The 7 Riskiest Players in Fantasy Football
4. Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger has been playing very efficiently recently, ranking inside the top seven quarterbacks in terms of Passing NEP per drop back in each of the past three seasons. His top wide receiver, Antonio Brown, has more receptions than any other player in the NFL over that span, ranking first or second in the league in receptions during each of the past three seasons. And his running back, Le'Veon Bell, ranked first or second in receptions among running backs in two of those seasons, as well.
Of course Roethlisberger has also been helped by Bell and the team's other running backs' stellar efficiency on the ground, as the Pittsburgh Steelers ranked sixth and fourth, respectively, in terms of Adjusted Rushing NEP per carry over the past two seasons.
With that supporting cast, his ceiling projection as the fifth-best fantasy quarterback is certainly attainable. In fact, over his 13-year career, Big Ben has ranked inside the top five at his position in terms of fantasy points per game four times.
But finishing the season among the top five in total fantasy points -- not just points per game -- is hard to do without being healthy for a full 16 games, and Roethlisberger has missed six combined games over the past two seasons.
There is also the tale of two Roethlisbergers. According to the Rotoviz Game Splits App, Roethlisberger averaged 14.88 more fantasy points per game at home than he did on the road last season. The 2016 campaign marked the fourth straight year in which his average fantasy points on the road declined from the previous season.
If Roethlisberger is unable to stay healthy in 2017 and his performance away from Heinz Field continues to decline, he could finish closer to his floor projection as the QB18. That would actually be one spot higher than he ended up last season, but it would leave fantasy owners who drafted him at his current eighth round ADP scrambling to find a replacement quarterback (or a guy to start when Big Ben is on the road).
