Week 5 vs Broncos
Another forgetful fantasy day for Big Ben as the Steelers offense continues to crawl through 2021. Granted, Pittsburgh was without Chase Claypool, but even with Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers just don't feel as explosive as they could be. Ben has yet to throw two touchdowns in a game this season. He gets the Broncos this week and he did throw two touchdowns against them last season, so maybe this is the week Ben gets a multi-touchdown game. He remains a low-end QB2 at best.
Week 4 at Packers
Boy, have things gone south in a hurry for the Steelers' offense. Sure, Big Ben threw for 318 yards in Week 3 against the Bengals, but it took 38 completions to get there on 58 attempts. He also threw two interceptions and now has just a 3:2 touchdown: interception ratio. The Steelers' offense hasn't been inspiring at all this season and there are already questions about Matt Canada. As if all that wasn't enough, the Steelers get the rejuvenated Packers at Lambeau. Oh yeah, and Ben is still dealing with a pectoral injury and two of his receivers are banged up.
Week 3 vs Bengals
Through two weeks, there have been some questions about the Steelers' offense as a whole. Ben Roethlisberger ok but not great so far, including throwing for nearly 300 yards against the Raiders. Though if you're into ESPN's QBR, Roethlisberger has ratings of 38.9 and 29.6 through the first two games. Take that for what it's worth for you. In Week 3, he gets the Bengals and he shredded them at home in Week 10 last season to the tune of 333 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a stronger offensive line last year. He'll continue to be a QB2 option due to his wide receivers, but so far, this offense has been limited.
Week 2 vs Raiders
The Steelers started quietly as they couldn't get much of anything going in the first half. but built momentum in the second half, including that blocked punt for a touchdown. Roethlisberger ended up with an okay performance for fantasy purposes, with 188 yards and a touchdown. This week, he faces the Raiders, who are coming off an exciting overtime win over the Ravens on Monday night. Big Ben has averaged almost 300 yards passing with five touchdowns and three interceptions in his last three games against the Raiders, though this will be their first meeting since 2018. Roethlisberger is worth a look as a stream option or QB2.
Week 1 at Bills
It's the start of what very well could be Ben Roethlisberger's final season in Pittsburgh (and perhaps his career). And it gets going with a bang, against last season's runner-up in the AFC, the Buffalo Bills. He gets his crew back of Diontae Johnson, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool However, it's very possible the Steelers want to really feature Najee Harris and take some of the pressure off of Big Ben.
In Week 14 last year against the Bills, Roethlisberger went 21/37 for 187 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and Buffalo's defense, on paper, is just as good, if not better, than it was last year as many believe the Bills have Super Bowl potential in 2021. In fact, Roethlisberger hasn't had more than 220 passing yards in his last three matchups with the Bills, dating back to 2013. Roethlisberger just squeaks into our top 25 quarterbacks for this week, making him a deep streaming option in Superflex/2QB leagues.
Fantasy Upside
In the ever-growing world of 2QB and Superflex leagues and being in an offense with a wide array of weapons, Ben Roethlisberger can still provide upside as a QB2 or a Superflex. For the current low price of a 12th or 13th-round pick, Roethlisberger will give you a quarterback that will continue to sling the ball (only Matt Ryan and Tom Brady had more attempts and completions than Roethlisberger in 2020). He still has Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster to throw to and a fresh, young rookie running back in Najee Harris. The Steelers could have no problem moving the ball and still have room for improving what was the 15th-ranked passing offense in 2020.
Fantasy Downside
There's no question Big Ben is fading. The arm talent has dropped and he is 39 years old. There's a very good chance that 2021 will be Roethlisberger's swan song. He also has a very different-looking offensive line in front of him. Maurkice Pouncey retired, Matt Feiler and Alejandro Villanueva signed elsewhere in free agency and the Steelers released David DeCastro. Will the new-look line be able to protect Roethlisberger as well as the previous group did? We also should expect an uptick in the running game as well under new offensive coordinator Matt Canada.
2021 Bottom Line
Roethlisberger still has the looks of a solid QB2 for 2021, but probably not much more. He stills see the window slightly cracked open, which is why he took a pay cut to come back for 2021. The Steelers felt the same way, attacking offense early in the 2021 draft, including Harris, TE Pat Freiermuth and IOL Kendrick Green. He's a late-round ticket but one with plenty of upside.
Week 16 vs Colts
Will the real Pittsburgh Steelers please stand up? Big Ben and the Steelers offense has been rocked since losing to Washington. Ben hasn't cracked 200 passing yards since and has now thrown interceptions in five straight games, accounting for six of his 10 interceptions this season. All of a sudden, Roethlisberger is a risk for the finals, as we have him ranked 24th among quarterbacks this week. However, the Colts have allowed 300-yard passers in each of the last three weeks to DeShaun Watson and Derek Carr.
Week 15 vs Bengals
Pittsburgh's offense has sputtered a bit in the last two weeks. Roethlisberger is also now on a four-game interception streak, having thrown five in that span, accounting for more than half of his season total of nine. The good news is he faces a Bengals team that he rang up for 333 yards and four touchdowns in Week 10. On the flip side, the Bengals haven't allowed a 300-yard passer since Week 10.
Week14 vs Bills
Roethlisberger has five straight games with at least 250 yards and has 12 touchdowns. He does also have three straight games with an interception. Still, a 27:7 TD; INT ratio is very solid for a quarterback that was available very late in the drafts this summer. Interesting note: Roethlisberger hasn't thrown a touchdown pass against the Bills since 2013. That changes Sunday night.
Week 13 vs Washington
After waiting nearly a week to finally play the Ravens, Roethlisberger and the Steelers' offense wasn't as explosive as they usually are. For only the second time this season, Roethlisberger did not throw at least two touchdown passes in a game and toss an interception for the second straight game (he still only has six for the season, three coming in one game). He gets a middle-of-the-road passing defense in Washington. As a reminder, this game is now a late-afternoon game on Monday.
