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Ben Roethlisberger walked into NFL headquarters on Friday morning with a six-game suspension. A short time later, the Steelers QB emerged from the meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell with a four-game ban (you can read excerpts of the commish's statement here). The punishment stems from an offseason incident in which Roethlisberger violated the NFL's personal conduct policy.
While Terry Bradshaw may be fuming over the two-game reduction, Big Ben owners -- and prospective buyers who haven't yet drafted -- are now in a more comfortable position. Roethlisberger will return for a Week 6 home matchup against the Cleveland Browns (the Steelers have a bye in Week 5), followed by a trip to Miami in Week 7. Adding the two plush matchups to his schedule makes for a nice upgrade over what would have been a Week 8 return at New Orleans.
There is no seismic shift in terms of Roethlisberger's fantasy value, although his draft position should improve. According to FantasyFootballCalculator.com, he's still being treated like a backup (10th round, 16th QB off the board). Obviously, he won't continue to fall that low after today's news, but that doesn't mean you should start reaching for him either. Commissioner Goodell's compassion simply balances the scale. While Roethlisberger was once seen as a huge risk, he now looks safe to draft as a low-end starter.
If you can grab Roethlisberger around Brett Favre/Matt Ryan territory (think eighth round), go for it. While everyone else in your league has their sights set on Tom Brady or Joe Flacco -- both of whom Roethlisberger equaled or outscored last season -- you can load up on talent at the other positions.
You can also pick up Kyle Orton (@JAX, SEA, IND, TEN, @BAL) or Alex Smith (@SEA, NO, KC, ATL, PHI) later in your draft to fill in the first five weeks. If those Week 5 matchups don't appeal to you, swap them out for Matt Moore (vs. CHC) or Trent Edwards (vs. JAX). Trust me -- unless you're in an extremely deep league, someone will be there.
As for Week 6 on, let's just say you're golden. No more bye weeks, no more worries. Big Ben finished 2009 as the eighth-ranked QB in standard scoring leagues, and only Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers averaged more points per game (Roethlisberger played in only 15 contests).
That's top-shelf production, folks. For the price of a seventh or eighth-round pick, that's also a steal.
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