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Select A Team Baltimore Ravens

Editor's note: These camp previews are up to date as of the start of preseason games. For the latest changes since then, check our updated rankings, projections and profiles.

When we last left the Steelers, they were coughing up a lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a home playoff game after an up-and-down 10-6 regular season. Look at the overall team stats from 2007 and you see a very good squad: second-fewest points allowed in the NFL, sometimes-explosive pass offense that accounted for the third-most touchdown passes in the league despite averaging the second-fewest attempts per game, and the league's leading rusher through the season's first 14 weeks.

But there were chinks in this black-and-gold armor. The pass protection broke down often, leading to a whopping 47 sacks. The pass defense went through lapses, and accounted for just 11 interceptions, tied for the fewest in the league. And the Steelers often seemed to lose their focus early in games, forcing themselves to make frantic comebacks that sometimes fell short (against the Jags twice, the dreadful Cardinals and Jets, and the Broncos).

Heading into 2008, there are questions about this team's "soft" areas. On the offensive line, guard Alan Faneca is gone to the Jets, leaving several possible successors. On defense, outside linebacker Clark Haggans moved to Arizona, although his likely replacement, second-year man LaMarr Woodley, tempted the Steelers with two sacks in that playoff loss to Jacksonville, and inside 'backer Larry Foote is likely to lose playing time to second-year player Lawrence Timmons. And the secondary, which showed occasional cracks when the pass rush wasn't revved up completely, saw precious little in the way of reinforcements this winter. Plus, there's the matter of a first-round running back taken this April potentially gumming up the fantasy works in the Steel City.

Hey, the Steelers are going to be good again, and they certainly don't have as many worries this summer as a lot of franchises do. But there'll still be plenty of drama beginning July 28 in Latrobe, Pa., especially regarding the offensive line, which holds the key to the success of skill players like Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall and others.

Key position battles: You wouldn't think Willie Parker would have to worry. After all, he finished in the top six in rushing yards for the second consecutive season, and he might've taken his first yardage title had he not broken his right fibula in Week 15. However, Parker scored only two touchdowns in '07 and averaged a career-low 4.1 yards per carry, factors which no doubt led the Steelers to select Mendenhall in the first round of April's draft. Now there's real concern about Parker's playing time, as some kind of platoon seems likely. Mendenhall, a bigger, grittier runner, could become a short-yardage and goal-line option, to say nothing of the fact that Mewelde Moore is on hand to potentially steal passing-down touches. Don't expect a definitive answer on everyone's role in this backfield during training camp, but keep an eye on Mendenhall's hamstrings. If he gets hurt again, as he did in minicamp, Parker's fantasy value could get a reprieve.

Guard Chris Kemoeatu will be given every chance to win the departed Faneca's starting spot on the left side, but considering tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon are in competition for the right tackle spot, the loser of that battle (if it's Colon) could threaten Kemoeatu. Both starting tackles for much of '07, Colon and Marvel Smith, struggled in pass protection, and the Steelers signed Starks to a whopping $6.85 million tender offer in April, making him the team's second-highest-paid player after Ben Roethlisberger. That leads me to believe Starks has the inside track at right tackle, and Colon, a run masher, could offer Kemoeatu some stiff competition at guard.

On the line: Faneca's departure is the big story here, as the Steelers will have to make some talented parts fit their vacancies. Kemoeatu gets first crack at left guard with Colon and Sean Mahan as potential options if he falters. Colon and Starks battle at right tackle, while Kendall Simmons is safe at right guard. Left tackle will presumably be manned for at least one more year by Marvel Smith, who was hampered by a back injury much of '07. He had surgery this winter to repair a nerve problem and help alleviate the problem, and he told reporters in minicamp that he feels better than he has in years.

At center, Mahan had problems last year, which led the Steelers to sign six-year veteran Justin Hartwig from Carolina. Hartwig was a good player for Tennessee from 2002 through 2005, but he needed hernia surgery in '06 and didn't play much for the Panthers in '07. It'll be worth watching him in camp this summer, because if he's not effective, the Steelers still won't have an above-average center, and will have a hole in the middle of the O-line.

Fitting in: The Steelers were definitely thinking offense in April's draft; in addition to drafting Mendenhall, they took WR Limas Sweed, a 6-foot-4 possession receiver who eventually figures to be one heck of a red zone threat. Sweed is the kind of leaper who should be able to win every jump ball for which he contends, but keep an eye on his left wrist, which underwent surgery during his senior year at the University of Texas. With Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes safely ensconced as starters, and considering how badly rookie receivers usually fare in fantasy, Sweed is expected to challenge for time really only in three-receiver sets, and probably can't be considered more than a deep fantasy sleeper. Nate Washington could be the biggest loser in this situation.

This is a veteran team that mostly just needs to stay healthy in training camp. Obviously, the biggest fantasy story will be the running back situation, where Parker, Mendenhall, Moore and Najeh Davenport need to shake out playing time. If either Parker or Mendenhall is limited by injury, that could tell us a lot about who's valuable in fantasy drafts, and if Davenport sticks around deep into training camp, it could be an indication that Mendenhall isn't ready to be the goal-line back. And while the Steelers probably won't make a big deal about it, check to see if the offensive line relentlessly shuffles its pieces. Ben Roethlisberger's health could depend on it.

Christopher Harris is a fantasy baseball, football and racing analyst for ESPN.com. He is a six-time Fantasy Sports Writing Association award winner across all three of those sports. You can e-mail him here.