Having a strategy ready for your fantasy football draft is essential to being competitive on a weekly basis.
That means you should break down who you want to draft before the day is upon you. That could mean splitting some hairs on specific players. And you don’t want to make those judgments on draft day.
That doesn’t mean just focusing on one player for each position. All drafts are different and if that player you’ve eyed since February is already off the board, you need a plan B or C or even D.
Here’s a comparison of three different level of quarterbacks, just in case those top options are off the board when you’re ready to pull the trigger.
Ben Roethlisberger vs. Drew Brees
Tale of the Tape: Roethlisberger, ADP 53 overall (5th among QB); Brees, ADP 54 overall (6th among QB).
The Skinny: If you’re not sold on the top four of Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Andrew Luck, then dropping down to the fifth round might be the ticket. Both players have put up monster numbers in the past, with both players regularly putting up top-10 numbers when healthy.
Brees has been the model of consistency, throwing for more than 4,800 yards in the past five seasons. Last year he limited his turnovers, matching his lowest interception total since 2009.
Roethlisberger is part of an offense so loaded with weapons, it’s hard to fathom he won’t have one of his best seasons. He played in only 12 games last season, but managed to average more passing yards per game than he’s ever done in his previous 11 seasons. There’s no reason to think that will decrease this year, as long as he can stay healthy, which hasn’t happened in two of the past four seasons.
The Advantage: Call it a hunch, but I believe Brees’ best years are behind him. Both quarterbacks are aging, but Roethlisberger has so many more weapons at his disposal that he could provide tremendous value at his ADP. Brees will likely be coming from behind in many games, but that also could lead to a higher turnover rate, which has been his calling card at times in the past. For this season, the ceiling is much higher for Roethlisberger. — Take Roethlisberger
Blake Bortles vs. Tom Brady
Tale of the Tape: Bortles, ADP 70 overall (8th among QB); Brady, ADP 74 overall (9th among QB).
The Skinny: Obviously the four-game suspension plays a little into this. Brady will have four less games than Bortles, which should help Bortles have the better overall score. But does that matter enough to rank him above Brady?
The key to winning a fantasy football league is having the best team at the end of the season. Sure, the early part of the season matters, but if Brady is firing on all cylinders at the end of the season, then the first four games will be worth nothing. Both players had solid seasons last year, with Brady finishing second in fantasy points, compared to Bortles’ surprising fourth-place finish.
The key is if Bortles can keep up the play from how he finished. He had a much better end to 2015 than Brady. Part of that was an offensive line in shambles in New England, and part of that was Bortles’ development.
The Advantage: I still have to see more from Bortles before I pick him before Brady. He put up monster numbers at the end of last season against San Diego, Tennessee, Indianapolis, Atlanta and New Orleans, and then threw up a stinker in the finale against Houston. Other than Houston, those defenses aren’t lighting the world on fire. With Brady, I get a player who will consistently provide solid numbers and I have feeling he will wear a chip on his shoulder after the suspension concludes. — Take Brady
Philip Rivers vs. Tony Romo
Tale of the Tape: Romo, ADP 102 overall (11th among QB); Rivers, ADP 103 overall (12th among QB).
The Skinny: Do you have high blood pressure? If so, then I would avoid these guys. Romo can’t stay healthy and Rivers can’t stay consistent. If Romo plays, then he’s going to do well. The running game should be one of the best in the NFL with the best offensive line and a competent running attack. In his last two full seasons, he went for 65 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
But there’s that big IF he will be healthy. He missed 12 games because of injury last season and he’s not getting any younger.
For Rivers, he’ll stay healthy, but can he keep it together on a game-by-game basis? He can put up 503 yards passing with multiple touchdowns one game, and then go for 178 yards, one interception and get sacked three times in another. His biggest drawback is that he gets sacked…a lot. He was taken down 40 times last season and that takes away a bit from his solid touchdown-to-interception ratio.
The Advantage: I know what I’m getting with Rivers, so that has a bit of an upside. He’s going to be on the field and if his offensive line can improve just a bit, he will likely put up good numbers again. With Romo, I believe I get a quarterback who will be more consistent with his fantasy numbers and has a bigger upside. This is a gamble, but I’m going with Romo to stay healthy and put up top-six numbers this season in fantasy football. — Take Romo
