In this second part of our Steelers’ 4-EYED TEAM PREVIEW, we’re going to be covering the Steelers’ IDPs that you should consider rostering for the 2021 fantasy football season.
If there was a team to draft as an entire IDP unit, I can’t think of any team (maybe TB) that could fill an entire roster with elite-level talent.
Last year taught us some very valuable lessons, anybody the Steelers put on their defense will somehow be IDP relevant. We saw it with Robert Spillane, Alex Highsmith, Avery Williamson, and Mike Hilton, just to name a few. This year could be completely different though, if healthy!
Across the board, there are pieces that will be staples on IDP leagues across the country. In total for 2020, the Steelers had 5 players ranked inside the Top 100, and others if you dig a little deeper.
With some new additions to the team and a lot of returning pieces, who are the players that are going to help lead you to your fantasy championship?
Find out now in our 2021 Steelers IDP Team Preview.
Defensive Linemen
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Cameron Heyward (Current ADP: DL39)
Cameron Heyward just doesn’t seem to age. Entering his 11th season in the NFL, Heyward is coming off of another season in which he has finished no lower than a DL3. While his DL34 finish wasn’t on the same level as his DL6 finish in 2019, there is nothing more impressive than a 10-year veteran leading by example! For instance, since 2013, he only has 1 season (2016) where he played less than 835 snaps, and he has yet to deliver less than 10 fppg since 2013.
While the sack total (4) may have been the lowest since the injury-shortened 2016 season, he did still get to the quarterback and deliver 18 QB hits, the 3rd most of his career. To go a step further, Heyward has finished near the top of the DL leaderboard in pass rush win rate for the past 4 years.
It should be a pretty safe bet at DL39 to deliver a stable floor with some upside to finish as a DL2 if the offensive line continues to have to worry about the other amazing Steelers’ IDP options.
Stephon Tuitt (Current ADP: DL48)
Last years’ DL14 on the season, Tuitt was an absolute monster to opposing offenses. Tuitt set career highs in sacks (11), TFL (13), and QB Hits (25).
It is safe to say that the pain he has given on the field, he has endured the same off of the field. In June, Tuitt’s brother was killed in a tragic hit-and-run accident. That unimaginable loss has kept Tuitt out of camp, off and on, and is unsure of when he will return to full participation.
I can guarantee one thing. If Tuitt is playing with his brothers’ passing as a motivator, watch out QBs!
Edge/Linebacker
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
T.J. Watt (Current ADP: DL1/LB3)
I don’t know if there is anything I need to actually write here that will serve Trent Jordan Watt his due respect? He became the 1st player in Steelers’ history to have multiple 13+ sacks seasons while being named All-Pro, Pro Bowl, and Team MVP honors (per Donnie Druin). Back up the Brinks truck!
So what are you getting with the investment of the #3 pick per overall IDP ADP? For starters, Watt has overall finishes of 5th (20), 4th (19), 16th (18). If you just place him as a DL, he has not finished lower than DL23 since entering the league.
Speaking of entering the league. Since he has done so, he ranks 3rd in sacks, 3rd in TFL, and 2nd in QB hits. The man had 42 QB hits last year! The 42 QB hits were the 5th most since 2010. The top 4 above him are all held by his brother JJ Watt. What a family!
Another angle of T.J. Watt’s forced fumble. Great job of punching the ball loose. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/oilg1egOCL
— Blitzburgh ✨ (@BlitzVideos) September 16, 2019
Joe Schobert (Current ADP: LB12)
There is no doubt that the Steelers are in “win-now” mode with the trade for Joe Schobert. As the pieces at inside linebacker were getting a little thin, with the retirement of Vince Williams, Mike Tomlin gets to add another Pro-Bowler to his already stacked defense!
Last years’ LB6 (18 fppg) is in place to deliver another LB1 finish. In fact, since he was drafted by the Browns in 2016, he has given his fantasy managers LB1 production in 3 of 4 years if we exclude a rookie season in which he only played 246 snaps.
A true three-down linebacker for his career, as well as wearer of the coveted “green dot”, Schobert may take a little time getting acclimated to the defense and the playbook. It won’t be long tho before he is calling the plays and inserting himself as a leader on this defense. With 130+ tackle seasons in all but the injury-shortened 2018 and a good bet to stuff the stat sheet, Schobert is an easy floor play at LB12 with top 5 upside for 2021!
Awesome insight from @bepryor of ESPN on Bleav in Steelers as she talks the Schobert acquisition, what it’ll take for a TJ Watt extension + team sleepers! Join hosts @mdbergin and @Ike_SwagginU on the show presented by @betonline_ag: https://t.co/zguIRdL47t pic.twitter.com/2N6o66nU6r
— Bleav Podcast Network (@BleavPodcasts) August 20, 2021
Devin Bush (Current ADP: LB18)
Coming off of a torn ACL in 2020, Bush is in a situation that he didn’t see himself facing when he was taken as the 10th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. There is a chance that he isn’t the three-down linebacker that he was “destined” to be.
Prior to his injury in 2020, Bush was pacing 12 fppg and had totaled 26 tackles, 1 sack, 2 QB hits and 3 passes defended. This was following a rookie season in which he finished as the LB24 and the making of a legit IDP threat.
This is not all gloom and doom for Bush. He still possesses the athletic profile and ability to be an LB2/3 in IDP formats, it’s just a matter of monitoring his recovery from the ACL and his involvement in Dime packages.
Defensive Back
*Positional designations & ADP data brought to you by Sleeper.
Minkah Fitzpatrick (Current ADP: DB4)
With all the talk about the DL and LB options on Pittsburgh, it’s par for the course when they also have a legit defensive back. Fitzpatrick, a true Free Safety, is rare to find ranked so high in IDP formats. The traditional deep safety tho doesn’t possess Fitzpatricks coverage skills and ball-hawking ability. In 2020, Fitzpatrick allowed only 38% of targets to be completed, which was tops in the NFL among DB with at least 10 targets defended.
Fitzpatrick’s ADP of the DB4 is a little high for my blood, considering the fluid nature of turnovers in the NFL, but it isn’t to say he won’t and can’t provide a DB1 floor. With the talent that surrounds him, I could see him as a solid DB2, but I just can’t recommend him as the DB4.
Sheeeesh https://t.co/MTCbrF0jzM
— Minkah Fitzpatrick (@minkfitz_21) May 12, 2021
