These quarterbacks won’t fly off the draft board during your fantasy football draft. But there should be some value in these three sleepers.
Eli Manning
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning isn’t being talked about as a top-10 fantasy quarterback. But he should be.
Manning finished last year in the top 10 for points as a quarterback, and this year, he has even more weapons at his disposal.
Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz give him top-tier options on the outside. Rashad Jennings should be healthy to keep the offense moving the ball, and third-down running back Shane Vereen can catch the ball out of the backfield, giving Manning another target.
Likely many fantasy football owners can’t forget about Manning’s strong ability to throw interceptions at times in his career. And there have definitely been times where Manning has thrown his share of INTs (two years ago he threw 27 of them.)
Last year, though, Manning tied his second-lowest career interception mark at 14, and tossed 30 touchdowns, the second-most of his career. He also attempted the most passes in his career, which is a good sign for fantasy football owners looking for quarterbacks who have plenty of opportunities for fantasy points.
Sam Bradford
The big asterisk with Philadelphia Eagles quarterback is what if an injury happens? Then you better have a decent back-up.
Bradford likely won’t jump off the board, so he should be available in the later rounds when back-ups are being picked up. He can be a fantasy football starter, but his injury issues have dropped his draft stock.
However, if he can stay healthy, and that’s a big if, Bradford can produce at a quality level. Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez had his best statistical output of his career in his nine games last year as the Philadelphia quarterback. Sanchez’s quarterback rating of 88.4 was 10 points higher than his second-best mark as a starter for the New York Jets.
In his last two seasons of action, Bradford has turned in ratings of 82.6 and 90.4. The last time the public saw Bradford during the regular season, he played seven games, and had already amassed 1,687 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Bradford can sling the ball. And with head coach Chip Kelly’s offense, that will become even more apparent this season, as long as he can stay healthy. He’s a risky pick, but if you can pick him up in the later rounds, and have a second decent option at quarterback, he could pay big dividends.
Teddy Bridgewater
As mentioned in an earlier article, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater’s fantasy football draft stock is rising. However, he’s likely still only rated in the middle half of NFL quarterbacks, making him a prime sleeper candidate.
The only issue may be running back Adrian Peterson taking away some of his attempts. Last year, the Vikings were unable to run the ball consistently, so Bridgewater had to be the main source for the moving the ball. He had few options at wide receiver last year, which has changed this season, with Charles Johnson now known as the number one option, and the addition of Mike Wallace. Factor in a healthy Kyle Rudolph, and the Vikings should have plenty of skill players for Bridgewater to find.
But if Peterson steals some of his attempts, that could lower his projected touchdown allotment. That’s something to consider when drafting Bridgewater, but his upside has many fantasy football owners eyeing a steal in fantasy football drafts.
