Many fantasy enthusiasts — (admittedly) including us — were nervous about the Steelers RBBC rumors and what they meant for James Conner’s 2019 fantasy value. Yet, Conner has dominated first team work this preseason, and looked exactly like last year’s RB5 in the process — if not even more explosive.
In fact, during this preseason, Conner played on 29 of 34 first team snaps (85%). More telling, despite rumors of Jaylen Samuels stealing receiving work, Conner ran 9 routes in his 15 plays with Ben Roethlisberger.
This shouldn’t be surprising. Under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have never strayed from a workhorse, and they’ve produced six-straight Top-6 RBs.
With Conner’s workhorse role looking confirmed, which RB is safer after “The Big Four?”
Sure, the Steelers will lose some overall offensive firepower, but they’ll remain a Top-12 scoring unit under Big Ben. Plus, the line remains Top-Five, so Conner shouldn’t hurt for sustained drives and scoring chances.
In fact, his 13 goalline carries ranked second among backs last season, and his 13 TDs ranked sixth, despite only 13 GP. Plus, Antonio Brown has vacated 15 scores and 104 receptions, elevating Conner’s already-mammoth TD upside.
Plus, there’s this misconception Conner is just some bleh back in an amazing situation. He ripped off the fourth most runs of 15+ yards (15), while also thriving in stacked box situations with 4.7 YPC (sixth among backs) all while racking up the sixth most scrimmage yards per game.
Outside health, Conner comes with literally zero question marks. The same can’t be said for David Johnson (offensive line), Joe Mixon (line and overall O + Gio), Todd Gurley (knee + volume), and Dalvin Cook (health)in the same range.
Thus, feel confident about Conner anywhere at five overall and beyond. He’s a step ahead of every RB after The Big Four, and a strong bet to finish Top-Five again.
