James Conner is officially the full-time starting running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After taking over last year with Le'Veon Bell sitting out due to a contract dispute, Conner showed the franchise that he is more than capable of putting up big numbers and helping them move on from Bell smoothly.

During the 2018 season with the Steelers, Conner ended up carrying the football 215 times for 973 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those numbers average out to a solid 4.5 yards per carry. He also caught 55 passes for 497 yards and a touchdown.

Pittsburgh will need Conner to step up in 2019. Bell is gone, but superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown also left town. The Steelers are going to need their running back to take pressure off of the aerial attack while also replacing one of the best running backs in the league.

ESPN is expecting big things from the second-year starter in Pittsburgh. They went ahead and released their predictions for his 2019 season.

If everything goes as ESPN is predicting, Conner will end the season with 260 carries for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns. He would average 4.3 yards per carry in that scenario. They also have Conner catching 59 passes for 497 yards and a touchdown.

Ben Roethlisberger and company have already been written off in the AFC North in favor of the Cleveland Browns. While the Browns did have a big offseason, it's too early to say that the Steelers are out of contention.

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Conner is going to be a big factor in how the season goes for the Steelers. If he is able to put up the above numbers, Pittsburgh's offense is still going to be lethal. Add in rising star receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and the proud franchise may not lose a whole lot.

Expect to see Conner step up and once again show that the Steelers have nothing to worry about in the backfield. He is ready for the challenge and it will be entertaining to watch him.