, don't be surprised to see both him and Willie Parker line up in the same backfield. Even with Mike Tomlin's and Bruce Arians' collective desire to air out the passing game, they know this team needs to run. They invested in the run with first round pick Mendenhall, and run they will. Wide Receiver:
The receiving unit of the Steelers used to be an afterthought. Even in the days of Lynn Swann and John Stallworth, the ground game was always the front page news. Since Ben Roethlisberger arrived and Jerome Bettis subsequently retired, the Steelers have had to address the NFL's trend toward more potent aerial attacks. None of the NFL pundits will argue that Hines Ward has lost a step, or perhaps even a yard stick or two. They also won't argue about how dependable of a receiver he is. Hines has missed a total of six games in 10 years. He is still Roethlisberger's go-to receiver on third down, and last year he added another 71 receptions and seven touchdowns to his probable Hall of Fame totals. Santonio Holmes developed nicely as the season progressed, improving his route-running skills as evidenced by his game-factoring, fourth down, slant reception touchdown that put the Steelers back into the playoff game against the Jaguars. It was as precise a route as Holmes had ever run, offering a glimpse into his growth at the position. His eight touchdowns and 18.1 yards-per-catch average led all Steelers' receivers. Nate Washington is a serviceable third option, but he lacks the true speed to be effective in the slot. Now add Limas Sweed, a 6'5", 219 pound target with soft hands, to the mix. No doubt, Sweed will be an increasing presence in third down packages and on goal line situations. Willie Reid may be their future slot man, but he's as speedy as he is raw, and his hands are in question. Don't be shocked if Dennis Dixon makes a few appearances as a wide receiver a'la Kordell "Slash" Stewart, especially if he makes the roster as a fourth QB. Tight End:
In the last twenty years, the Steelers began a long lineage of drafting very strong blocking tight ends that were decent pass-catchers. But not since Eric Green have the Steelers had such a viable option downfield as they do in Heath Miller. Miller would probably be considered a top five tight end if not for the increasing production the Steelers have been getting from their outside receivers. Miller put up seven touchdowns on 47 receptions in 2007, averaging 12 yards per catch. In the playoffs, he was an even bigger factor with eight receptions for 85 yards and a touch. What that tells you is that Miller has Roethlisberger's trust, and that he's a big target over the middle. If Miller weren't a big enough target, Matt Spaeth is even bigger. Though he is brought in more for the Steelers' two tight end power set, at 6' 7", 270 pounds, Spaeth has shown around the goal line that he is a legitimate target. In his rookie campaign, Spaeth only had five receptions, but three went for touchdowns. Needless to say, he'll be a viable fantasy option should anything happen to Miller. Kicker:
Jeff Reed has been an efficient kicker in probably the most difficult kicking venue in all of the NFL. While Steelers offenses of old would settle for field goals more often than not, the Steelers have achieved better red zone efficiency since Ben Roethlisberger arrived. Last year, that translated into Reed connecting for the second most extra points of his career (44), with not one field goal attempt inside of twenty yards. He's solid inside fifty yards, but not much outside of that. However, in terms of fantasy, you'd actually prefer a less efficient red zone offense for your kicker. And there are better options out there, even in the sixteenth round. Defense/Special Teams: The Pittsburgh defense was plagued by two key injuries last season. The first was the loss of Aaron Smith for two games in October with a sprained knee ligament, and losing him again to a season-ending bicep tear in December. With Smith, the Steelers allowed only a single 100-yard rusher. Without him, they allowed two in five games, and the total rushing tallies for those games (Jacksonville and Baltimore) was 224 and 180. The second injury was Troy Polamalu's nagging knee ailment, one from which he never seemed to fully recover. After losing Clark Haggans to free agency this off-season, the Steelers will get to assess just how good their top two draft selections of 2007 (Lawrence Timmons and Lamar Woodley) are. Although Mike Tomlin prefers a 4-3 base defense, Dick LeBeau's 3-4 zone-blitz scheme has won the day for now. And the 3-4 scheme is one where your linebackers have to generate the pass rush. To that end, expect Woodley to replace free agent Clark Haggans on the outside. Woodley is considered the better natural pass rusher of the two, and he generated six sacks in 2007 (including post-season) in limited action. James Harrison complements him, having led the Steelers last season with nine sacks. Timmons, who fought injury most of 2007, now presents Larry Foote his stiffest challenge to win back his inside linebacker spot. Though he's 33, James Farrior is a fixture on the inside and one of the best run stoppers in the game the past four years running. It will be interesting to see what the undersized rookie stud out of UCLA, Bruce Davis, can bring to the team. It remains to be seen whether he'll be moved off his defensive end position to outside linebacker. Though they weren't a top defense in turnovers (only 25), the Steelers were the second best NFL team in points allowed, giving up 10 or less points in six of their games. Their secondary is led by Polamalu and Ike Taylor, who struggled for a good part of last year. Taylor hopes to return to form, as does safety Ryan Clark, who was out most of the year. If healthy, this defense is still a top unit. However, against their tough schedule, one has to take pause, if only for a moment, to consider how much the team's points allowed total will likely go up. When James Harrison was moved from Special Teams to starting outside linebacker, the Steelers found no one to replace him. As such, he did some double duty last year, and this was a giant weakness for the Steelers. Kick returns were devastating them in several games, particularly the New England and Jacksonville games. Expect Sweed and Reid to get return attempts here, since the Steelers released Allen Rossum, who in turn signed with the 49ers. Offensive Line:
The offensive line is a work in progress and will be nearly unrecognizable when the season begins. Only Marvel Smith and Kendall Simmons bring more than five years of experience to his position. Because the Steelers found no solace in new center Sean Mahan, they went out and signed Carolina center Justin Hartwig. Both have struggled at the position, and considering the Steelers have been known to pull their center on running plays, it is an area of concern. Trai Essex, who did an amazing job of protecting Roethlisberger's blind side in the Jacksonville game, will compete with the aging Smith for that position. Willie Colon finds himself up against Max Starks, after beating Starks out for the job last year. And Chris Kemoeatu, who has not developed as a pass blocker like the Steelers had hoped, will likely find himself battling former center Mahan to replace Faneca. The line boasts good size and strength for a potentially devastating rushing attack. What they lack most is communication, blitz recognition, and pass blocking. If love were a football, then Jonathan Phillips would be married with children. Thus he's lonely and would like nothing more than to discuss football with you when he's not writing Small Market Mania. Feel free to email him at
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