Charlie Batch to start against the Rams in Week 16
When the Steelers host the two-win Rams tomorrow, they will start quarterback Charlie Batch instead of Ben Roethlisberger, per Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
Roethlisberger, who suffered a high-ankle sprain two weeks against Cleveland, played with the ankle injury on Monday Night Football against the 49ers. Once the game's outcome was determined, it was a bit surprising that the Steelers did not take Big Ben out of the game.
In any event, Roethlisberger is unlikely to see the field on Saturday unless it's as an emergency quarterback.
Currently, the Steelers and Ravens are tied in record (10-4) although the Ravens own the head-to-head tie-breaker. Both teams are big favorites this weekend as the Ravens host the Browns in Week 16 so the division should come down to their Week 17 matchups.
Batch has thrown two (incomplete) passes this season although he appeared in three games last season while Roethlisberger was serving his four-game suspension. In those games, Batch completed only 29 of 49 pass attempts for 352 yards and three touchdowns.
With the news, I will bump down my rankings for Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown and Rashard Mendenhall, who is in my top 10 fantasy running backs, should be in store for a big week against the league's worst-ranked run defense.
