Week 1 at Cleveland Browns
With LeVeon most likely Bell out for Week 1—and possibly longer—Ben Roethlisberger will take center stage in the Steelers' offense. Not all that surprising. Even when Bell reported a week before the season last year, the offense centered around Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Roethlisberger attempted 36 passes and threw for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns—both to Jesse James—in that game. The soft part of Cleveland's defense is its cornerbacks, so look for the Steelers to attack there. Roethlisberger's road woes are real, but Cleveland is one place where he's had some success. Plus, the Browns should be more competitive, so the Steelers won't be tucking the ball away early.
Fantasy Upside
Ben Roethlisberger remains one of the game's top quarterbacks and is surrounded by outstanding talent, including the best receiver in the league. Last season, he recorded 10 games with multiple touchdown passes and had just one game where he did not throw for a score. He also had nine games with 250 or more yards passing, including seven with 280 or more.
Fantasy Downside
Roethlisberger got off to a slow start last season, throwing just 10 TD passes in Pittsburgh's first eight games. At age 36, you wonder if that's a preview of things to come, though he did heat up considerably down the stretch. His home/road splits in recent seasons also haven't been great, though that did even out a little more in 2017, as he threw 12 touchdown passes on the road last season compared to 16 at home. But he's a much better home player than on the road over the past four years.
2018 Bottom Line
If you simply could start Roethlisberger in his home games, he'd be fantasy gold. But you have to hope he's figured out his road struggles of recent seasons. A change in offensive coordinators could help. Roethlisberger wants to run more no-huddle and Randy Fichtner seems to be ready to allow him to do that.
With the weapons around him, you can pencil in nearly 4,000 yards and around 30 touchdowns right now. Plus, he'll have some home games that will flat out win a week for you as he did a couple of times last year. But you'd better have a decent backup ready to play in some of his road contests. His ADP is putting him in the ninth round as the 11th QB selected. You could do far worse for your starter.
Divisional Round vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Since throwing 5 interceptions in a 30-9 loss to the Jaguars in Week 5, Roethlisberger has averaged 298 passing yards with 20 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 10 games. He won't back down from throwing against Jacksonville's top-rated defense. But LeVeon Bell will be a big part of the game plan, as well. Roethlisberger isn't the best option this week, but he's hardly the worst, despite the matchup.
Week 17 vs. Cleveland Browns
It's looking unlikely that Ben Roethlisberger plays much this week, if at all. Even if he does play, it will likely only be for a quarter or so. That won't be enough to help you.
Week 16 at Houston Texans
Ben Roethlisberger continued his hot streak with 281 yards passing and 2 scores last week against New England. But he also threw a costly interception on his final pass that cost the Steelers the game. The good news is that he was successful despite playing three quarters without Antonio Brown. The bad news is he won't have Brown at all this week. The Texans have allowed 27 TD passes and seven games of 300 or more passing yards. Roethlisberger should be a solid start.
Week 15 vs. New England Patriots
Ben Roethlisberger continued his ridiculously hot streak by throwing for 506 yards and 2 scores last week, becoming the first QB in NFL history with three 500-yard games. He's thrown 14 TD passes in his past five games and has passed for at least 290 yards in each of his past four games. Roethlisberger is a must-start this week against the Patriots.
Week 14 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception last week in Cincinnati in a tough matchup. Now, he gets another. But this one's at home. He's had at least 290 yards in each of his past three starts and has 12 touchdown passes in his past four games. But he also was held to a season-low 216 passing yards in a win at Baltimore earlier this season. Be careful with your expectations here.
Week 13 at Cincinnati Bengals
Ben Roethlisberger had 351 yards passing—adding a season-high 25 yards rushing—while tossing 4 touchdown passes and 2 interceptions in a win over Green Bay last week. In his past 10 quarters, he now has completed 71% of his passes for 714 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. That's a passer rating of 112.7. Roethlisberger had 224 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bengals earlier this season. Cincinnati has a tough pass defense, but Roethlisberger needs 238 yards to become the eighth player in league history to surpass 50,000 for his career. He's a low-end QB1 this week.
Week 12 vs. Green Bay Packers
Ben Roethlisberger threw for 299 yards and 4 touchdowns last week, adding a season-long 10-yard run, just for laughs. Take away a 5-interception debacle against Jacksonville and he has 16 TD passes and just 5 interceptions this season, including 9 TD passes in his past four games. He should be a solid start this week against a crippled Green Bay team.
Week 11 vs. Tennessee Titans
Ben Roethlisberger overcame a slow start to throw for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception last week against Indianapolis. Now, he gets five of his next seven games at home. The Titans allow 236 passing yards per game and have given up 17 touchdown passes. Roethlisberger also should see some things with which he is familiar working against Dick LeBeau's defense. He should have a strong game.
