RADIO
When Ben Roethlisberger went down with what was categorized as a mid-foot sprain in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh’s 38-35 victory against the Oakland Raiders last week, it was expected that he would miss at least a couple of games. Surprisingly though, prior to Sunday’s AFC North clash, Roethlisberger was listed as the backup quarterback to Landry Jones, who started yesterday’s game. Jones went down with a left ankle injury in the first quarter of yesterday’s game, opening the door for Roethlisberger to have a record-setting performance essentially on one foot.
Roethlisberger took to the field with 8:06 remaining in the first quarter, and proceeded to throw for 286 yards in the first half; the second most yards he has ever thrown for in the first half of any game career. He ended up with 379 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one pick. The performance by Big Ben was record-setting as the best regular season relief-quarterback performance in NFL history. The previous record holder was Wade Wilson, who threw for 374 yards in 1990. Big Ben continues to show why he is considered one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. He is a clear every week QB1 even when dealing with nagging injuries.
The biggest beneficiaries of Big Ben’s record-setting performance were Martavis Bryant and Antonio Brown. Bryant had a huge game, hauling in six receptions for 178 yards and a touchdown. Bryant has been producing borderline WR1 numbers since returning to action in Week 6. He has scored at least one touchdown in all but one game he has played in this season. With -Ig Ben at the helm of the Steelers pass-happy offense, there is clearly enough volume for Martavis Bryant to be considered a high-end WR2 in all fantasy formats.
Antonio Brown had another great game on Sunday, something we have come to expect when he has Big Ben throwing him the ball. Brown caught the ball 10 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns, delivering yet another great fantasy performance. We have seen what Brown has been able to do when Big Ben is in the game, and he came through yet again on Sunday. He is arguably the best player in fantasy when both are healthy. Fire him up as a WR1 every single week, no questions asked.
