Big Ben Roethlisberger: Fantasy QB?

Coachnorm

Coachnorm

Moderator
I was just reading an article that compares Big Ben to The more elite of NFL QBs. A lot of the article works with his actual on the field accomplishments playing a big part. Of Course, he is among the elite QBs when the game is on the line and under pressure and on the move he is really on of the best performers under the clutch.

This said Big Ben hasn't been among the fantasy elite. He is a QB you pick up a little later and his stats are just good enough to be starter material. A grade B style of QB close but not fantasy elite. But if you were smart you grabbed another similar QB (2 Grade Bs) and played matchups.

While it is easy to say that Ben is elite (top 5) in the real football world. I would like to suggest that Big Ben will be a good fanatsy QB this year. Not top 4 or 5 but easily in the top 10 or 12 and a good weekly starter in most leagues.
 
R

Runnik's Hambones

Active Member
Big Ben is easily a top 10 fantasy QB. Like you said, not elite. I see him as a post 2nd round draft choice. If he's your starting QB, then what you need to do is focus heavily on RB/WR. They need to be your elite players.

I would personally love to have my 2 QBs be Ben/Leftwitch, or Ben/Orton, or even Ben/Pennington and play the matchups week to week. This is of course assuming the aforementioned, that I have great RB/WR starters. Like, go RB 1st round, WR 2nd round, Ben 3rd round, RB/WR 4th round, TE 5th, RB/WR (depending on who was selected in the fourth) 6th round, 2nd QB 7th round... something like that.
 
Coachnorm

Coachnorm

Moderator
Runnik's Hambones said:
Big Ben is easily a top 10 fantasy QB. Like you said, not elite. I see him as a post 2nd round draft choice. If he's your starting QB, then what you need to do is focus heavily on RB/WR. They need to be your elite players.

I would personally love to have my 2 QBs be Ben/Leftwitch, or Ben/Orton, or even Ben/Pennington and play the matchups week to week. This is of course assuming the aforementioned, that I have great RB/WR starters. Like, go RB 1st round, WR 2nd round, Ben 3rd round, RB/WR 4th round, TE 5th, RB/WR (depending on who was selected in the fourth) 6th round, 2nd QB 7th round... something like that.
Click to expand...

That is pretty much my take this year. I think he becomes a solid Fantasy starter at QB. In leagues with bonuses for 300 Yards Ben has been just as likely to be just short of the mark as over it. 285, 279, 297. This year I think that will change and he will put a few more games in the over 300 yard category. The division competition should help push this some. I liek what the Browns and Bengals did in the offseason. Even if they don't contend for the division I think they have become a much tougher out this year.
 
WesDawg

WesDawg

'Burghapologist
Ridiculously easy 2009 schedule, another year of wear and tear on Hines Ward, and the expected healthy return of Rashard Mendenhall. Those 3 things would keep me from making Ben my #1 fantasy QB.
I can't help but think they'll be playing alot of ball-control after halftime to protect leads. I'd call him the best of the QB2's though.
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
Whenever I evaluate a fantasy QB there is 1 question that I ask myself.

Where are this QB's top 2 passing options among other fantasy players?

In the case of Tom Brady, you have Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Peyton Manning has Reggie Wayne, Gonzo, and even Dallas Clark.

Matt Ryan has Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White.

Ect Ect. You get the point.

Who are Ben's top 2 fantasy targets? Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. ADP of 5.02 and 7.04 respectively. That equates to the 18th and 29th WR overall.

This tells me that there is a public lack of faith in the Pittsburgh passing offense, regardless of how you personally may rank it.

I would have to agree. I'm not the type of person who is going to get excited about having a guy like Ben lead my fantasy team.
 
Da Bomb

Da Bomb

Guilty As Hell
im not going to get excited, but im going to be quite fine with him as my QB if i took 7 RBs and WRs before i looked to my QB spot.
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
This was the same approach I took last year. Figured I would grab all the talent I could before taking a QB.

On the surface it appeared to work. I had 1 of my greatest teams ever assembled.

My team was stacked. Marion Barber, Reggie Wayne, Mike Turner, Calvin Johnson, Tony Gonzalez, Roddy White, Matt Forte.

I ended up with Jake Delhomme at QB though.

Wound up finishing 3rd because of my awful QB play. Used nearly every QB available on the waiver wire trying to make it work.

I don't want to do that again.
 
Da Bomb

Da Bomb

Guilty As Hell
sounds like you shouldve made a trade instead of picking up shaun hill or tyler thigpen each week.

the key is that if you wait on QBs until that 10-15 range, you are the last one to take your QB1 and the first one to snag your QB2. get a pair that you can use and balance schedules with, and that way if one of them totally flames out like delhomme last year (had him in a couple too), youve got another option ready.
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
Da Bomb said:
sounds like you shouldve made a trade instead of picking up shaun hill or tyler thigpen each week.
Click to expand...

The other members of my league were very adement via posts that no one should trade me a QB no matter what I offer.

A lot of them felt that if I was to obtain a QB trading away one of the WRs or RBs that I couldn't start anyways, that I would be unstoppable.

I actually had a deal for Warner all worked out until the other owner received a phone call from another owner who talked him out of it.

I then was ironing out another deal with the Matt Ryan and Tony Romo owner, and he too insisted that he couldn't make the deal with me for fear of the rest of the league hating him.

It was super gay.
 
M

Mustang Jones

Banned
After reading the great analysis by some astute individuals, it seems like the real question is kind of what Da Bomb is getting at:

Which RB's and WR/TE's are worth more than Big Ben? Once you resolve that question, you should know when to select him.

Also, Coach, isn't saying Big Ben Roethlisberger kind of like saying the Dallas Football Cowboys?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
WesDawg

WesDawg

'Burghapologist
ExperiencedRookie said:
Whenever I evaluate a fantasy QB there is 1 question that I ask myself.

Where are this QB's top 2 passing options among other fantasy players?

In the case of Tom Brady, you have Randy Moss and Wes Welker.

Peyton Manning has Reggie Wayne, Gonzo, and even Dallas Clark.

Matt Ryan has Tony Gonzalez and Roddy White.

Ect Ect. You get the point.
Click to expand...

I suppose this theory is mostly viable, except McNabb's had some pretty epic fantasy seasons throwing to the Todd Pinkston's and Hank Baskett's of the world. Phillip Rivers also had a ridiculous fantasy year in 2008 with a declining LT and an average year from Gates.
 
bobbeaux

bobbeaux

Member
i'm one for picking qb's later in the draft . . . i won't be "the guy" picking a qb in the 1st rnd . . . i'm not even thinking about it until at the earliest, the 4th . . . but that's just me . . . i'd be looking for big ben around the late 4th, early 5th . . . i'll be looking at what's left after manning, brees, romo, rivers and whoever is the latest fav is gone too early . . . i grabbed cutler around the 5th and 6th in quite a few leagues last year . . . not so high on cutler this year though, lol . . . ;)
 
Miller

Miller

Who Dey
Administrator
Ben is serviceable, but not elite. I'd gladly take him in the 6-8th range. But I'm not expecting a top 5 QB either.
 
ExperiencedRookie

ExperiencedRookie

Well-Known Member
Miller said:
Ben is serviceable, but not elite. I'd gladly take him in the 6-8th range. But I'm not expecting a top 5 QB either.
Click to expand...

I feel like there are QBs in his same range that have a ton more upside.

I'd rather get a Matt Schuab/Matt Ryan type who has the tools and situation to be better than average.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top