Where Big Ben is concerned, superlatives fail
Trying to come up with a strong enough adjective to describe what Ben Roethlisberger did the past two weeks is basically impossible.
Amazing? Astounding? Shocking? Disturbing?
Nope, no, uh-uh and sorry.
No single words seem to do the Steelers' quarterback justice for his two-game eruption that made NFL history.
First came a 40-for-49, 522-yard, 6-TD day in a 51-34 victory over Indianapolis.
Then came the encore: A 25-for-37, 340-yard, 6-TD performance as Pittsburgh plastered AFC North rival Baltimore 43-23.
We nearly need to higher-level math to add it all up: 65-for-86, 862 yards, 12 touchdowns - and 94 Steelers points.
In two games.
To put that into perspective, those 12 TDs are the same amount that San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick has all season, while Carolina's Cam Newton and Cincinnati's Andy Dalton have yet to hit that number. They had 10 total scores each before the Bengals played the Browns on Thursday.
The numbers also add up to the most fantasy points ever by a QB in back-to-back weeks, besting Michael Vick's in Weeks 9-10 in 2010, according to ESPN.
What made this run even more amazing, astounding, shocking and disturbing (hey, maybe it works if we put all four adjectives in one sentence!) is that he did it against two upper-echelon AFC teams that were playing awfully solid pass defense. The Colts have allowed just 10 TD passes in their other eight games, while the Ravens allowed just 7.
So, now what?
Is Roethlisberger a must start from here on out? It's a good question, especially considering only 24 percent of cbssports.com owners started him in Week 8. That number jumped to 55 percent last week.
But plenty of you probably own Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning or Aaron Rodgers. If that's the case, the answer is to try and trade Big Ben for an upgrade at RB, WR or TE if you can find a willing partner.
Oh, and one other thing: I promise not to put Roethlisberger in the bad bets - as I did the last TWO weeks - for the remainder of the season!
Big Ben's ripple effect:
Two new names have emerged thanks to Ben Roethlisberger's hot streak. Wideouts Martavias Bryant and Markus Wheaton combined for 15 catches, 245 yards and 6 TDs the last two weeks. Wheaton is a player I thought would be a top-30 player this season, but he did next to nothing until Week 8, and I'm still very skeptical of his value going forward.
Bryant, on the other hand, is a player I'd want in my lineup. Inactive the first six weeks, the 6-foot-4, 211-pound rookie out of Clemson has proven to be a steal for the Steelers. Not only is Bryant a burner (4.42 in the 40), but he has the size that Big Ben loves in the red zone.
"Everybody has to wait for their opportunity," Bryant said after Sunday's win over the Ravens. "It's just when the opportunity presents itself whether you take advantage of it or not."
He has and should provide solid WR3 numbers down the stretch.
Good bets
• Lions QB Matthew Stafford vs. Miami. Few teams have been playing better defense than the Dolphins (27 points allowed last three), but Stafford gets Calvin Johnson back this week so play him with confidence.
• Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and WR Martavias Bryant at N.Y. Jets. I'm not expecting another 6 TDs out of Big Ben, but watch for 3 more and 300-plus yards against the dreadful Jets pass defense.
• Falcons QB Matt Ryan at Tampa Bay. Only the Cardinals are allowing more passing yards per game than Lovie Smith's bunch.
• Bucs RB Bobby Rainey vs. Atlanta. If Doug Martin returns from injury, forget about this prediction. But if Martin's out, Rainey's good for 8-12 points.
• Ravens RB Justin Forsett vs. Tennessee. Forsett has six straight weeks of 9-plus fantasy points. He'll extend that to seven with 15 or more against a Titans squad that gives up 134.8 yards per game on the ground.
• Cards WR Larry Fitzgerald vs. St. Louis. Welcome back to fantasy relevance, Mr. Fitzgerald. Now please don't slow down.
• Panthers WR Kelvin Benjamin at Philadelphia. Don't worry about that hiccup last week against the Saints; Benjamin will have a big game in what should be a high-scoring affair.
• Packers TE Andrew Quarless vs. the Bears. Total flier here as Quarless has just 15 catches. But we're talking about a Bears D here that can not stop opposing TEs.
• Seahawks defense vs. New York Giants. Finally, everyone who took Seattle far too early in fantasy drafts will be rewarded.
Bad bets
• Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill at Detroit. Best-case scenario for Tannehill this week is 225 yards and 2 TDs.
• Bears QB Jay Cutler at Green Bay. In his last five games against the Packers, Cutler has 6 TD passes, 8 interceptions and hasn't thrown for over 260 yards.
• Rams RB Tre Mason at Arizona. Only Miami, Kansas City and Detroit have given up fewer points than the 7-1 Cardinals.
• Saints RB Mark Ingram vs. San Francisco. Gutsy call here, but Ingram's banged up (shoulder) and the Niners have been tough against the run.
• Lions RB Joique Bell vs. Miami. Unless he gets a short TD run, Bell will have a tough time scoring more than 5-6 points this week.
• Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. at Seattle. The rookie has really come on of late, but this is one spot to keep him benched.
• Titans WRs Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter and TE Delaine Walker at Baltimore. The Ravens are raving mad after that beatdown by the Steelers. One of these guys might score, but I don't trust any of them enough unless you're desperate.
jdietz@dailyherald.com
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