Your big quarterbacks are obvious when it comes to Fantasy Football. Aaron Rodgers or Cam Newton probably go first. Tom Brady, Russell Wilson and Andy Dalton sometime after that. Then, you’ve got Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo and Eli Manning.
If you’re like me and play in a 12-team league, you can go ahead and put Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Andrew Luck and Philip Rivers on the table. Those will probably be your starters. But who’s your No. 2 guy?
The fact is if you won or did well in your league last season it was probably the second quarterback you drafted that got the job done for you. I put Dalton up there in the elite fantasy group, but how many of you took him first? Probably not a lot.
It’s the guy you steal in the later rounds that makes all the difference. Here are my five suggestions for the No. 2 quarterback on your fantasy football team.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
2015: 69.8 completion percentage, 4,166 yards, 29 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, five rushing touchdowns
After being responsible for 34 touchdowns last season and dragging the Redskins to the playoffs, you’d probably expect to see Cousins as the top player on a list like this. I’m not sold on Cousins just yet. For whatever reason a season like his comes along every once in a while for a guy that’s out of the league a few years later (see Marc Bulger). Guys have won Super Bowls after outstanding seasons and fallen off the face of the earth (See Mark Rypien). The Redskins will find a much tougher NFC East ahead of them this year. If Cousins can do it again, he’s got a career and moves up your fantasy draft board for 2017. As it is, I wouldn’t trust him as anything other than my No. 2.
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens
2015: 64.4 completion percentage, 2,791 yards, 14 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, three rushing touchdowns
Flacco just played in nine and a half games last season before getting his knee torn up in the 10th game against the St. Louis Rams. Flacco should be healthy and pick up where he left off last season with a much better team playing with him. If you take the stats he put up last season and spread them across 16 games, you get 4,465 yards, 22 touchdowns, 19 picks and five rushing touchdowns. Solid for your No. 2, but there’s no reason to believe that Flacco won’t get that interception total down and touchdown number up. Flacco is already the best postseason quarterback of his generation. If he can find a way to catch that lightning in the regular season, he could be in for a monster season.
Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars
2015: 58.6 completion percentage, 4,428 yards, 35 touchdowns, 18 interceptions, two rushing touchdowns
You can be forgiven for being startled at the numbers Bortles put up last season in Jacksonville. With Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and a healthy Julius Thomas those numbers shouldn’t drop in 2016. Bortles and the Jaguars are in a tough division in a difficult conference. While the Jags may not win that many games this season in real life, Bortles can win plenty of games for you on your computer screen.
Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans
2015: 62.2 completion percentage, 2,818 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 252 yards rushing, two touchdowns
Mariota missed four complete games and most of two others his rookie season, but still put up outstanding numbers. He’s smart, protects the ball and can make big plays with his arm and his legs. If you started Mariota week one in your daily fantasy league, he probably won you a lot of money. If you started him for half the season in your regular fantasy football league, he probably earned you some nice victories and a postseason spot.
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2015: 58.3 completion percentage, 4,042 yards, 22 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 210 yards rushing, six rushing touchdowns
Winston made the Pro Bowl as an alternate after his rookie season and there’s no reason to think he’ll have a slump in his second year. He always had all the physical tools, but it appears in Tampa Bay he’s finally added some maturity to it and been a model citizen. Off the field stuff has always been the biggest issue for Winston and if he’s solved that, he’s going to have a long, productive career ahead of him. Of all the players on this list, Winston, with the weapons he has around him, has the potential to throw 40 touchdowns this season.
