Aaron Rodgers and Andrew Luck will be the most coveted quarterbacks in fantasy football drafts.
Despite their value, picking them in a standard 12-team league would be a reach in the first round.
It’s not because those players will have down years. Instead, there’s too much value in the quarterback category this year.
After Rodgers and Luck, there’s still Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton ranked in the top five. All three of those players will provide a consistent product. Despite being down on Peyton Manning and Drew Brees this year, they also could provide value depending on where they are picked up by fantasy football owners.
In standard scoring leagues last season, Rodgers and Luck were tops in points. However, after those two quarterbacks, it was fairly even with 63 points separating Wilson, who finished third in points, to Joe Flacco, who finished 13th in points.
While Rodgers and Luck should continue to lead this category, Wilson, Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Eli Manning and Ryan Tannehill have the weapons at their disposal to have better seasons than last year.
Even if you can’t pick up a top-10 option, Tom Brady, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford should be available in the late rounds. Brady is consistently a top-1o fantasy football quarterback, but his suspension is leaving him undrafted until later than usual (currently he’s being drafted at about the 70th overall pick).
In a 12-team league, that would mean he’s available in the sixth round.
Nabbing a top running back could mean much more to fantasy football owners. The top three running backs last year were separated by 31 points. From Marshawn Lynch (ranked third) to Matt Forte (ranked fourth) there was a 22-point difference.
Once you get outside a certain threshold (there was a 72-point differential between fifth to 13th), it’s tough to find a consistent player. And you’ll need two running backs.
Don’t get too caught up in nabbing a quarterback. There’s plenty available in the later rounds who should be competent players that will contribute. Load up on running backs and wide receivers early to make sure you’re not fretting on the waiver wire each week, looking for a diamond in the rough.
