Where does James Conner fit in on the Steelers' backfield?
Liz Loza and Matt Harmon temper expectations of James Conner among Pittsburgh's talented lineup.
Hear the full conversation on the Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
LIZ LOZA: We talked on our halftime show, speaking of running backs, of Pittsburgh making an effort to get their backfield going after a couple of down weeks. And they did that particularly well in a nice match-up at Jacksonville.
MATT HARMON: Yeah, it was pretty clear that they wanted to get James Conner going again, that was nice to see. Obviously, Benny Snell sneaks in there for the touchdown, but 13 carries. It's not great, I still think we need to view the Steelers as the best version of themselves is like a short, up tempo passing game. 46 throws for Ben Roethlisberger in this one, 5.8 yards per attempt.
Diontae Johnson just a stud, 12 catches, 1,100-- 111 yards. 16 frickin' targets, I think he has over 80 targets on the year and we all know that he's been in and out of the lineup. That's wild. Claypool, 10 touchdowns in as many games. Eric Ebron finds the end zone. JuJu is left blowing out someone else's football candles on his own birthday.
LIZ LOZA: --birthday candles.
MATT HARMON: But yeah, I mean-- I think that the best version of the Steelers probably doesn't involve James Conner seeing 20 carries. It's probably this version of it, so I think that makes-- obviously going to bring down the ceiling projection for a guy, you know, for a guy like James Conner. But I do think it makes a good amount of sense for all these pass-catchers, especially Diontae and Claypool.
LIZ LOZA: It might also just even things out because I think with the field structures available, it makes Conner more efficient. Right now even if he isn't seeing the 18 to 23 carries or touches per game-- even in 13, he's averaging over six yards per carry. We saw him rip off a nice 20-plus long yard run. The match-up obviously has something to do with it, and so maybe you keep that in mind when you are looking at your roster construction and balance.