If Fields starts, then he'll be great. It would be better if he had a deeper receiving corps. Aiyuk was rumored to be going there & while he'd be a great regular season addition, the Steelers aren't true contenders, & Aiyuk's best use is where Pickens succeeds best, mid-range in-breaking routes. What's _great_ about him is his hands & ability to make contested catches. He's amazing at moving off defenders without looking like he's touching them. Both Fields & Russ are more Really Accurate than Purdy, so I imagine this to be an amazing receiver to QB match no matter who starts. _If_ it happens. They have Zero Depth, even at LB. The games Watt missed in '22 showed they become mid without him. So even if the Steelers make the playoffs this year, what next? They'll have worse draft picks, Heyward & others are aging out, he & Pickens have already gotten upset at the franchise... I can't see them building up. What do they have to trade now for Aiyuk or any other receiver without depleting their roster depth elsewhere? Only future picks that they need. I half-feel as if they should blow it all up mid-season _unless_ they're 7-3 or better.
Pittsburgh is a fascinating team to think about for 2024. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season and recently has overachieved in terms of expectation since they moved on from Big Ben. We are really bullish on their roster, but you are correct with a lack of depth. They did have one of our favorite draft classes as well that over time should help with that in future seasons. Still, the NFL did them no favors to end the season. All six division games AND PHI and KC to end the season? BRUTAL! In terms of fantasy football, Pickens has a clear path for volume and we may be a little low in our WR rankings on him. That said, Arthur Smith has a recent track record of being frustratingly inconsistent getting touches for his stars. Also, in terms of Best Ball, Justin Fields we are getting a ton of shares of as a QB3 late in drafts because he does provide a ton of upside in weeks that he plays. Very low risk, high reward in spite of the tough stretch to end the year!
@@GameTimeDiscussions. They play in Denver in Week Two. I have a feeling that Russ does not start that game. If there's _ANY_ chance_ he's not in top form then there's too much risk of giving fans the chance to cheer & boo him off the field. Smith seems perfectly fine of a creative OC for maybe these Steelers. It was when he had too many RBs to choose from that his creativity became its own sake. Before that it was Patterson 'til he got injured then Allgeier. Once he *could* stupidly ask himself the question "what are fantasy football fans _expecting_ me to do" he did then decided he was going to subvert those expectations he assumed for... reasons. The Steelers have One Receiving TE, one blocking one, one rookie WR, one who demands all the passes. I don't think he'll have enough to distract himself into making bad decisions.
![[UNCUT] “อภิสิทธิ์” ครม.อุ๊งอิ๊ง แย่งเก้าอี้กันฝุ่นตลบ “ทักษิณ” บงการเอง Iคนดังนั่งเคลียร์I 21ส.ค.67](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/a_b-kItw2jY/mqdefault.jpg)
If Fields starts, then he'll be great. It would be better if he had a deeper receiving corps. Aiyuk was rumored to be going there & while he'd be a great regular season addition, the Steelers aren't true contenders, & Aiyuk's best use is where Pickens succeeds best, mid-range in-breaking routes.
What's _great_ about him is his hands & ability to make contested catches. He's amazing at moving off defenders without looking like he's touching them. Both Fields & Russ are more Really Accurate than Purdy, so I imagine this to be an amazing receiver to QB match no matter who starts.
_If_ it happens.
They have Zero Depth, even at LB. The games Watt missed in '22 showed they become mid without him. So even if the Steelers make the playoffs this year, what next? They'll have worse draft picks, Heyward & others are aging out, he & Pickens have already gotten upset at the franchise... I can't see them building up. What do they have to trade now for Aiyuk or any other receiver without depleting their roster depth elsewhere? Only future picks that they need. I half-feel as if they should blow it all up mid-season _unless_ they're 7-3 or better.
Pittsburgh is a fascinating team to think about for 2024. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season and recently has overachieved in terms of expectation since they moved on from Big Ben. We are really bullish on their roster, but you are correct with a lack of depth. They did have one of our favorite draft classes as well that over time should help with that in future seasons.
Still, the NFL did them no favors to end the season. All six division games AND PHI and KC to end the season? BRUTAL!
In terms of fantasy football, Pickens has a clear path for volume and we may be a little low in our WR rankings on him. That said, Arthur Smith has a recent track record of being frustratingly inconsistent getting touches for his stars. Also, in terms of Best Ball, Justin Fields we are getting a ton of shares of as a QB3 late in drafts because he does provide a ton of upside in weeks that he plays. Very low risk, high reward in spite of the tough stretch to end the year!
@@GameTimeDiscussions. They play in Denver in Week Two. I have a feeling that Russ does not start that game. If there's _ANY_ chance_ he's not in top form then there's too much risk of giving fans the chance to cheer & boo him off the field.
Smith seems perfectly fine of a creative OC for maybe these Steelers. It was when he had too many RBs to choose from that his creativity became its own sake. Before that it was Patterson 'til he got injured then Allgeier. Once he *could* stupidly ask himself the question "what are fantasy football fans _expecting_ me to do" he did then decided he was going to subvert those expectations he assumed for... reasons. The Steelers have One Receiving TE, one blocking one, one rookie WR, one who demands all the passes. I don't think he'll have enough to distract himself into making bad decisions.