As we predicted, Big Ben’s 2007’s inflated numbers were a fluke as he returned back to his average self last season. Take away the 32 touchdowns he put up in 2007 and he’s put up 17, 17, 18, and 17 touchdowns his other four seasons. He may be a winner but I have a hard time understanding why people believe he is a productive fantasy starter. His numbers last season are comparable to Kyle Orton, now do you still think Big Ben has the time?
('09 Proj: 277-458, 3,268 yds, 18 touchdowns, 14 interceptions) ~Robb Perkins
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It looks like Roethlisberger’s 32 touchdown season in 2007 was more of an aberration than many thought. He’ll still make the throws when he needs to, but it’s unlikely he’ll ever have the opportunity to become one of the top five quarterbacks in the game. When you draft Big Ben in fantasy leagues, you’re getting a quarterback who will be decent or occasionally very good but will hardly ever win a week for you all by himself.
('09 Proj: 3,250 yds, 20 touchdowns, 14 interceptions) ~Frank Mazzola
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With only five games with over one touchdown pass thrown coupled with the fact that he almost threw as many picks as touchdowns, Big Ben can’t be counted on for consistent fantasy starts. Don’t let his postseason success blind you owners, he knows how to win but the numbers aren’t always there.
('09 Proj: 3,300 yds, 20 touchdowns) ~Steve Cavanagh
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He has all the skills to wing it down field and light up the fantasy scoreboard without a doubt. That just is not the Steelers style.
('09 Proj: 3,500 yds, 20 touchdowns) ~Dave Fosdick
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Roethlisberger isn’t a flashy quarterback and tends to stay outside the media spotlight, aside from cracking his jaw against Pittsburgh pavement. That leads to the assumption that he isn’t a top tier fantasy quarterback. You’re wrong. Let other owners draft Brady, Manning, and Brees while you land Roethlisberger in a later round. He had quite the slump in 2008; expect him to recover mightily.
('09 Proj: 3,325 yds, 28 touchdowns, 12 interceptions) ~John Kezer
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A true leader in every sense of the word. Except on the fantasy field. Threw 17 touchdown passes in 2008, which is about par for the course, not counting 2007. Perfect number two quarterback that you can play matchups with when the Steelers play out of division. Another word of caution here. I’m not exactly predicting injury here (or maybe I am), but if you read Rick Perkins' sitdown with our o-line guru Chris Graley, you get the feeling that Ben could get hit a lot this year. Uh-oh.
('09 Proj: 2,400 yds, 12 touchdowns) ~Jon Rascon
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Roethlisberger didn’t follow up his fantasy breakout season of 2007 with anything near the numbers that many owners expected, making him one of the major busts of last year. Frankly, owners that drafted Big Ben as their No. 1 quarterback were fooling themselves; the Steelers have never built their offense to maximize passing potential and probably never will. Roethlisberger’s draft position will correct itself, and he’ll be a solid matchup starter in 2009.
('09 Proj: 3,300 yds, 20 touchdowns, 8 interceptions) ~Stan Feldman
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My '08 Roethlisberger thoughts to subscribers are on display on the homepage. Accounting for last season's numbers as well, 2007 starts looking like nothing more than "The Perfect Storm" for Big Ben - as his annual attempts have remained very static: 469 att. in '06, 404 att. in '07 and another 469 in 2008. He is what he is and we need to file 2007 under exception to the rule, so long as that cluster of RB's keep churning 4 y.p.c, the defense keeps allowing less than 14 points per game and the O-line stays medicore (at best) when Ben decides to take a five step drop.
('09 Proj: 200-315, 2,600 yds, 15 touchdowns, 12 int, 12 games played) ~Rick Perkins
