First Down: Sophomore slump be damned! Bryant buzz completely warranted

As the summer heats up, Yahoo's resident Noisemaker will offer his hot takes on specific players, trends and strategies much discussed in Fantasyland. Naturally, whatever he forecasts, the opposite is bound to occur. Feel free to offer your two cents in the comments section below.

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The Buzz: Last year, Martavis Bryant not only kicked down the door, he felled the entire wall surrounding it. Inactive over the first six games of the regular season, he made his presence instantly known catching two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown Week 7 against Houston. The breakthrough performance sparked a spectacular four-game streak, a stretch in which he averaged 77.5 yards per game and totaled six touchdowns. Suffice it to say, owners who scored him off waivers jubilantly twerked. Defenses, however, made adjustments to halt Pittsburgh's runaway train, as his No. 62 rank from Week 11 on proved. Still, entering his second season, the other Bryant, off a 26-549-8 campaign (in 10 games), is a fantasy commodity who has investors giddy. But skeptics concerned about the WR's inflated price tag remain aplenty.

Why taking up a second job delivering pizzas to afford Bryant will be completely worth it:

Skill Set. Bluntly speaking, the dude is a freak. "Lobster Boy" wishes he were more abnormal. At 6-foot-4, Bryant possess a long, rangy frame which gives him a stark advantage over a significant percentage of the league's corners. His wingspan and catch radius are menacing. That combined with his 4.42 40-yard speed, plus tracking ability and above average ball-adjustment skills make him the definition of "big play." Slamming protein shakes this offseason, he's reportedly packed on 10 pounds. Already breaking press coverage at an extraordinary rate (70.6% success rate last year), his "swoled" frame should help him win contested throws in high-traffic areas. David Boston revisited he is not. Recall last year, 37 percent of his targets were on passes between 0-9 yards. The added bulk will give him, and Ben Roethlisberger, the confidence to expand his game beyond being a deep-only threat.

Elevated role. To put it mildly, Markus Wheaton's stats are akin to a shirtless Jim Harbaugh – hard to look at. After an injury-plagued 2013, the former Beaver made some statistical jumps in his second season. His catch rate rose by 20 percent and he registered 0.17 points per snap, up from a wretched 0.09 his rookie year. Still, despite playing in all 16 games last year, his final numbers, in terms of fantasy excitement, were comparable to a meatloaf dinner with the in-laws. Though he saw 760 snaps (47.5 per game), he finished No. 71 in fantasy points per game at his position, one spot behind eternal underachiever Dwayne Bowe. Weeeee!!! Bryant, whose 0.45 points per snap was the highest among eligible PPR WRs (0.36 in STD), was light years more efficient. The pair are slated to battle it our for WR2 duties opposite Antonio Brown this summer, but unless Wheaton morphs into Lynn Swann 2.0, odds are long he outlasts Martavis. Assuming he secures the gig, Bryant could attract upwards of 7-8 targets per game (4.8 in '14).

Steelers offense. Todd Haley may be a hothead, but when he isn't making new besties on the sideline, he's one of the league's most aggressive play-callers. Last year, the Steelers called "pass" 612 times, the sixth-highest amount in the league. When you have arguably the best receiver (Brown) and most versatile RB (Le'Veon Bell) on roster, it's hard not to play with your toys. Roethlisberger has also developed into one of the better riflemen around. Last year, he ranked No. 7 in deep-ball accuracy percentage (minimum 60 attempts). Throw in the defensive attention Brown typically draws, Bell's three-game suspension and Pittsburgh's young, inexperienced D, and the atmosphere is ripe for Bryant to explode in Year 2.

Added polish. Probably the most important development this offseason is Bryant's work ethic. Not only did he frequent the gym, he also hit the classroom to immerse himself fully in Haley's complicated playbook. As the Post Gazette recently reported, his limited understanding of the system and poor conditioning, repercussions stemming from missed practice time due to a sprained shoulder he suffered last September, held him back. His physical and mental advancements over the past few months should help him blaze a fire-lined path from start to finish.

Fearless Forecast: Most fantasy owners are like "Shark Tank's" Mr. Wonderful, money-grabbers obsessed with maximizing margins. Looking at Bryant's exorbitant ADP (49.5 in Yahoo, WR20), they don't see any profitability. That, however, isn't the case. It's unrealistic to anticipate a duplication of last year's points per snap, but if the sophomore unseats Wheaton, a strong probability, he will emerge a top-12 wideout. Bryant's former Clemson and current Pittsburgh teammate Tajh Boyd projected a 1,000 yard effort from the receiver this year. The QB also predicted a Pro Bowl appearance within two years. That may seem optimistic, but for the reasons mentioned above, Boyd is an accurate soothsayer. An explosive output in the area of 70-1050-12 is on the horizon. Slap down those dollar bills.

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