By Chad “The Mad Chadder” Patterson

@EliteDynastyPod @MaadChadder

What if I told you… That’s how I wanted to start this article. Us ESPN faithful hear those five words almost daily as the sports conglomerate plugs their newest 30 for 30 documentary. And yes, it’s definitely way too early for an inspiring film about the rise and fall (and rise?) of a 25-year-old, but Martavis Bryant’s pro career sure feels like one. A fourth round pick in the 2014 draft (118 overall), Bryant was an immature twenty-something with a boatload of talent, and the Pittsburgh Steelers recognized that.

His college career statistics don’t jump off the page. He finished with 1,354 yards and 13 touchdowns through 37 games at Clemson. His combine was a different story, though. He ran a 4.42 40-yard dash, raised the bench press 16 times, and jumped for 39 inches. At 6’4”, 211 lbs., Martavis Bryant fit the NFL mold perfectly. Yet, the college junior was projected to go in one of the later rounds. “Shaky hands,” “unpolished route-running,” “inability to pick-up the playbook quickly,” were the big negatives circulating around scouts and front offices. Maybe the biggest negative, however, was immaturity.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. After a rough 2014 preseason and an injury that kept him sidelined the first 6 weeks of the regular season, Bryant’s rookie tenure looked anything but promising. But the rookie finished strong. He tallied 549 yards through the Steelers final ten games. Maybe the most impressive stat of Bryant’s rookie season, however, was his 8 touchdowns. That’s more than every 2014 rookie wide out through their final ten games besides two: Mike Evans and Odell Beckham Jr.

“Steelers WR Martavis Bryant suspended 4 games for violating substance abuse policy,” was the headline Steeler fans and fantasy owners reluctantly had to read on an August afternoon in 2015. I guess those immaturity issues were real, much to the chagrin of Pittsburgh diehards who were so deeply buried in denial, myself included. “Whatever, it’s only four games and it’s only pot,” was what I kept telling myself, “not a big deal at all.” And I was right. Bryant exploded for 765 yards and 6 touchdowns after that. Capping it off with an unbelievable, between-the-legs, front-flip touchdown catch during Pittsburgh’s first playoff game. It was another promising end to a season, but that hype soon fizzled, again.

“Martavis Bryant suspended for at least 1 year.” Wonderful. I remember checking my phone at least ten times to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. I wasn’t. Just like that, all the hype was gone. How can a person with that kind of talent and promise just throw their career away like that? How can you let down an entire team, fan base, and city, like that? Was this the end of number 10 in Pittsburgh? Steeler fans and fantasy owners were disappointed, to say the least. But, and there’s always a “but” in the case of Martavis Bryant, what if?

What if he takes this time away to turn his life around? It could happen, right? It was certainly a long shot, but (there’s that word again) little by little you could see it happening. He checked into a rehabilitation center in Houston to undergo depression evaluation: “It was just really a bad part of my life, I was actually tired of football. I actually told my agent that I didn’t really want to play anymore.” The root was a lot deeper than we anticipated. He was trying though. He stayed in rehab and off the grid for months. Meanwhile, the Steelers finished the 2016 season with an 11-5 record and a conference championship loss to the Patriots – Not bad for a team missing their number two wide receiver. It makes you wonder though, could they have gone even farther with him lined up opposite of Antonio Brown?

Martavis Bryant applied for reinstatement in late January 2017. Then the social media and Rotoworld updates started creeping in. He was posting videos of himself working out almost daily. He looked different – more muscular, tone. He had put on 10 pounds of solid muscle during his time away from the game. He was a different looking person than the 2015 highlight tape showed. He started coaching the wide receivers at a local high school; “It was a great experience for me to be around,” he said. He was growing up. It filled us Steeler fans and fantasy owners with excitement.

Pittsburgh signed former Titans wider receiver, Justin Hunter, during the offseason. The team never “counted on” getting Bryant back. It made sense, and people couldn’t help but let Bryant know what that meant. Martavis, however, responded to the noise. He tweeted: “Stop it with the non sense people go check my film out and compare it.”

April 25th, 2017: Martavis Bryant conditionally reinstated by the NFL. Just two days before the NFL Draft, Martavis Bryant was allowed to play professional football again. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t let out a little fist pump in my work cubicle. It was a good feeling. It took pressure off the Steelers who were rumored to be targeting a wide receiver early in the draft. They still drafted a wide receiver though, taking the big-bodied JuJu Smith-Schuster out of USC in the second round. Perhaps he was drafted as an insurance policy for Bryant or, as Martavis himself put it:

If you’ve gotten this far, I commend you. This turned into a profile piece before my very eyes. But enough of that, let’s dive into the fantasy aspect. Martavis Bryant has only played 21 games. Through those 21 games, he tallied 1,314 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. That’s more fantasy points (standard scoring) than Sammy Watkins, Brandin Cooks, and Kelvin Benjamin – all first round picks in the 2014 draft. In fact, Martavis Bryant and Kelvin Benjamin’s numbers are scary similar. Through those first 21 games, Benjamin has just 2 more yards and 1 less touchdown.

If you’ve held onto Martavis Bryant through all of last year’s suspension, it is going to pay off. As I’ve mentioned above, he’s put on 10 pounds of solid muscle and is working out like a mad man. He posted a video on Instagram of him running a 4.27 40-yard dash (it was hand timed on a cell phone, so take that how you will). Pittsburgh’s offense is already lethal and it’s going to get even better with number 10 on the field. With Antonio Brown drawing double coverage and special attention, Bryant will feast. I’m not worried about the newly acquired Justin Hunter or JuJu Smith-Schuster. Bryant is simply more talented and will regain his spot as the WR2 in the Steel City.

Bryant’s ADP is currently 62, according to Dynasty Nerds – an absolute steal for a receiver that would be a WR1 on most teams. To me, his trade value is somewhere around a mid-late first. Though after holding him for as long as I have, I’m not sure I’d even trade him at this point. Scratch that – I’m definitely not dealing him. I’m way too invested. As I’ve said before, his one negative is his off the field issues. Though it seems like he’s put that behind him.