Fantasy Football Player Notes

If there is any running back that could potentially de-throne Derrick Henry as the poster child for the "volume is king" mantra, it's Najee Harris. The Steelers rookie running back managed a league-leading 381 touches in 2021, and finished as the RB4 in half-point scoring as a result.

The volume he is going to see in 2022 will ensure he is one of the safest running backs available in fantasy football.


Still, the issue with Harris pertains to his true upside potential in an potentially capped offense led by a rookie quarterback. An immobile Ben Roethlisberger was a check-down target machine to Harris in 2021 which may not be the case in 2022.

And despite all of his total raw touches, Harris only saw 37 touches (22nd) in the red zone and scored six red-zone touchdowns.

The ADP market believes that Mitchell Trubisky or Kenny Pickett can take the Steelers to the fantasy promised land. I am not as optimistic.

The best-case scenario for the Steelers' No. 1 wide receiver is seeing a boatload of targets - albeit inefficient like last season when he ranked second in that category - to deliver for fantasy.

Whether it's Trubisky or the rookie under center, that is the reality with DJ. Let's not forget that last year's heavily-coveted rookie quarterback class produced almost zero reliable options outside of Brandin Cooks (WR20), Jakobi Meyers (WR33) and Kendrick Bourne (WR30).

So with a top-15 early best ball ADP in an offense with more competition for targets between Chase Claypool, Pat Freiermuth, George Pickens and Calvin Austin III, I would need Johnson to fall significantly in drafts before selecting him.

Chase Claypool's second-year breakout was inevitably halted by Ben Roethlisberger's lack of downfield throwing ability: On throws with 20-plus air yards, Big Ben graded 31st out of 38 qualifying QBs.

Claypool commanded a 27% air yards share on the season and led the team in the metric over the final four weeks. Better days should be ahead of the Notre Dame product if Pittsburgh can get better downfield quarterback play from Kenny Pickett/Mitchell Trubisky.

Claypool is also due for positive touchdown regression after catching just one of his 12 end-zone targets last season. The 6-foot-5 monster is no stranger to hitting paydirt, after being one of eight wide receivers to score double-digit touchdowns as rookies since 1998.

However, Claypool's range of outcomes is quite wide heading into his third season with 2022 second-round pick George Pickens, chomping at the bit to be the No. 2 on the offense behind Diontae Johnson.

No rookie tight end flew up the dynasty rankings more than Pat Freiermuth, who made his case as a fringe fantasy TE1 in Year 1. The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie ramped things up in Week 6 after an injury to Eric Ebron and never looked back.

Baby Gronk was the TE7 from that time forward, averaging 11.3 fantasy points per game seventh). He would go on to finish the year as the TE13 overall despite running a route on just 56% of dropbacks.

When starting and healthy, Freiermuth ran a route on 67% of dropbacks - a rate that would have ranked 15th-highest at the position in 2021. That's the bare minimum usage fantasy drafters should expect to see from the Penn State product with Ebron gone in free agency.

The Steelers selected George Pickens at pick No. 52 in the 2022 NFL Draft, with WR3 an area of need and Diontae Johnson (slated for free agency in 2023. I absolutely love the fit for Pickens here with the Steelers, who seem to never miss selecting wideouts on Day 2.

Injuries and off-field issues plagued Pickens' draft stock, but he looks fully healthy based on his testing at the NFL Combine. And Pittsburgh seems like the right spot for him to get his head on straight.

I already can't wait for the heated training camp fights between him and Chase Claypool as the gloves come off - well not really - for target supremacy.

Pickens' college profile screams that of a true alpha, so I'd be looking to stash him across the board before he is fully unleashed.

The Georgia Bulldog WR broke out as a true 18-year old freshman, finishing 2019 as PFF's the 17th-highest-graded receiver in the nation (88.0) - ahead of future NFL wideouts like Jerry Jeudy, Justin Jefferson, Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle.

After backing up Josh Allen in Buffalo last season, Trubisky will get a chance to start, this time with the Steelers. He'll have to beat out first-round rookie Kenny Pickett, however. Trubisky's 2018 season with the Bears raised hopes; his 2019 and 2020 seasons dashed them. Running ability and an NFL-caliber arm raise hopes that Trubisky's fantasy value can be rehabilitated.

Pickett wasn't on the prospect radar until he blew up as a fifth-year senior at Pittsburgh, throwing for 4,319 yards and 42 TDs in 13 games. Now, he'll compete with Mitchell Trubisky to be the Steelers' starter after being the only QB taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. Pickett's intangibles might be better than his raw tools, but the tools aren't bad.