While the Steelers won’t win games by recording stats, big plays have a way of helping the cause. That tends to be especially important for star players, whose production teams must count on. Following a year of great change, we should see the names of some playmakers shift. New faces are here, while old faces may have new roles. As we move into training camp, let’s start setting expectations for some of them. For the record, the stat lines will be my own, not culled from actual sportsbooks.

Player: WR DK Metcalf

Stat Line Over/Under: 1,000 Receiving Yards

DK Metcalf finished his first season with the Steelers with just 850 receiving yards, missing two games due to suspension. Even if he were to play the final two games, his per-game average would not have projected to a 1,000-yard season. In 15 games, he produced 56.7 yards per game, which translates to roughly 963 yards over a 17-game season.

While he had two 100-yard games and four 80-plus-yard games, Metcalf also produced under 40 yards in six games. That is 40 percent of the games in which he played, being held to under 40 receiving yards. Given what the Steelers paid for him, that’s certainly not going to cut it for a second year in a row.

To that end, the Steelers have made some significant changes around him. DK Metcalf will still have Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball. But he’ll also have Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard around him, with Mike McCarthy calling the plays.

On paper, it should be a given that Metcalf will have a better and more consistent season. In particular, I believe McCarthy will have more success opening up the deep passing game. With that alone, Metcalf could make up the difference and hit that 1,000-yard mark.

Not that DK Metcalf’s individual stat line will make or break the Steelers’ season, or at least it shouldn’t. Especially because Pittsburgh has taken steps this year to make the passing game less one-dimensional. Many argue that the biggest hindrance for Metcalf last season is the fact that defenses keyed on him because they didn’t feel the need to worry much about anybody else the Steelers threw at them.

There is certainly some truth to that, which is why Calvin Austin III is now in New York. Meanwhile, Roman Wilson could start the season as a healthy scratch if rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard passes him on the depth chart.

The Steelers traded a second-round pick to land Metcalf last year, signing him to a five-year, $150 million contract. They believed that he could be their top guy, so last season was a disappointment. He flashed his abilities in certain games, particularly in their first win over the Ravens, in which he caught 7 passes for 148 yards. That also happens to be the one game in which the deep passing game actually worked—hint, hint.