RB Jaylen Samuels (Pittsburgh Steelers) | 2nd Year
2018 Stats: 56 carries for 256 yards; 26 receptions for 199 yards, 3 TD
With Le’Veon Bell out of the mix, the Pittsburgh Steelers turned to James Conner as their workhorse back last year and got more than they could have expected (215 carries for 973 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns; 55 receptions for 497 yards, one touchdown). But that also left little for rookie backup Jaylen Samuels.
Samuels played just a little more than 20 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps last year. But over a three-week stretch, Week 14-16 when Conner was out, he averaged 109.3 total yards per game while seeing 66.2 percent of his snaps for the entire season over that stretch. Not surprisingly he delivered solid fantasy finishes each week.
Week 14: RB23 (standard), RB13 (full PPR)
Week 15: RB12 (standard), RB13 (full PPR)
Week 16: RB15 (standard), RB15 (full PPR)
Via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Samuels is envisioning a bigger role for himself this year as the Steelers are in line to put he and Conner on the field at the same time.
“I’m pretty sure it’s going to be something special put into the offense,” Samuels said. “They will have us start off in the backfield or I can start out wide or motion out.”
Samuels was a jack of all trades in college, with 201 receptions for 1,851 yards and 19 touchdowns, over 1,100 career rushing yards (6.1 yards per carry) as he played running back, wide receiver and tight end. The Steelers also hired his running backs coach at NC State, Eddie Faulkner, to the same position this offseason.
Rookie Benny Snell has entered the mix for touches behind Conner, who will still be the proverbial workhorse. But Samuels versatility and pass catching chops puts him in line for a bigger role this year, especially as Pittsburgh tries to fill the void left by Antonio Brown.
Samuels’ ADP has moved up, but he’s still a ninth-round pick and an RB4 in standard (pick 9.09, RB43) and PPR scoring (pick 9.10, RB43). That’s high-end backup/handcuff territory, but he’s got standalone value and upside in PPR formats and those that draft Conner need to consider covering for more missed time by circling back to get Samuels.
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