Waiver Worthy: Is Eli Rogers A Worthy Addition Or A Player To Ignore?

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

By year’s end the Pittsburgh Steelers offense is likely going to be dominated by Le’Veon Bell (after he returns from suspension) and Antonio Brown.  That said they need more than that, otherwise opposing defenses will be able to focus on at least trying to limit the damage inflicted by the two superstars.  Who could step up and be a factor?

Undrafted sophomore Eli Rogers, who will open the season as the team’s slot receiver, appears to be a candidate.  He’s not likely going to post gaudy numbers, considering he never posted more than 536 yards in a season at Louisville, isn’t going to be a factor in the red zone (he stands 5’10”) and has averaged just 9.1 yards per reception over the first three preseason games.

That said, his impact could be felt beyond the numbers.  Ben Roethlisberger was recently quoted by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN (click here for the article) as saying:

“The more he can work the middle, the more safeties will have to respect him and stop cheating on AB,” Roethlisberger said.

And that’s the point, all he has to do is be productive enough to draw the defenses attention.  Catch a few balls short, forcing opposing defenses to try and take that away and in turn opening up the big play for Brown.

Think of him as a Jarvis Landry type, though he’s shorter (Landry is listed at 6’1”) and isn’t going to catch 110 passes.  He’s not likely to reach the 84 Landry had in his rookie year of 2014 either, though it’s the other numbers that are likely in reach:

• Landry averaged 9.0 yards per reception in ‘14
• Over his first two seasons Landry has scored 5 and 4 TD, respectively

Rogers dubbed himself an “illusionist”, as Fowler published the following quote:

“I feel like I’m a great illusionist if you will. I’m deceptive in my route running and I love that,” he said. “It’s all about angles and what the defense is looking at. If I get past a guy and I stick him and go to the post and I tuck my chin like I’m going tot the post, he’s going to take off because that’s what he’s seeing, he’s seeing emotions, and he really believes I’m going that way. I just like that because it’s fun to me.”

In PPR formats he is worth putting on your radar, as it is possible he racks up 60-70 catches.  Outside of that, though, it seems highly unlikely he produces enough yardage or TD to make an impact (though as a punt returner, there’s promise as well depending on your league).  As we said maybe he’s Landry-light, which isn’t meant as a selling point if it’s a non-PPR league.

Sources – ESPN, NFL.com