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The Duel

Would You Rather: Draft Ben Roethlisberger or Philip Rivers Ahead of 2019 Fantasy Football Season

By Leo Abbe-Schneider

San Diego Chargers v Pittsburgh Steelers
San Diego Chargers v Pittsburgh Steelers / Joe Sargent/Getty Images
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Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers have become fixtures in the top half of fantasy football quarterback rankings over the years. They find themselves in a similar situation once again in 2019.

As things currently stand, fantasy owners favor Rivers over Roethlisberger. Rivers has an average drafter position (ADP) of 13.8 amongst quarterbacks. Big Ben on the other hand, currently has an ADP of 14.6.

If your strategy is to wait to draft a quarterback, there's a decent chance you'll be choosing between these two as your QB1, so deciding between the two could be tough.

Despite being drafted lower for the upcoming season, Roethlisberger actually had the better numbers last year. He threw for 5,129 yards, with 34 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

However, Rivers wasn't too far off, as he threw for 4,308 yards with 32 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

While it's safe to assume the two will be close in overall fantasy points once again at year's end, Rivers could provide better value than Roethlisberger.

It's hard to imagine either being a bust, but expectations should be lower for Roethlisberger after he lost his favorite target from the past six seasons in Antonio Brown.

While Pittsburgh definitely has the weapons to replace some of Brown's production, it's fair to expect Roethlisberger's stats to drop without AB.

On the other hand, Rivers will get a full season from Hunter Henry, and Mike Williams looks poised for a breakout season. While you likely can't go wrong with either player, Rivers looks like he could provide better fantasy value in the upcoming season.

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Leo Abbe-Schneider is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Leo Abbe-Schneider also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Leoabbe2. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.