James Conner Fantasy News and Statistics

No pick was more inspirational than when James Conner was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2017 NFL Draft. Conner was viewed as one of the top running backs in college football after a standout 2014 season, but then disaster struck. His 2015 campaign ended after just one game when he tore his MCL in Pittsburgh’s season-opening win over Youngstown State. However, what came next was much worse.

In December 2015, Conner was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He battled the cancer all offseason with intensive chemotherapy treatments and was declared cancer-free by May. No matter what else comes his way, Conner knows that he already won one of the biggest battles of his life.

Before he beat the disease, he was beating ACC defenses. In 2013, Conner had a strong freshman campaign. He had back-to-back 100-yard games against New Mexico and Duke near the start of the year and finished strong in Pitt’s win in the Little Caesar’s Bowl over Bowling Green. Conner was named the MVP after rushing for 229 yards and a score in the game.

He had a breakout campaign during his sophomore season in 2014. He ran for at least 150 yards in each of his first four games and helped the Panthers to a 3-1 start. That wasn’t even his best stretch of the season, though, as he ran for a combined 503 yards and 10 touchdowns in a three-game stretch in ACC play. Although Pitt lost all three of those games, Conner was able to make it close with his running ability. He ended the season with 1,765 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns.

It was expected that Conner would have to miss part or all of the 2016 campaign after his bout with cancer and the after-effects of chemotherapy treatments. However, he surprised everyone not by just playing during the season but being ready for the opener. He played in all 13 games and ended 2016 as the team’s leading rusher with 1,092 yards and 16 touchdowns. Conner ran for over 100 yards six times and found the end zone in all but two games.

He also proved capable of being used as a receiver out of the backfield. Conner caught just nine passes in his first two seasons at Pitt, but he hauled in 21 balls for 302 yards and four scores in 2016.

That led to the Steelers deciding to take a chance on the hometown hero in the 2017 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh selected Conner at the tail end of the third round and made a lot of fans happy with the selection. The Steelers needed a new primary backup after the team parted ways with DeAngelo Williams, and the hope is that Conner will slip into that role.

Conner is well down on the depth chart as a rookie entering 2017, but he may be able to see some real playing time nonetheless. Le’Veon Bell continues to hold out for a new contract, and Fitzgerald Touissant is never going to be too impressive. Conner fits Pittsburgh’s style well and should be the team’s primary backup after a few regular season games.