The Last Word on Sports’ (LWOS) NFL department is featuring a who’s who of each division in the NFL. In similar fashion, the fantasy football department is creating a list of their own: a fantasy football roster made up of players from each division. While the LWOS NFL department will create a full roster, of both offense and defense, the fantasy department will create a much more centralized roster, mimicking that of a fantasy football roster in the format of: one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one flex spot, one kicker, and one defense/special teams. Without further ado, here are the players that made the All-AFC North Fantasy Football team:
Roethlisberger may not be known for playing all 16 games in a season, but when he’s on the field, he makes an impact. Pittsburgh is home to the highest powered offense in the league. In 2015, the Steelers finished first in the league in total yards per game with 382.5. They finished fourth in passing yards per game with 256.6. Roethlisberger threw for 3,939 yards and 21 touchdowns in the 12 games he played in in 2015. He’s not a lock to play all 16 games, but with the talent around him in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to bet against Roethlisberger.
RB: Le’Veon Bell
Arguably the best running back in the NFL, Bell comes in as the number one fantasy running back in the AFC North. In 2014, Bell finished as the number two overall running back, behind DeMarco Murray. Bell had 2,215 total yards and 11 touchdowns. His 2015 season was cut short due to a torn MCL. Progress is being made and Bell seems to be on track to return prior to the start of the 2016 season. He averaged 16 fantasy points per game in the 5 games he played prior to injury. That average, spread over a span of 16 games, would have made Bell the number one overall running back in fantasy in 2015. While that is not an exact science, it’s worth noting.
RB: Jeremy Hill
In 2014, Jeremy Hill rushed for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns, finishing as the tenth overall fantasy running back. He followed that with 12 touchdowns in 2015, for only 794 yards, failing to reach the 100 yard mark once throughout the entire season. The Bengals backfield had trouble gaining yards on the ground, while Andy Dalton found success early on, prior to injuring his thumb, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season. With the loss of Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones to free agency, Hue Jackson to Cleveland, and Tyler Eifert recovering from ankle surgery, the 2016 Bengals will become a run-oriented offense. Insert Hill.
WR: Antonio Brown
Not only is Brown the number one fantasy wide receiver in the AFC North, but he’ll most likely be the first player drafted in your fantasy league. He’s a threat every time he touches the ball. Brown caught 136 passes for 1,834 yards, and 10 touchdowns. He’s a threat to break Marvin Harrison’s record for catches in a season (143.) With a healthy Roethlisberger, Brown will continue to be a dominant force in the NFL.
WR: AJ Green
Quietly, Green is Mr. Consistent. Since he entered the league in 2011, he has finished as a top 10 receiver three times (2012, and 2013 he finished #3 overall, and 2015 he was #8.) He’s recorded over 1,000 yards in all five seasons and has had double digit touchdowns in three. He’s Dalton’s number one target and with a less-than-stellar core of wide receivers behind him, Green’s targets are predicted to be even higher than before.
TE: Gary Barnidge
This is the part where Tyler Eifert bandwagon fans get upset. Prior to 2015, Eifert played one full season, then was injured in week one the following year. He’s injury prone and his 2015 season wasn’t as effective as one might think. He scored in chunks. Eifert scored in eight games last year. It just so happens that in three of those games he caught two touchdowns and in one he caught three. He only went over the century mark once and was under the 50-yard mark seven times.
Barnidge really came through for Cleveland in 2015. He led the Brown in every single receiving category except one – targets. Travis Benjamin had 124. Barnidge had 123. 79 receptions, 1043 yards, 9 touchdowns. 52 first downs. Oh, and he had three different quarterbacks throwing him the ball throughout the duration of the season. He was Cleveland’s best in 2015 and while he may not repeat his 2015 performance, Hue Jackson and whoever he chooses as his starting quarterback (presumably RGIII), will look to get Barnidge involved.
FLEX: Giovani Bernard
This spot would belong to Martavis Bryant, but due to his season-long suspension, he is of no use to fantasy players this season. Bernard, on the other hand, is the perfect complimentary running back. Hill is the ground and pound guy in Cincinnati, while Bernard is the pass-catching, change of pace guy. But that’s not all Bernard is. He finished seventh overall among running backs in yards per carry in 2015 with 4.7. With the loss of two offensive weapons, and Tyler Boyd only entering his rookie year, Bernard will need to be a safety blanket for Dalton. 2015 was a fallback year, only scoring two touchdowns. He may not be a back that scores 10 touchdowns per year, but he’s certainly more talents that two touchdowns per year.
Kickers are people too. Boswell spent the first four weeks of 2015 looking for a job, before finding the Steelers. Playing in 12 games in 2015, Boswell made 29 field goals and was a perfect 2-2 from 50+, both kicks made at Heinz Field. He was also a perfect 7-7 in the postseason.
D/ST: Steelers
Third overall in sacks. Sixth overall in interceptions. Seventh in fumble recoveries. Two defensive touchdowns. All of those stats speak for themselves. The only negative statistic against the Steelers defense, are the points they put up per game. Yes, defenses aren’t supposed to give up points. But in a division where defense isn’t necessarily a strong point, any advantage helps. The lack of return ability will also continue to haunt the Steelers – they still use the number one wide receiver in the NFL, Brown, for punt returns, and that can’t last much longer. The Steelers D/ST isn’t one that I’m targeting on draft day, but it does win best defense in the AFC North.
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