In The Blitz, RotoViz writers react to the latest news and help you place it within the context of our 2020 research and recommendations.

Pittsburgh’s backfield has generated a tremendous amount of fantasy points across the last decade. Since 2015, only New Orleans has produced more 20-point-plus running back performances. While player talent is undoubtedly a significant factor for the success of teams like Carolina and Dallas, Pittsburgh has achieved its strong results with a variety of players.^[1]That’s not to say that talent didn’t play a role for the Steelers, but just to highlight the idea that talent may not be the only factor in Pittsburgh.

Unsurprisingly, fantasy drafters have kept their collective eye focused on the team’s backfield throughout the offseason. Sam Wallace highlighted James Conner earlier this week in a piece focusing on favorable schedules to start the season, and Curtis Patrick included him in an article centered on major shake-ups in rankings. However, Conner isn’t the only back drawing interest. A headline posted on August 28th is worth paying attention to.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell Jr. has been impressing during training camp, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. This offseason, the Steelers have been limiting the workload of starting running back James Conner after he has dealt with a multitude of injuries over the past few years. That has opened the door for Snell to show what he can do on the field. Snell lost about 12 pounds during the offseason, which has made him quicker and more equipped to evade tacklers. A lack of speed and explosiveness was one of the main knocks on Snell coming out of the University of Kentucky last year. Kaboly believes that Snell could “sneak his way” into a role on the Pittsburgh offense, even if Conner stays healthy. This makes Snell an ideal draft target towards the end of drafts, especially for Zero RB drafters.

Snell’s Profile

Benny Snell spent his collegiate career at Kentucky, where he compiled significant production as a rusher but was rarely used as a receiver.

His athletic profile leaves a lot to be desired and likely depressed his value in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was selected by the Steelers in Round 4 at pick 122. Physically, Snell has the size to shoulder a heavy workload at 224 pounds

NFL Production

Snell played in 11 games during his rookie season and recorded 108 rushing attempts for 496 yards, which translates to 3.9 yards per rushing attempt. He also added two touchdowns and three receptions. More importantly, in the five games in which he posted more than 10 rushing attempts,