Quarterback Do’s and Don’ts

Fantasy football -  a beautiful art in it’s own right. Not only does it give even the most misinformed fan a chance to redeem himself through his own player choices and strategic decision making  but it brings a huge group of people across the United States together under one common interest. Over the years, fantasy football has turned into an American past-time that, on some occasions, becomes bigger than the actual game being played on the field each week. It gives each of us a reason to pay attention to teams other than the ones we remain loyal to year in and year out.

And it’s not like you have to really know what you’re doing either. It doesn’t any fantasy fanatic long to realize that no matter how hard you try to put together a group of dedicated football fans and create a competitive fantasy league, there is always going to be the one person that seems to “forget” to check his team and change his lineup. It never fails and can become frustrating because, most of the time, that person has several good, productive players that would be a wonderful solution to your lack of rushing TD’s.

The goal is to find players that will go under the radar. The free agent list is filled with hidden gems that, with a little research, can be discovered. By checking a stat sheet or recent news on a player’s production and trends, you can find ways around having to wait for an inactive fantasy manager to finally see the proposed trade you’ve made after he checks his team for the first time… during week 14.

Players to Watch (sleeper quarterbacks)

When it comes to QB’s, stay away from the rookies. A quarterback with a future is going to develop into a dominant player (in most cases). It’s not worth your time to spend a high draft pick on a rookie QB. If he is drafted by a good team then he’s not going to see much playing time anyway, and if he’s drafted by a bad team then his fantasy production is going to be next to nothing.

Tarvaris Jackson, Minnesota Vikings: Yes, he is unproven. He suffered a huge injury in 2006 and was subpar in 2007 in the 12 games he started. Football fans haven’t seen much of this young kind out of Alabama State. But he’s mobile, a positive for a QB who doesn’t have much in terms of the weapons he has to throw to. The Minnesota offensive line is a beast – just ask Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor – and will provide Jackson with the protection he needs to find the big plays. If the Vikings can get this kid someone to throw to, look for Jackson’s numbers to go up.

J.P. Losman, Buffalo Bills: Talk about an unfortunate situation for a young QB with so much potential. Losman has been thrown into the fiasco that the Bills have become over the past few years with their juggling and mishandling of the quarterback situation. Look for Buffalo to try and turn that around this season and give Losman the confidence that may be keeping him from becoming a good QB. While there is still work to be done in Buffalo, and maybe in the near future, Toronto, Losman’s negative numbers i.e. sacks and fumbles, have almost been cut in half. With some correct front office choices and a little time to develop an offense around him, Losman could be a sleeper in deeper leagues.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: Rodgers has the biggest shoes to follow of anybody in the National Football League right now. Having to follow one of the greatest QB’s in Brett Favre, Rodgers will show poise as he takes over the starting role for the Cheeseheads. In the few appearances he has shown over the past few years, Aaron looks like he’s ready to shine in the spotlight. With all eyes upon him, don’t look for him to disappoint and disappear, unless it’s off the available players list and onto the draft board in the later rounds.

Along with these three, there are several other QB’s that are not top tier producers but will still get the job done while filling in for an injury or a bye week. It takes just as much time and effort to check out team rosters and player stats as it does to propose a trade to that guy who won’t ever see it because he doesn’t actually own a computer to check his team. And while there is a lot of hype and hub-bub to see through and put aside, there really are good fantasy QB’s who get overlooked every year until it’s too late for them to make a real impact.

Overhyped

The overrated rule comes into effect each season as well. Every year, commentators and sports analysts will make wild predictions about who will be this year’s cinderella player. Just remember one thing; these guys have nothing to lose if they’re wrong. They flip flop their opinions every week. Their job is not to make your fantasy football team any better so why would you seriously listen to them?

JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders: Remember that “no rookies” rule that I talked about earlier? Well that can apply to JaMarcus Russell as well. He players for a terrible team and he doesn’t have any offensive help to allow him to take what he learned from the sidelines and put it into action. Carson Palmer didn’t play at all in his rookie year and it made him into a great QB. Russell doesn’t have that option because of Oakland’s lack of talent at any position. While he may become a good quarterback in the future, this is not the season he starts.

Troy Smith, Baltimore Ravens: Even if he becomes the starter for this team, he is nothing more than a band-aid destined to disappoint. Smith will make a great coach some day because of his extremely intelligent football sense, but his transition to the NFL game will not be pretty. His mechanics are off and he’s too slow to play pro football, not to mention that the Ravens don’t seem too interested in taking him seriously.

Kurt Warner / Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals: Please stay away from Arizona Cardinals quarterbacks, regardless of how wonderful it might look to have one on your team. You might find yourself wandering towards the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Leonard Pope, but in order for an offense to succeed, the QB has to be good. Warner is old and over the hill and Leinart hasn’t shown any ability to execute, even with weapons on his side. Until he can prove himself, I’d keep my hands off.

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Tags: Aaron Rodgers, fantasy football, football, J.P. Losman, JaMarcus Russell, Kurt Warner, NFL, Quarterbacks, Tarvaris Jackson, Troy Smith

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