2014 Record: 11-5
2015 Non Division Opponents: NFC West, AFC West, New England, & Indianapolis
2014 in review: The Steelers were 7-5 with four games to go and in danger of missing the playoffs. They then ripped off four straight wins to win the AFC North. The Ravens had all the answers for them in the Wild Card game, but Pittsburgh made strides to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
2015 offseason: The Steelers had a quiet off-season. IN fact, they only made one free agency signing. DeAngelo Williams was signed away from Carolina to compete for a backup Running Back position. They didn’t lose much either, only CB Brice McClain and WR Lance Moore left via free agency. The players the Steelers lost were via retirement. Both Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu hung it up, and then linebacker Jason Worilds unexpectedly retired at the age of 27. That’s three starters that the Steelers need to replace.
2015 Draft: The Steelers did just that. Drafting OLB Bud Dupree with their first pick and CB Senquez Golson with their second rounder. Dupree is penciled in as the starting linebacker and Golson is pushing Cortez Allen during the preseason as well.
Player on the hot seat: Lawrence Timmons. Going out of the box a little bit here and taking the Linebacker. Timmons had a big year last year, with 132 tackles. The eight year vet now takes over as the leader of a defense in transition. With Polamalu and Taylor gone, Timmons is the elder statesman. He needs to lead by example and performance as the Steelers attempt to get back to the defense the team has always been known for.
Players you want on your fantasy team: Roethlisberger is an interesting case. His numbers look great. 4,952 yards. 32 Touchdowns. You just have to remember that he did the bulk of his damage over a ridiculous 2 week stretch. If you take out his two six touchdown games, his per game average comes out to 292 yards ypg and 1.5 TD’s per game. The yards are excellent, but you want your quarterback to average more than 1.5 TD’s per game. Those twelve touchdowns were the difference between 7th and 14th on the league leaderboard. That being said, he’s a perfectly serviceable QB. Just don’t reach for him. You should reach for Le’Veon Bell, though. Even with his two game suspension he will be a top 3 Running back this season. He has fewer question marks than any other top running back choice, plus you know ahead of time about the suspension so you can plan accordingly. Antonio Brown should be the first receiver taken in any PPR league, and both Markus Wheaton and Martavius Bryant should be starting in most leagues.
Season Prediction: Last year was the way back to the playoffs for Pittsburgh and it could continue in 2015. The defense has a lot of holes and there will be a lot of shootouts, but the Steelers will be in the thick of it until the very end. SFTB Pick: 9-7