Antwaan Randle El kicked off the 2005/2006 NFL season with a couple of catches, a TD, and 89 total yards. Some people are going to tell you he’s a solid #3 or #4 option at W/R. He’s more than that.

Last year Randle El caught 43 passes for 601 yards. That’s a 14 yard average. Just as a comparison, Hines Ward caught 80 balls for a 12.2 yard average.

Randle El’s 26, he’s in his 4th year, and he’s the #2 option for the Steelers passing game. Hines Ward is always going to be the possession receiver of the type we’ve seen modeled after Santana Moss, Brandon Stokley, and, once-upon-a-time, Jerome Pathon. Randle El is something a little bit better. He’s a downfield threat who seems to live off deep posts and curls. He gets the ball on reverses, sideline tosses, and W/R screens. And with Plaxico gone his touches are going to venture into Derrick Mason territory this season.

So, what can we expect in terms of totals? Well, my guess is you see 800-950 yards receiving and no less than 9 TDs from Randle El this year. He’ll rush for at least 50 more and I can see 1 or 2 TD passes on the horizon.

There’s no way he catches less than 60 balls. I know this is going out on a limb, but I have no problem forecasting bigger totals from Randle El than Ward.

Pittsburgh’s going to throw the ball a ton this year. And ARE is going to rocket up the W/R charts.