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Sunday was not the day to be a quarterback. We saw several high-profile signal-callers go down with injury scares, and some have evolved into multi-week injuries. Or, in the case of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a season-ending injury.
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Roethlisberger suffered an elbow injury which requires surgery. The procedure will keep the veteran quarterback out for the remainder of the 2019 season:
The #Steelers announce that QB Ben Roethlisberger had an MRI on his right elbow and will need surgery this week. He is out for the season.
– Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 16, 2019
Given the ending of Big Ben’s season, we’ve asked our writers to provide the fantasy impact of the injury on his teammates. First, let’s take a look at the specifics of the injury from Matt Miraglia, DPT (@DocMiragz):
After a less than stellar start for Big Ben and the Steelers in Week 1, things got exponentially worse in Week 2 after Roethlisberger was forced to leave the game with an elbow injury. We now know that this elbow injury will require surgery and end Ben’s season. While the official injury designation has yet to be released, it is assumed that Roethlisberger injured the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow. The UCL runs from the humerus (top arm bone) to ulna (bottom arm bone) and provides stability to the inside part of the elbow by resisting a valgus motion, which is essentially the same motion as throwing. While this injury is more common in MLB pitchers as they tend to have a higher throwing load on the ligament, it is common in all overhead throwing athletes. Bills quarterback Josh Allen suffered the same injury in 2018, but to a lesser extent, only causing him to miss a few weeks. As for Roethlisberger, he likely has a full tear of the UCL, causing pain with any motion that puts stress on the inside of the elbow, ie. his job of THROWING A FOOTBALL. Considering a full tear, Roethlisberger will most likely undergo “Tommy John” surgery to repair the injury, which requires AT LEAST four months before he can even begin to throw. Rehabilitation will emphasize strength, power, and endurance at both the elbow and the shoulder and should put Big Ben on track for training camp in 2020. While conservative treatment may have been an option, if unsuccessful, it would only prolong the timeline for 2020 and potentially eat into the regular season. For the remainder of 2019, it will be the Mason Rudolph show.
What is the fantasy football impact of Ben Roethlisberger’s injury?
Obvious downgrade for everything Steelers, but Mason Rudolph has a lot of promise. There is a non-zero chance that Rudolph plays well enough to end the Ben Roethlisberger era. Rudolph played with James Washington back at Oklahoma State and the two played together frequently on the second team in Pittsburgh. Rudolph has the potential to be a viable streaming candidate while Washington could emerge as a WR3. The player I am really looking forward to is Diontae Johnson. With yet another dreadful performance by Donte Moncrief, who is one of the least talented wide receivers I have ever seen attempt to play football, and the Steelers’ playoff aspirations shattered, it is only logical to presume that Mike Tomlin pushes his younger talent. Rudolph should be throwing to JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, and Diontae Johnson, making the latter two worthy of roster spots in fantasy leagues just to see what happens. As for JuJu, the first two weeks have given me fears that he is not a true alpha wide receiver. With Big Ben out, we won’t be able to get an answer this season (unless it’s positive). JuJu was trending towards being a Keenan Allen-like asset in fantasy. With Rudolph, he has to be considered a poor man’s Keenan Allen, more of a floor-based WR2 than the potential superstar he was before the season.
– Jason Katz (@jasonkatz13)
Roethlisberger and the Steelers got off to a pretty awful start and it seems unlikely the offense turns things around with Mason Rudolph under center. I’m adding Rudolph in Superflex and 2QB leagues over Bridgewater based on the likelihood he’ll be the starter the rest of the way. We’re not sure the extent of the James Conner injury from Week 2, so I’ll hold judgment on the running backs, but the wide receivers are probably in trouble. Smith-Schuster is talented enough to remain a WR2 option and might even approach the same amount of targets based on this Steelers’ team more than likely having to chase points in most matchups. Vance McDonald might be the only other viable option in this offense as the Steelers have yet to figure out what they’re doing at the WR2 position. McDonald caught two touchdowns this week after Rudolph entered the game, so maybe there is some chemistry there, or at minimum, a ‘safety blanket’ feel for the young quarterback.
– Kyle August (@kyleFFfellas)
The Steelers got off to a slow start, and I highly doubt they have a quick turnaround with Mason Rudolph under center. This is a slight downgrade to the Steelers’ skilled position players, mainly Juju Smith-Schuster and James Conner. Smith-Schuster’s stock lowers slightly, but he remains the best pass-catching option in this offense. He is lock and loaded as a borderline WR1 and should still be productive despite the quarterback change. James Conner, on the other hand, will be counted on even more and will be heavily relied on with Rudolph under center.
– Brad Camara (@beerad30)
Nobody likes to lose their starting quarterback in Week 2, but it is difficult to tell exactly what the Steelers are losing right now. On the one hand, Big Ben had 5,129 yards passing and 34 passing touchdowns last season. It is highly unlikely that backup Mason Rudolph is going to step into that spot and have that type of success in his first year as a starting quarterback. However, Big Ben was not playing like that quarterback early in the season. He had only 351 yards passing, no touchdowns, and two picks in 1.5 games, and his QB rating was an awful 66.0. That lack of production is going to be very easy to replace. I think we need to hit the reset button on the entire Pittsburgh offense at this point. Rudolph was a third-round pick that has been with the team since the 2018 season. He clearly has some talent and he looked respectable filling in for Big Ben in Week 2. He is going to have some good games this year on a very talented team and he will struggle in tougher matchups. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster probably goes down to a WR2 without a proven quarterback throwing him the ball. Tight end Vance McDonald probably stays at a low-end TE1 with so few players able to achieve that type of production from the tight end position. Running back James Conner has the potential to see more carries if his knee is right, and running back Jaylen Samuels would have good value if Conner misses games. The starting running back should be at least an RB2 running behind that offensive line. Finally, wide receiver James Washington could emerge as a sleeper having played with Rudolph in college. The sky is not falling in Pittsburgh, because they are replacing a quarterback that was struggling out of the gate anyway. We just need to see how ready Rudolph is to play quarterback and the rest will take care of itself. I would not cut the other skill position players, but I would not trust them in any matchup either. Rudolph needs to prove he can play well against good teams before we can just trust the Steelers to be good on offense like we have seen with Big Ben.
– Derek Lofland (@DerekLofland)
If Monday’s acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick in exchange for a 2020 first-round pick is any indication, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t quite ready to throw in the terrible towel just yet. However, they’ll have their hands full in Week 3 with a matchup on the road against a 49er team that has exceeded expectations thus far in 2019. Mason Rudolph getting the start may mean a heavy dose of James Conner, but owners should proceed with caution. The 49ers have yet to allow a rushing score this season and rank 10th-best in rushing yards allowed (146), seventh-best in yards per carry allowed (3.2), and have forced two fumbles to running backs (tied for the most in the NFL). San Francisco’s pass defense has excelled as well, allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete only 59% of their passes for 232.5 yards per game. The 49ers have generated a good amount of pressure, racking up seven sacks in just two games (tied for third in the NFL). The game is in San Francisco, and though volume may be on your side for guys like Conner and Smith-Schuster, I’d look elsewhere if your roster permits it.
– Brandon Plutner (@bplutne1)
What a horrible day for Ben Roethlisberger and Steelers Nation. Pittsburgh is now 0-2 and is looking down the barrel of a Mason Rudolph-lead offense. In dynasty leagues, owners should be excited to see if this is the heir apparent to Big Ben. As the Drew Brees owner in a 12-team dynasty league, I am looking at adding Mason Rudolph over Jacoby Brissett and Case Keenum. I will probably regret it, but I’m interested enough at the prospect of what Rudolph could be for fantasy football and the Steelers. James Washington and Vance McDonald will benefit most from Rudolph being under center. I’m also sending trade offers to all Juju Smith-Schuster owners in all league formats. T.Y. Hilton is off to a fast start and if the Juju owner is losing faith because of Rudolph starting, I’ll roll with Smith-Schuster any time.
– Andrew Liang (@whenpigskinfly)
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