The Pittsburgh Steelers won their sixth Super Bowl title and second in four years in 2008 by defeating the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in a thrilling classic. Ben Roethlisberger rebounded from his poor performance a couple of years earlier against Seattle by completing 21-30 passes for 256 yards and the game-winning TD to Santonio Holmes with just seconds left. Although the Steelers capped off their impressive season by winning the Super Bowl, they were an inconsistent bunch all year in terms of fantasy performance. With nearly the entire team returning this year, will the Steelers offer fantasy owners more options on a week-by-week basis heading into 2009? I examine that now.
As good as the bottom line was for Roethlisberger and the Steelers last year, the quarterback turned out to be a nightmare for owners last year with his inconsistent play. Roethlisberger finished 2008 with 3,314 passing yards along with 17 TDs and 15 Inter for an 80.2 rating. Not exactly the kind of numbers you’re looking for from your No. 1 QB. The bottom line is that Pittsburgh is, was, and always will be a powerhouse team, and frankly, when Ben is asked to throw a lot, he usually gets into trouble. Ben is a very good quarterback but not a good fantasy quarterback. He possesses great leadership skills and has his statistical moments, but don’t trust him with your fantasy team because he will disappoint you so much. In fact, Ben went into the 3rd round of my draft last summer and the owner who drafted him won 2 games all year. The owners seem to be getting the point as Roethlisberger has been hanging around rounds 9 and 10 in the mock drafts I’ve been in. Treat it as a useful No. 2 option for 2009, but nothing more than that. There are much better options.
When successful, the meat and potatoes of the Steeler offense lies in the running game. Last year, the team’s backfield suffered numerous injuries, leaving head coach Mike Tomlin painfully thin at the position. Once again Willie Parker was unable to make it through the entire season missing 5 games and finishing the season with 791 yards and 5 TDs. Parker has only played in 16 games once in his career and will turn 29 at midseason. When healthy Parker is definitely a No. 1 option at RB, but when is he healthy? Also, the Steelers will surely be looking to returning sophomore Rashard Mendenhall to make a much bigger impact in his sophomore season after playing just 4 games as a rookie. The Steelers have a strong preference for Mendenhall, who is built more in the way a typical Pittsburgh running back generally looks. At 5-10 225, Mendenhall is a power rusher who will inevitably steal short yardage and goal-line carries from Parker, who has never really been a TD machine to begin with. With Parker and Mendenhall out of commission, the Steelers’ emergency plan really kicked in and worked pretty well. Mewelde Moore rushed for 589 yards and 5 TDs down the stretch as he also added 320 receiving yards and another touchdown. The former Minnesota Vikings scrap proved more than capable of holding the fort as Parker prepared for the playoffs. In terms of fantasy potential, I like Mendenhall the most out of all the Steelers RBs for next season. It will be a miracle if Parker stays healthy all year and even if he does, Mendehall will be the goal line at the very least. That being said, treat Parker like a low-end No. 3 fantasy RB heading into the season. Mendenhall is much more interesting because if (when) Parker goes down, he will have a real shot at becoming a stud because of his talent and the system he plays into. Mendenhall has been between rounds 8 and 10 in the mock drafts I’ve been doing and spending one last round of selection on him could prove to be a treasure for you as the season progresses. With Mendenhall back in the fold, Moore’s value is drastically reduced, and he has typically gone undrafted in these preliminary drafts.
Similarly to Roethlisberger, the Steelers’ receiving corps has its moments, but in my opinion, offers fantasy owners nothing more than gap-stopping/matchup options on a very limited basis. Though he’s showing definite signs of slowing down, Hines Ward remains the Steelers’ No. 1 pick in the air. Ward remains a cautious veteran who is almost as well known for his blocking skills as he is for catching the ball. Ward had a very good 2008 statistically posting 82 catches for 1047 yards and 7 TDs. The 1,047 yards represent his best yardage total since he had 1,163 in 2003. Ward will remain the receiver Roethlisberger will look for when he’s in trouble or when the Steelers need a clutch catch. After grabbing their first 3 receivers, Ward is a good option for you to have someone worthy of playing on your bench depending on who Pittsburgh is playing against. Super Bowl hero Holmes will be the Steelers’ No. 2 option on opening day. Holmes caught 55 balls for 821 yards and 5 TDs in 2008 and with Nate Washington heading to Tennessee he should see more balls thrown his way. Holmes has much more big-playing ability than Ward at this stage of their careers, and therefore Holmes is more valuable in terms of fantasy, especially if his league gives out long TD bonuses like mine does. Treat Holmes as a good No. 3 WR or Flex option for draft day this August. The only other Steeler receiver worth looking at is second-year pro Limas Sweed. Sweed had a pretty forgettable rookie season catching just 6 balls for 64 yards and couldn’t reach the end zone. Pittsburgh has big plans for Sweed and he’s the big target the team has been craving since the departure of Plaxico Burress. Sweed has real sleeper potential going into 2009 and is worthy of a late pick. If it turns out that he doesn’t get drafted into your league, make sure to take him off the waiver wire if you get the chance and let the chips fall where they may. Stay tuned for him. TE Heath Miller really isn’t a #1 choice and while Ben will sometimes look for him in the Red Zone, he’s not really used enough to be anything more than a backup used only in emergencies.
The Steelers DST is always a solid unit and if you play in a league like mine that awards DSTs huge point totals that can greatly help your chances of winning a championship. I know all too well what a good DST can do as I rode the Eagles DST to a title last year. With Troy Polamalu and James Harrison continuing to be anchored on defense, treat the Steelers DST like an elite unit and one of the top 3 DSTs on the board this summer. Well, that’s it for the fields. Next up: The Cincinnati Bengals.
