Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

After a fantastic 2009 season for Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, there was reason to believe he had once again risen to fantasy stardom. If you remember, in 2007, he threw for 3,154 yards and 32 touchdowns, leaving many to believe he was a top ten quarterback that was ready to explode onto the fantasy scene. He followed that up in 2008 with better yardage totals (3,301), but far worse touchdown numbers (17). Things, though, turned around again for Roethlisberger in 2009, when he threw for a whopping 4,328 yards and 26 touchdowns. It was his best season ever as a Pittsburgh Steeler and put him in the mix to once again be a top ten quarterback option for 2010 (he was 7th overall in passing yards in the NFL). Then, you see what Pittsburgh does in the off-season, allowing Willie Parker to walk and bringing in wide receivers Antwaan Randle-El and Arnaz Battle - moves that look to improve Big Ben’s situation. Things seemed like they couldn’t go better for Big Ben and fantasy football owners alike.

However, Roethlisberger found trouble and the kind that could ruin a season. He was accused of sexually assaulting a 20 year-old college girl in a Georgia night club. Although there were no charges formally laid upon Roethlisberger, due to the black eye it created for the Steelers and the NFL (plus yet another incident involving the quarterback), a suspension was going to be likely. After meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Big Ben was given a 6-game suspension with a mandatory behavioral evaluation. If he complies and nothing else happens, Roethlisberger can see the suspension reduced to 4 games. If he messes up or doesn’t cooperate, the suspension could be lengthened.

Are you all caught up now?

The biggest questions surrounding Roethlisberger that you readers want to know is when you should draft the quarterback and what the expectations should be. The answer to the first question is based on how your quarterback situation looks. Big Ben obviously falls out of the top ten and likely out of the top fifteen. But, in this writer’s humble opinion, even with at least a 4 game suspension, Roethlisberger should go among the top fifteen. The reason for the confidence is due to what he showed last year.

Roethlisberger has been given the keys to the Steelers offense, and if he had not missed the game against the Baltimore Ravens, we could easily be talking about a guy who had the second most passing yards in 2009. Granted, he did lose Santonio Holmes, and it will likely take him a couple games to adjust to the pieces around him. Furthermore, the Steelers did draft an offensive lineman (Maurkice Pouncey) and a big running back (Jonathan Dwyer), indications that they may wish to run more in 2010 than in 2009. Nevertheless, it will be Roethlisberger’s offense when he returns and after a couple games to adjust, he could be putting up some big numbers with skilled pass catchers around him (Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle-El, Heath Miller).

When you look at Roethlisberger, here are the guys you know are in front of him (in no particular order): Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Matt Schaub, Tony Romo, Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, and Brett Favre (if he returns). Guys you’d consider ahead of him: Donovan McNabb, Eli Manning, Kevin Kolb, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Jay Cutler, and Carson Palmer. No matter who you get out of the 15 names listed, once you get one, it may be time to take a flier on Roethlisberger. You won’t need him right away and after his 4-6 games, he could either be a big time player for you or a key trading piece. Big Ben will be coming out wanting to impress anyone who watches him play and will be sure to make a big time impact. He will make all the plays necessary to have big numbers because he knows he is on thin ice. The only way to prove his worth is to put up the numbers and wins necessary in order to stick in Pittsburgh.

While you may not see it, Roethlisberger should be chosen in Rounds 9-11. If not for the drama, he’d probably go in Rounds 6-8. You may be able to wait past Round 11, and in this writer’s view, anywhere past Round 9 for Roethlisberger is a steal! There are a number of quarterbacks you can get to fill the void left by the suspension and have a great player for your playoff run. The numbers expected out of Big Ben could be in the neighborhood of 2,700 yards passing and 18 touchdowns. Pretty good for a guy you will get in the latter part of your draft!

 
Have an opinion on Big Ben’s prospects for 2010? If so, let us know!

To see more Crystal Balls predictions go here… 2010 Fantasy Football Crystal Balls

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This article has been written by Bruno Boys Greg. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)