2016 Fantasy Football Draft Prep: Quarterback Tiers 1.0
How deep is the quarterback position this season? It's deep. Our Dave Richard breaks down the landscape and offers some advice in the first edition of his tiers.
By
Dave Richard
•
2 min read
Unless you're in a league with 14 or more teams, you're going to get a quarterback you'll either really like or settle for at a great value. Maybe both.
There are only two passers worth a pick before you get to 50th overall: Aaron Rodgers and Cam Newton. A lot of folks will prefer Newton and might even take him with a first-round pick. Just remember that last year's stats don't count this year. For Newton to match what he did last season he'll have to record 45 total touchdowns, 3,800 passing yards and over 600 rushing yards.
Maybe the yardage won't be a problem but for a guy whose previous touchdown career high was 35, it's asking a lot. Rodgers has the better schedule and has consistently been a Top 2 quarterback when he hasn't gotten hurt or lost a top receiver to a major injury. If Newton's going to be the consensus top passer, then getting Rodgers after him on Draft Day feels like a little steal.
Truth be told, the real stealing will start in late Round 4. Andrew Luck, Drew Brees and Russell Wilson will all start getting attention then with Roethlisberger catching up in Round 6. Anyone who drafts them will get a passer with potential to finish as a Top 3 option.
Luck gets the nod if only for his consistency. Despite all of last year's ailments he still was very consistent with 20-plus Fantasy points in five of seven games. Cast that net over his last two seasons and he's brought back those 20 points 17 times in 23 games. Fantasy owners crave that kind of consistency and Luck should provide it with an improved offensive line helping him stay upright while the Colts run game remains a question mark. Speaking of consistency, Brees has finished as a Top 6 Fantasy passer every year for the last 10 years. How can you pass that up? Wilson has been a bit more helpful for Fantasy owners over the last three seasons than Roethlisberger. The thinking is the Seahawks offense will fall a little more on his shoulders, meaning more numbers. Big Ben is still a great Fantasy quarterback but his value took a hit when Martavis Bryant was suspended.
It's pretty cut-and-dried once you get past this point. Someone will draft Tom Brady and wait for him to come back from his four-game suspension. Other owners will pick up incredible bargains in Carson Palmer, Blake Bortles and Philip Rivers. Those who remain quarterbackless through Round 8 will probably pick two from the last two tiers and rotate them based on matchups.
| Elite | Excellent | Very Good |
| Rounds 2-3 | Rounds 4-6 | Rounds 7-8 |
| Aaron Rodgers | Andrew Luck | Tom Brady |
| Cam Newton | Drew Brees | Carson Palmer |
| Russell Wilson | Blake Bortles | |
| Ben Roethlisberger | | |
| Best of the Rest | No. 2/Upside | |
| Rounds 9-10 | Rounds 11+ | |
| Philip Rivers | Jameis Winston | |
| Eli Manning | Ryan Tannehill | |
| Derek Carr | Tyrod Taylor | |
| Andy Dalton | ||
| Tony Romo |
