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The Pittsburgh Steelers face a slew of changes on the offensive side and this brings a mix of both questions and optimism. An offensive line that was ravaged by injury last season is now healthy, but letting Mike Wallace walk removes their only proven field-stretching element.
(The following analysis is based on FantasyPros aggregate average draft position drawn from major websites. The first number in parenthesis is ADP overall in a non-PPR redraft format; the second is ADP by position. I am not saying these players will be terrible or amazing, just that I see them significantly outperforming or underperforming their fantasy value at the current ADP.)
Underrated: Emmanuel Sanders (109, 43), Markus Wheaton (285, 88)
Sanders should benefit mightily from three absolutely colossal factors: 1) Healthy offensive line hitting its second, third and fourth years at the pro level 2) A healthy Ben Roethlisberger with more time to step back and find Sanders 3) Wallace’s exit means more targets for Sanders both short and deep. Speaking of deep, Wheaton is just a rookie but has displayed the type of field-stretching threat that, while he’s not yet on par with Wallace, is an element that could make the opposing secondary play further off than desired.
Overrated: Le’Veon Bell (49, 24), Antonio Brown (65, 25)
Bell’s ADP is obviously going to plummet with all the Lisfranc reports coming out, turning him from an early-round a selection to somewhere from mid-rounder to late-rounder flyer. I was already put off by the multiple injuries in training camp and now have him in “Do Not Touch” zone. Brown for my money is one of the league’s most dangerous receivers with ball in hand, but just doesn’t get nearly enough red-zone attention for me to like him as a high-end WR3.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
