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Last summer, if you wanted QB Ben Roethlisberger in a fantasy draft, you could have waited until Round Nine or Ten. And you likely could have drafted him as a backup. You didn’t have to worry much about fighting other owners off for him.
And really, if someone took Roethlisberger a couple of spots ahead of you, would you have really been upset about it? At that point, we were talking about a quarterback who never had thrown for even 20 touchdowns in a season, a player who had made mistake after mistake in 2006.
His ’07 campaign was a different story, however. Roethlisberger tossed 32 TD passes and rushed for two more touchdowns; only five quarterbacks racked up more fantasy points. If you drafted Roethlisberger late, you got a bargain, a fantasy starter or midseason trade bait to address other weaknesses for the stretch run.
If you want Roethlisberger this season, you’re going to have to make the call considerably earlier than you would have had to a year ago. Roethlisberger is ranked seventh among quarterbacks and No. 39 overall on the Pro Football Weekly/CBSSports.com draft board. In 2008, he’ll be drafted as a core piece of a fantasy team, not as a backup.
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Ben Roethlisberger
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There is lot to like about Roethlisberger. He threw multiple TD passes in 9-of-15 starts in his first season in Bruce Arians’ offense, which gives him more responsibility at the line of scrimmage and suits his skills very well. Roethlisberger is fearless; he’ll take a big hit if it gives his receiver another instant to get open. And he’s as good rolling to his right and throwing on the run as any quarterback in the league.
But drafting Roethlisberger as high as you’re going to have to this season in order to get him doesn’t come without significant risk. Roethlisberger’s style of play leaves him vulnerable to wear and tear, and he’s playing behind an offensive line that can be characterized as average at best. Roethlisberger took a beating at times last season; on average, he was sacked a little more than three times per game (47 times total).
Also, Roethlisberger doesn’t rack up the yards like other elite quarterbacks. He didn’t have a single 300-yard game last season (his high game was 290 yards at Denver in Week Seven). More alarmingly, he only cleared 200 yards in one of his final six starts.
Credit Roethlisberger for making the most of his opportunities last season; 32 TD passes in 404 attempts is an impressive feat. But don’t be surprised if he struggles to match his ’07 production.
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