Next Man Up: Quarterbacks

John DiBari

Anyone who has played fantasy football for some time is familiar with the concept of handcuffing your players. In this series, I’m going to take a look at some of the more overlooked backups who could become league winners if the players ahead of them fall victim to injury during the season.

This year, more than any, with a limited off-season and a global pandemic, it sure seems like we may see more backups see significant snaps than we have seen in recent memory. Omitting the obvious targets, I wanted to look at some of the more overlooked reserves who could be league winners if they are forced into action.

I wanted to start this series by taking a look at quarterbacks. Everyone knows the high-priority handcuffs, like Marcus Mariota, Jordan Love, and whatever is going on in Chicago with Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky. These aren’t necessarily deep dives at the position, but overlooked backup signal-callers that should be available in all but the deepest of leagues.

Robert Griffin III, QB BAL

Looking at DLF’s ADP over time tool, you’ll see that the artist formerly known as RGIII has literally disappeared off the fantasy landscape. In case you missed it, reigning MVP Lamar Jackson was 23rd in the NFL in carries last season and has averaged 161 carries over his short two-year career. If Jackson were to sustain an injury and miss time, Griffin would find himself in charge of one of the NFL’s best offensive units.

We haven’t seen RGIII taking significant snaps in some time, but don’t forget many people thought RGIII was the first coming of Jackson before injuries derailed his career. Even if Griffin can only produce 60% of the fantasy scoring generated by Jackson, he’d still be a QB2. You could do a lot worse than stashing Griffin if you need quarterback depth and have room at the bottom of your roster.

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Logan Woodside, QB TEN

Woodside will be in a competition with rookie Cole McDonald for the backup job in Tennessee behind Ryan Tannehill. I was a big fan of Woodside when he came into the league out of Toledo. He eventually got a chance to start in the now-defunct AAF with the San Antonio Commanders and was once named the AAF offensive player of the week. The upside is limited as Tennessee is a very run-heavy team, but in a superflex league, Woodside could present some value, and he costs nothing to acquire right now.

Blaine Gabbert, QB TB

Did you know Tom Brady signed with the Buccaneers? It didn’t get much media attention. Kidding aside, the 42-year old Brady finds himself outside of a Patriots uniform for the first time in his career. Brady has been remarkably healthy over his NFL career, but father time is undefeated. If Brady were to miss some time, Blaine Gabbert would step in at the position. I’m not a fan of Bucs head coach Bruce Arians, but Gabbert started five games for him as his backup in Arizona in 2017.

Gabbert is familiar with the system and with weapons like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski he’s surrounded by the best skill position players he’s ever had during his career. Taking a peek at DLF’s coaching history app, you’ll see Arian’s field generals have averaged a QB2 finish. Given the weapons at his disposal, Gabbert might be able to maintain that level of production.

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Kurt Benkert, QB ATL

This might be wishful thinking (as I’ve stashed him in several leagues already), but I believe Benkert is the most overlooked backup QB in all of football. He flashed in the preseason last year, but a foot injury saw him land on IR and wrap up his season before it started. Matt Ryan has only missed three games over his 12-year career, but this is a pass-heavy team that will likely throw 600+ times during the season.

If Benkert gets on the field, he might be able to volume his way into fantasy relevancy. Veteran backup Matt Schaub is standing in Benkert’s way, but if Benkert impresses again this preseason, I can’t see how he doesn’t wrestle the backup job away from the veteran signal-caller. Also, if you’re into the usual off-season hype-video nonsense, Benkert is one of the few players we’ve gotten some off-season footage from.

Jake Fromm, QB BUF

Similar to Lamar Jackson to start this list, Bills quarterback Josh Allen has averaged 99 rushes, 570 yards, and eight touchdowns over his two-year career. Larger-framed than Jackson, Allen’s rushing work still opens him up to the possibility of injury given the additional beating he’ll take over the course of a season.

Fromm was a fifth-round pick of the Bills. Looking at rookie ADP, he is being selected 48.3 in rookie drafts, making him the final rookie quarterback off the board in dynasty leagues. Veterans Matt Barkley and Davis Webb are both ahead of him on the depth chart, so there is no guarantee Fromm is the beneficiary of Allen missing time, but we’ve seen what Barkley and Webb bring to the table, and Fromm arguably has more upside than both.

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We lose several quarterbacks to injury every season. In superflex leagues and deep one-quarterback leagues, most of the known, high-priority backups quarterbacks are likely already rostered. If you have available space at the bottom of your rosters and are shallow at the position, one or two of these guys could help get you into the fantasy playoffs, or possibly win a championship.

Acquiring them now, while they’re still cheap, is preferable to dumping half of your FAAB in-season if they find themselves in a starting role throughout the season.

john dibari