As a fantasy owner that has Ben Roethlisberger in a number of leagues, I can attest that this has been a frustrating year. He was the fifth or sixth QB off the board in most drafts, so his owners were expecting solid starter-quality numbers from him. Over the first six games, he averaged 195 yards passing, 1.5 TD and 0.5 INT. The touchdowns were decent – he was on pace for 24 on the season – but the yards were pretty unimpressive, especially considering that the weather is a whole lot better at the start of the season than it usually is at the end.
Then came the four-game lull in the mid-season. Over that span he averaged 208 passing yards and threw just one TD against eight (eight!) interceptions. Granted, three of those games – the Giants, the Redskins and the Colts – were against tough pass defenses, but other than a few nagging injures, there really is no excuse for his performance during that span. In the fourth game (versus San Diego), he started to look like himself again, throwing for 308 yards on 31 of 41 passing.
Many owners were justifiably hesitant to start him this week, as evidenced by his 49% start percentage in all ESPN leagues. The Bengals’ defense is better than usual this year fantasy-wise and a big game for Big Ben was no sure thing. But for the second straight week, Roethlisberger looked pretty good. He completed 17 of 30 passes for 243 yards and a TD, and also ran for a TD in the fourth quarter. His numbers would have been even better if not for a couple of dropped passes and a costly offensive pass interference play that brought back a big gainer by Hines Ward.
So can we trust him? Well, sort of. His upcoming schedule – @ NE, DAL, @ BAL and @ TEN – looks worse on paper than it does in person. The Patriots, Cowboys and Ravens all have injury issues on defense, so Roethlisberger should be able to post decent numbers over that span. I wouldn’t plan on starting him in Week 16 against the Titans, however. That’s just asking for trouble.
