Charlie Batch

Batch has been brought back again by Pittsburgh, but he is battling Dennis Dixon for the third spot on the quarterback depth chart. He'll be the odd man out when Ben Roethlisberger returns from his four-to-six game suspension.

Batch missed the entire 2008 campaign due to a broken collarbone but was brought back by the Steelers for 2009. Second place on the QB depth chart is not a lock for him as the team has not ruled out the possibility of Dennis Dixon moving up. Whichever quarterback wins the day, they will only serve to provide insurance for Ben Roethlisberger.

Batch will again act as Pittsburgh's insurance plan at quarterback in case of a Ben Roethlisberger injury. He could see playing time at some point given Big Ben's relatively fragile past although his upside is minimal, given that the Steelers would likely turn to a very conservative, run-heavy approach with Batch at QB.

Batch was more popular than Ben Roethlisberger after leading the Steelers to a 28-17 opening night win over the Dolphins last year. His three-touchdown, no-interception performance had Pittsburgh fans clamoring for him to start when an injury-riddled Ben Roethlisberger scuffled through the first half of the season. With Roethlisberger seemingly more susceptible to injury than the average quarterback, Batch could find his way onto the field in 2007. He won't win many games by himself but he gives his team a chance to win by playing efficient, low-risk football. From a fantasy perspective he offers little value.

Batch showed that he belonged with the Steelers in the final 2005 preseason game, when his dramatic hail mary pass beat the Panthers. The team's third string QB, Batch got a chance in the regular season when starter Ben Roethlisberger went down with an injury and second-stringer Tommy Maddox performed pathetically. While his fantasy statistics were nothing special, the squad didn't fall apart with the Pittsburgh native at the helm, and won all four games in which he appeared. Should Batch get the nod at all in 2006, it's likely the Steelers would employ a similarly conservative game plan. Should Big Ben go down with a long term injury, then then the team might loosen the reigns on Batch a bit more.

Batch found little free agent interest in the offseason, and decided to re-sign with his hometown team, the Steelers. He's battling Tommy Maddox for the No. 2 spot behind Ben Roethlisberger, but will likely only play if the two other quarterbacks get hurt.

Batch is the number two signal-caller in Steeltown until rookie first-round pick Ben Roethlisberger gets accustomed to NFL action. That could take a year so Batch is safe for now but he'll still likely need an injury to starter Tommy Maddox in order to see any significant playing time in 2004.

Batch is determined to compete for the starting job this season. Reality dictates that it will require an injury to Maddox or a disastrous pre-season by him to give Batch that opportunity to start. He is expected to be the # 2 quarterback on the depth chart. At this point, he is strictly Maddox insurance for fantasy purposes.