The official 2018 NFL season is quickly approaching, and with that comes the other season — the wonderful world of fantasy football.
I usually play in two or three leagues each year, but with such a busy schedule this fall, I’m afraid I’ll be relegated to only one. However, fantasy football will definitely be a topic of discussion on this week’s edition of The RO Sports Show.
I thought that this week, with the ins and outs of fantasy sometimes being very complex, I’d take a look at a few players — quarterbacks to be more specific — that can be had later on in your drafts as opposed to having to make that move before you have to. (Like I already did in my “Make Football Great Again” league.)
Moving on, there’s a long-standing theory in fantasy football to never draft a quarterback early.
That’s because there’s so much quality to choose from, especially because most leagues require starting just one QB.
Still, it never fails. One owner pulls the trigger on the likes of Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady early, and that triggers a run on quarterbacks. Don’t fall into that trap, (like I did taking Drew Brees with my third pick) especially when three QBs with injury issues can be had in the later rounds as potential backups early on in the season. The reward for late in the season from these three could be enormous.
A breakdown of the three:
Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans’ No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft probably wasn’t drafted in your league last year, but lucky owners who grabbed him off the waiver wire rode that wave until he was lost for the season with a knee injury. In seven games as a rookie (six starts), Watson accounted for 21 touchdowns (19 passing, two rushing), including games of at least 400 and 300 yards. He accounted for five touchdowns in a game twice.
Watson had his most extensive action of the preseason on Aug. 18 versus the 49ers and appears ready to go for the regular season.
He had a five-game stretch last season that was ridiculous for fantasy, averaging more than 30 points per game. He’s also dangerous as a runner, but with the knee injury recovery, don’t expect Watson to be a huge factor in that capacity, at least early on. If he’s injury-free, expect 4,000 yards passing and close to 30 touchdown passes for Watson. He’s that good. Those who wait on Watson will likely be disappointed.
It would be wise for those willing to go with Watson as their QB1 to have a capable backup as insurance.
Like Watson, Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Carson Wentz went down with an injury during an incredible fantasy season. Unlike Watson (hurt in early November), the Eagles QB went down with his injury in the second week of December. That time frame makes his availability for Week 1 murky at best. Coach Doug Pederson said he won’t play Wentz in the preseason, and his backup Nick Foles was hurt during a preseason game.
In 13 games, Wentz threw for 3,296 yards and 33 touchdowns and made many fantasy owners happy in 2017 after he was likely drafted as a backup. That will probably be the case again this season, unless Pederson gives him the green light and he starts Week 1.
It’s impossible to predict without more clarity from his coach, but the guess here is Wentz misses the first few games as a precaution and becomes the starter again by the end of September. He was recently cleared for 11-on-11 drills.
Wentz did plenty of damage in 13 games as a 2017 breakout star, but because of his uncertainty he’ll be the biggest wildcard pick on most draft days.
Finally, there’s not much to report recently on Indianapolis Colts’ quarterback Andrew Luck. He missed all of 2017 with a shoulder injury, but the outlook in the preseason has been promising. When healthy, the Stanford product has been fantasy gold. In his four healthy seasons (Luck missed half of the 2015 season) since 2012, he’s averaged 4,300 passing yards and 29 TD passes.
What to look for with Luck is easy. Can he simply stay healthy? He’s a polarizing fantasy option right now. Some owners will look at Luck as great value in later rounds. Others won’t have anything to do with him.
Luck took the field in Week 1 of the preseason and did well enough to provide encouragement. If Luck starts Week 1, it’s reasonable to believe he can regain his earlier form.
North Carolina State alum Jacoby Brissett filled in for Luck the entire 2017 season and was okay (3,098 yards, 13 TDs), so at the least there won’t be panic for the coaching staff if Brissett starts the season. For Luck owners, though, that won’t be the case. Considering it’s a shoulder injury, targeting Luck as a fantasy starter might be the biggest buyer-beware option.
