Roethlisberger story could be a huge fantasy fallout. has 7 comments

Mar 6th 2010, 07:02 | FFN-Score: 7 points

The biggest fantasy news on the first day of free agency might not be a free-agent move; instead, if there is any fire behind the latest smoke around Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, it could have an enormous impact on next season's fantasy quarterback rankings.

There are a lot of ifs, what-ifs and maybes around this story so there is no way to assess the likelihood of anything happening. But in a worst-case scenario for Roethlisberger, if the story is true, he would not play in 2010. Consider that Roethlisberger was seventh in passing yards (4,328) last year and tied for 11th with 26 passing TDs.

The Steelers made the requisite noise after the season about wanting to run more. They've said that before and Roethlisberger still wound up throwing a ton. He might not be the best fantasy QB in the league, but he is a good mid-round pick and a safe selection after the usual run on the elite guys.

So pay attention to this story. Steelers backups last season included Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch; the drop from No. 1 to No. 2 is huge and would significantly effect the entire offense, including receivers Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward and tight end Heath Miller. -- Matt Pitzer