The season-long fantasy football season is complete, so we’re reviewing the best and worst performances among quarterbacks based on preseason rankings and Average Draft Position in the preseason.
Some quarterbacks showed solid consistency, while others suffered through a roller-coaster season. Much like predicted before the season began, picking up quarterbacks in the early rounds wasn’t a smart decision.
Owners who risked first-round picks on Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck likely didn’t make the playoffs. Patient players, who opted for wide receivers, non-bust running backs (that was difficult to find) and a quality tight end, instead of quarterbacks in the early going, were better off.
Eight of the top 12 season-long fantasy quarterbacks were ranked 11th or lower in several preseason rankings.
Here’s the best and worst performances during 2015’s fantasy football season for quarterbacks.
Best Value
Cam Newton
Newton earned the top honors for fantasy quarterbacks with 389.09 points this season. That outdistanced Tom Brady, who finished second, by more than 45 points.
That’s not a bad return for a quarterback predicted to not be a top-tier option.
According to Fantasy Pros, which surveys 53 fantasy experts, Newton was ranked 13th among fantasy quarterbacks in the preseason. His average draft position across multiple platforms was 11th among quarterbacks.
Overall, his ADP was 84th, putting him at the end of the seventh round in 12-team drafts.
For Newton, his season wasn’t just filled with a few big-point performances. He was the most consistent quarterback throughout the season, reaching a season-high 41.60 points in week 15 and never registering a week in single digits.
In 16 weeks, he went for more than 20 points nine times, tied with Brady and Blake Bortles for the most games with more than 20 points.
Worst Value
Peyton Manning
We warned against taking Manning before the season started. We hate to put players on a no-draft list, but Manning was on it before the season started.
His value was inflated based on past performances. The only problem is that he had a difficult end to 2014 and we anticipated his inability to stay healthy and perform well behind an inexperienced offensive line.
Manning was listed as the fourth-best quarterback in the preseason. His ADP was third for quarterbacks and 29 overall. That’s right, he was picked in the third round in many 12-team leagues.
Despite being a third-round fantasy quarterback, Manning turned in a season-long performance of 91.36 points. In 10 games, Manning turned in less than 100 points.
Injuries were an issue since he missed six games. However, when he was playing, he was more of a liability than a quality performer.
In week 10, Manning turned in a minus-6.60 performance. He went for single digits six times. If he returns next season, he may not be registered as even a backup.
Good Value
Blake Bortles
Bortles entered the season with a little hype, but the public didn’t buy it. The young talent in Jacksonville showed glimpses of promise in recent years, and this season, it reached toward the top in fantasy production.
The second-year Jaguars signal caller finished fourth overall in fantasy points. That’s not a bad return for a player predicted to be the 26th-best quarterback in the preseason.
Bortles’ ADP was 28th among quarterbacks and was 220th overall, putting him in the 18th round in 12-team fantasy drafts. He was many teams’ backup quarterback to start the season, but quickly came off the bench after a slow start in week 1 against Carolina.
Bortles went for nine performances of more than 20 points. His consistency improved toward the end of the season, with five consecutive games with more than 20 points in weeks 12 through 16.
His ADP will skyrocket next season.
Bad Value
Andrew Luck
This isn’t entirely Luck’s fault. His injury made this an impossible situation, but even before that injury, it was apparent he wouldn’t be able to match his ADP or preseason expectations.
He entered the season as the main quarterback candidate to be drafted in the first round. He was the top quarterback option and his ADP was eighth, putting him toward the end of the first round.
According to Fantasy Pros, he was ranked 20th in the preseason, giving him a second-round grade in rankings. The public valued him much higher than the experts, but still a second-round grade was too high for his return.
Luck played seven games and managed 130.84 points. Four of his seven games featured fantasy totals of less than 20 points, with one of those games featuring single digits in points.
His 12 interceptions offset his 15 touchdown passes. Some of that production may have been linked to his injury, which was far more serious than originally reported.
Luck’s grade will likely diminish next season, but we doubt it will sink too much based on his past performances of being one of the better fantasy quarterbacks. Expect this to be a blip on the radar for Luck’s fantasy football career.
Good Value
Kirk Cousins
The Washington Redskins started the season as a joke. By the end, the Redskins, along with their quarterback, were top-tier options in the betting and fantasy world.
Cousins finished eighth in fantasy points among quarterbacks. Before the season began, he was ranked 27th among quarterbacks. His ADP was even worse among quarterbacks at 30th, putting him behind Robert Griffin III, who had an ADP of 29 (this is why fantasy leagues have that player or two who are easy wins on a weekly basis).
Cousins started slow, going for seven, 12 and 14 points in the first three weeks. Then, he became only a home quarterback, registering single digits on the road, while putting up big numbers at home.
Finally, he began to hit his groove in week 10 when he notched 28.96 points against New Orleans. From there, he was in single digits only one more time and went for 19 or more points five times.
Cousins proved to be one of the most consistent options at the end of the season, meaning his value will be far higher next season.
Bad Value
Matt Ryan
There are several players who could garner this final spot, like Sam Bradford who was all the rage in the preseason about having the best value among quarterbacks, and Tony Romo, who rarely saw the field. Bradford and Romo were major disappointments, but their ADP wasn’t as high as Ryan’s.
Ryan has been a consistent option in fantasy football. That’s why he seemed like a safe pick with an ADP of seven among quarterbacks. He entered the season ranked eighth among quarterbacks and was picked 54th in drafts, putting him in the fifth round in 12-team leagues.
That seemed like quality value for Ryan, who has one of the best wide receivers at his disposal and happened to have one of the best running games this season.
However, despite not being injured this season, Ryan notched the 19th-most points among quarterbacks this season.
The season’s beginning seemed promising enough, with fourth consecutive performances in double digits. Then, he went for single digits in two of the next three games, and the inconsistencies began to show.
From weeks nine to 17, he never recorded more than 20 points. He went for less than 15 points five times in that span.
Ryan’s problems this season will likely spill over to his ADP next year, so expect a diminished value next year.
