We’ve seen this headline before – Tony Romo is out for a significant amount of time.
Depending on you listen to, he could be suiting up in week 1 or he might be out for 10 weeks. I doubt we’ll see him in the early going, so it’s time to look at other options in that wait-on-the-quarterback approach that I love in fantasy football drafts.
I was a major Romo apologist during the offseason, pinpointing him as a quarterback who could be a difference-maker for fantasy football teams. The only caveat was that he wouldn’t get injured…which has happened again. Unfortunately for some, they’ve already drafted their teams.
For the lucky ones that wait until after the third preseason game, they can either adjust their strategy or focus on a different quarterback as the main option for their team.
Here’s a look at adjusting strategy and quarterbacks who can deliver value later in fantasy drafts.
Draft earlier
That’s definitely in play now, especially if Romo was your main man later in the draft. I’m still not wasting a top-four round pick on a quarterback, so that eliminates Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, according to average draft position.
Getting at least two running backs and two wide receivers will go a long way in making your fantasy team more viable this season, so that’s why I’m at least waiting until the fifth round before possibly nabbing a quarterback.
If I’m going outside that top-tier pack of four quarterbacks, instead focusing on that second-tier, I’m jumping on Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers’ offense will likely be as close to unstoppable as possible for an NFL team in 2016. Talent is all over the place and Roethlisberger still has enough in the tank to send that offense into another gear.
His completion percentage keeps going up, with last year being his best season for completion percentage. He’s also notched the most yards per game of his career during his previous two seasons.
His touchdown-to-interception ratio wasn’t good last season, but that’s likely an aberration. He’s been efficient with limiting his interceptions in three of the previous four seasons, so I’m chalking up injuries and suspensions as reasons for his issues last season.
His ADP is listed at 53, so you would have to grab him early in the fifth round.
Wait on the QB
If you decide to wait on the quarterback, the options diminish greatly after that fourth-round level. Five quarterbacks have ADPs with a fifth and sixth round value, leaving you with either one-hit wonders or unproven young QBs.
If you’re going to wait until after the sixth round, you might as well wait. Blake Bortles could be a good pick for your fantasy team with a 74th-ranked ADP, but I have to see more from him to trust him that early on my fantasy team. If I’m going to stake my quarterback future on a quarterback who has one year of solid fantasy play, I might as well gobble up more players from other positions before drafting a QB.
For me, it comes down to Derek Carr with the 106th ADP or Matthew Stafford with the 128th-ranked ADP.
Carr represents the higher upside, but Stafford still has enough in him to be a decent starting option for several weeks. Carr is shooting up draft boards and was actually listed higher in ADP than Romo when he got injured. Carr has a revamped offensive line and has shown nothing but a consistent ability to get better. He has weapons who are another year older and is on the cusp of being that sleeper QB who can get into that top-seven range.
Stafford is the veteran who may not have the upside, but likely has a least frightening basement. Last season, he ended on a high note, going for 17 touchdowns compared to one interception in his final five games.
The main reason for the diminished view of his 2016 performance is the absence of Calvin Johnson. That will no doubt affect his performance. But he still has some weapons, with Golden Tate and an undervalued Marvin Jones, along with possibly an improving Ameer Abdullah.
Carr is a better pick, but you won’t miss a ton with Stafford. Even without Romo, I’m still waiting on the quarterback, albeit with a little less confidence.
