Salvatore Stefanile and other XN staff will answer questions about 2 QB fantasy football in the comments section below.
518 thoughts on “2 QB Fantasy Football Q&A”
Salvatore Stefanile
Just like the thread says, this will be your one-stop 2-QB shop, where you can ask your 2-QB fantasy football questions, and we here at Sports Jerks, will try our best to answer them!
Don't hesitate to ask! We're here to help as best as we can.
I've run a 2QB 10 team league since 2002 and love it. A word of advice to those entering into a 2QB league…No one who has drafted QB/QB in the first 2 rounds has won our league. I see so many new people just fire off QB/QB it just does not work or at least it hasnt in my leagues. Good Luck To everyone !
Yeah, I've dabbled in the 10-team 2-QB world, through mocks, and can't go QB early. I found the 3rd round provided the best QB1 value; but that's just my opinion. It's just so easy to wait on QBs in a 10-team 2-QB league, but not everybody feels that way.
Any comment is a good comment, Johnny! Thanks for your input!
I play in a 10-team league where you can use a QB in the Flex, so it operates essentially like a 2-QB league. We have had several winners go QB-QB in the first two rounds and win the league. (We have two winners each year, one for H2H and another for Total Points.) I'd expect at least three or four owners to do that this year as well.
For sure, Greebs. QB-QB isn't a strategy I would defer from entirely in 10-team 2-QB leagues. Just that the drafts I've been in, I've found it more advantageous to me to grab one QB early, and then wait to grab my QB2/QB3.
Of course, every draft and every league is different, so if the QBs are flying off the board, I can alter my strategy accordingly. Flexibility is key in any fantasy football format.
In my 2-QB 10-team league, I expect the top-12 to go pretty fast. I sort of have Eli Manning in the next tier all by himself and then a LOT of guys I don't like much. So I plan on taking two of the top 12 in the first three rounds. Assuming things go CRAZY and I can't do that, what are some QB that are below these guys (think it's fair but my top 13 are listed below) that I could best gamble on? Presumably my RB and WR will be pretty great, and I'll likely have Peyton as my #1.
The guys I think could potentially all be gone before my 3rd pick: Brees, Rodgers, Peyton (to me), Cam, Brady, Ryan, Stafford, Kaepernick, Luck, RGIII, Romo, Russell Wilson and Eli.
So … if they are gone, who could I target in the 4-6th round?
Add Big Ben to that list, and you have yourself my top 14 ranked QBs for 2-QB leagues. I agree with Eli being at the top of the Tier 2, but I would also put Big Ben right beside him.
If you miss out on those guys, I would target the likes of Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Bradford, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, Matt Schaub, and Alex Smith.
I think those guys can make for serviceable QB2s. I'd probably be highest on Tannehill out of all of them. If you can, I would try to target Alex Smith as my QB3, rather than QB2.
Keeping tabs on the Bills' QB competition wouldn't be a bad idea either, as I think whoever wins the job will have fantasy value this year.
In 2-QB 10-team leagues, do you find it necessary to to make rules that protect teams from QB scarcity? In mine, we say that each team can only draft 3 QBs, then no roster restrictions after the draft. We've tried other rules too, with varying results. Any thoughts?
I've never played in 10-team 2-QB leagues before, but I can tell you in my main 12-team 2-QB league we don't have any QB roster limits. Things have worked out okay, but that might have to do with the fact we only have three bench spots.
QB scarcity is an issue in some 2-QB leagues, and there might always be that one owner that drafts all the QBs, to the detriment of the rest of this roster, in the hopes of trading them.
Limiting teams to 3 QBs isn't the worst thing, as that means a max of 30 QBs will be drafted, leaving more than enough for everybody. Plus, like you mentioned, the rule is lifted post-draft. If your league is fine with those rules, no point in changing it.
Has there been an issue with the rule in your league?
When we didn't have the draft rule, we ran into weeks where coaches had QBs on bye and no starters in the FA pool, and other coaches asking for extortion-type trades to get them out of the spot. To us, it limited the main goal of ff which is "fun". With the 3-QB draft limit, then everyone is at least guaranteed a chance to address their bye weeks in the draft.
We have 6 bench spots, perhaps we should cut that to 5 or even 4? We get 10 free FA pickups then $2 for each pickup thereafter. I'm considering moving to 4 bench spots, but making kicker/defense FA pickups free.
Planning for those bye weeks in 2-QB leagues becomes more important than your standard 1-QB league, but it's up to the owner to make sure they draft their proper QB3 depth.
In any 2-QB league, that's a problem that will occur, as most viable QBs will be drafted. You only get a couple of start worthy QBs available during the course of the year, like Tebow in 2011, and Kaep last year.
Shallow number of bench spots would make owners think twice about how many QBs they would want sitting on their bench, especially if they might only play them once or twice during the season.
I see your point about how extortion type trades take the "fun" out of the league, but I also think they make them fun/more competitive, because it opens up the trade dialogue, and you see more trades take place. But, not everybody thinks like me.
If it works for your league and it ain't broken, no need to fix it.
Shallow benches would also make the WW more active all year long.
I'm in a 12 team 2-QB, PPR league that awards 0.5 pts per completion, -0.5 pts per incompletion, 1 pt per 50 yards passing, -3 for interceptions, 6 pt for all TDs, 1 pt for 10 yards rushing, and1 pt for 20 yards receiving. In previous years, on average, the top 17 QBs get drafted in the first 2 rounds in my league because of how many points they can get you on a weekly basis and the belief among the guys I play with that without 2 good QBs, your team will suffer. Usually the top 25 QBs are all gone by the 5th round.
I was just wondering, who you might recommend as a QB2 in this scenario or if you recommend waiting on a QB2 and adding depth to your skill positions? I've been taking mostly Cutler, Schaub, and Flacco (I'm intrigued by Tannehill) but I'm not attached to any one guy more than another. I also was thinking about streaming QBs this year too but not sure who the best streaming combos are.
And would you recommend taking QBs back to back if, say you had the 10th, 11th, or 12th pick instead of a top RB? Just wanted your thoughts about what you might do.
In a scenario like that, if you don't get your QBs early you're going to miss out.
I would suggest making yourself a list of the QBs you'd be willing to start on your team, and since you mentioned streaming, you might be willing to try that strategy out.
The QB2s you mentioned are all guys I would have no problem with as my QB2. Also, I really would like Tannehill as a QB2 this season. As of now, there are 14 guys I'd consider QB1s (in no particular order):
Brees, Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Cam, Brady, Ryan, Stafford, Kaepernick, Luck, RGIII, Romo, Russell Wilson, Eli Manning and Big Ben.
After that you have the likes of Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Bradford, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, Matt Schaub, and Alex Smith.
That's 23 QBs right there, almost enough for a 12-team 2-QB league. Throw in somebody like Freeman (who you can protect by taking Glennon late) and you have 24.
If you want to be secure at the QB position, I'd go QB-QB or QB/RB/QB to start your draft, and take the best QBs available. Which way you go will depend on how the rest of the draft unfolds before you. If you feel confident enough in a group of QB2s, you could take your QB1 early, and then wait, until the last possible moment, to take your QB2, while adding depth at other positions. The risk is that you miss out on that QB2 tier though.
If you want to try out streaming, I recommend reading Patrick Thorman's (@Pat_Thorman) article about who he thinks will be the best/worst fantasy defenses against QBs this season, and pay particular attention to his color-coded chart: https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/06/19/…
You should be able to come up with some good pairings, after reading that, if streaming is something of interest to you. I tried out a Freeman/Alex Smith combo in a 10-team 2-QB mock, to stream as my QB2.
I think streaming in a 12-team 2-QB league might prove difficult, because you just never know how the draft will play out, and you could wind up missing on drafting 3 QBs you would need.
Ideally what would your first 3 picks be in a 10 team 2QB league. Every year theres a run at QB in the first two rounds where about 8 to 12 will go in the first two rounds. Ideally I'm thinking of going RB, QB, RB for my 1, 2, 3,
The league is very deep and is also TE heavy (start 2) when would be the earliest to go for Graham, and when would you target the next tier (Gonz, Gronk, Witten etc)
Just like the thread says, this will be your one-stop 2-QB shop, where you can ask your 2-QB fantasy football questions, and we here at Sports Jerks, will try our best to answer them!
Don't hesitate to ask! We're here to help as best as we can.
Thanks and have a good one
Sal (@2QBFFB)
I've run a 2QB 10 team league since 2002 and love it. A word of advice to those entering into a 2QB league…No one who has drafted QB/QB in the first 2 rounds has won our league. I see so many new people just fire off QB/QB it just does not work or at least it hasnt in my leagues. Good Luck To everyone !
Yeah, I've dabbled in the 10-team 2-QB world, through mocks, and can't go QB early. I found the 3rd round provided the best QB1 value; but that's just my opinion. It's just so easy to wait on QBs in a 10-team 2-QB league, but not everybody feels that way.
Any comment is a good comment, Johnny! Thanks for your input!
I play in a 10-team league where you can use a QB in the Flex, so it operates essentially like a 2-QB league. We have had several winners go QB-QB in the first two rounds and win the league. (We have two winners each year, one for H2H and another for Total Points.) I'd expect at least three or four owners to do that this year as well.
For sure, Greebs. QB-QB isn't a strategy I would defer from entirely in 10-team 2-QB leagues. Just that the drafts I've been in, I've found it more advantageous to me to grab one QB early, and then wait to grab my QB2/QB3.
Of course, every draft and every league is different, so if the QBs are flying off the board, I can alter my strategy accordingly. Flexibility is key in any fantasy football format.
In my 2-QB 10-team league, I expect the top-12 to go pretty fast. I sort of have Eli Manning in the next tier all by himself and then a LOT of guys I don't like much. So I plan on taking two of the top 12 in the first three rounds. Assuming things go CRAZY and I can't do that, what are some QB that are below these guys (think it's fair but my top 13 are listed below) that I could best gamble on? Presumably my RB and WR will be pretty great, and I'll likely have Peyton as my #1.
The guys I think could potentially all be gone before my 3rd pick: Brees, Rodgers, Peyton (to me), Cam, Brady, Ryan, Stafford, Kaepernick, Luck, RGIII, Romo, Russell Wilson and Eli.
So … if they are gone, who could I target in the 4-6th round?
Add Big Ben to that list, and you have yourself my top 14 ranked QBs for 2-QB leagues. I agree with Eli being at the top of the Tier 2, but I would also put Big Ben right beside him.
If you miss out on those guys, I would target the likes of Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Bradford, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, Matt Schaub, and Alex Smith.
I think those guys can make for serviceable QB2s. I'd probably be highest on Tannehill out of all of them. If you can, I would try to target Alex Smith as my QB3, rather than QB2.
Keeping tabs on the Bills' QB competition wouldn't be a bad idea either, as I think whoever wins the job will have fantasy value this year.
In 2-QB 10-team leagues, do you find it necessary to to make rules that protect teams from QB scarcity? In mine, we say that each team can only draft 3 QBs, then no roster restrictions after the draft. We've tried other rules too, with varying results. Any thoughts?
I've never played in 10-team 2-QB leagues before, but I can tell you in my main 12-team 2-QB league we don't have any QB roster limits. Things have worked out okay, but that might have to do with the fact we only have three bench spots.
QB scarcity is an issue in some 2-QB leagues, and there might always be that one owner that drafts all the QBs, to the detriment of the rest of this roster, in the hopes of trading them.
Limiting teams to 3 QBs isn't the worst thing, as that means a max of 30 QBs will be drafted, leaving more than enough for everybody. Plus, like you mentioned, the rule is lifted post-draft. If your league is fine with those rules, no point in changing it.
Has there been an issue with the rule in your league?
When we didn't have the draft rule, we ran into weeks where coaches had QBs on bye and no starters in the FA pool, and other coaches asking for extortion-type trades to get them out of the spot. To us, it limited the main goal of ff which is "fun". With the 3-QB draft limit, then everyone is at least guaranteed a chance to address their bye weeks in the draft.
We have 6 bench spots, perhaps we should cut that to 5 or even 4? We get 10 free FA pickups then $2 for each pickup thereafter. I'm considering moving to 4 bench spots, but making kicker/defense FA pickups free.
Planning for those bye weeks in 2-QB leagues becomes more important than your standard 1-QB league, but it's up to the owner to make sure they draft their proper QB3 depth.
In any 2-QB league, that's a problem that will occur, as most viable QBs will be drafted. You only get a couple of start worthy QBs available during the course of the year, like Tebow in 2011, and Kaep last year.
Shallow number of bench spots would make owners think twice about how many QBs they would want sitting on their bench, especially if they might only play them once or twice during the season.
I see your point about how extortion type trades take the "fun" out of the league, but I also think they make them fun/more competitive, because it opens up the trade dialogue, and you see more trades take place. But, not everybody thinks like me.
If it works for your league and it ain't broken, no need to fix it.
Shallow benches would also make the WW more active all year long.
I'm in a 12 team 2-QB, PPR league that awards 0.5 pts per completion, -0.5 pts per incompletion, 1 pt per 50 yards passing, -3 for interceptions, 6 pt for all TDs, 1 pt for 10 yards rushing, and1 pt for 20 yards receiving. In previous years, on average, the top 17 QBs get drafted in the first 2 rounds in my league because of how many points they can get you on a weekly basis and the belief among the guys I play with that without 2 good QBs, your team will suffer. Usually the top 25 QBs are all gone by the 5th round.
I was just wondering, who you might recommend as a QB2 in this scenario or if you recommend waiting on a QB2 and adding depth to your skill positions? I've been taking mostly Cutler, Schaub, and Flacco (I'm intrigued by Tannehill) but I'm not attached to any one guy more than another. I also was thinking about streaming QBs this year too but not sure who the best streaming combos are.
And would you recommend taking QBs back to back if, say you had the 10th, 11th, or 12th pick instead of a top RB? Just wanted your thoughts about what you might do.
Thank you
In a scenario like that, if you don't get your QBs early you're going to miss out.
I would suggest making yourself a list of the QBs you'd be willing to start on your team, and since you mentioned streaming, you might be willing to try that strategy out.
The QB2s you mentioned are all guys I would have no problem with as my QB2. Also, I really would like Tannehill as a QB2 this season. As of now, there are 14 guys I'd consider QB1s (in no particular order):
Brees, Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Cam, Brady, Ryan, Stafford, Kaepernick, Luck, RGIII, Romo, Russell Wilson, Eli Manning and Big Ben.
After that you have the likes of Andy Dalton, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Bradford, Philip Rivers, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer, Matt Schaub, and Alex Smith.
That's 23 QBs right there, almost enough for a 12-team 2-QB league. Throw in somebody like Freeman (who you can protect by taking Glennon late) and you have 24.
If you want to be secure at the QB position, I'd go QB-QB or QB/RB/QB to start your draft, and take the best QBs available. Which way you go will depend on how the rest of the draft unfolds before you. If you feel confident enough in a group of QB2s, you could take your QB1 early, and then wait, until the last possible moment, to take your QB2, while adding depth at other positions. The risk is that you miss out on that QB2 tier though.
If you want to try out streaming, I recommend reading Patrick Thorman's (@Pat_Thorman) article about who he thinks will be the best/worst fantasy defenses against QBs this season, and pay particular attention to his color-coded chart:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/06/19/…
You should be able to come up with some good pairings, after reading that, if streaming is something of interest to you. I tried out a Freeman/Alex Smith combo in a 10-team 2-QB mock, to stream as my QB2.
I think streaming in a 12-team 2-QB league might prove difficult, because you just never know how the draft will play out, and you could wind up missing on drafting 3 QBs you would need.
Ideally what would your first 3 picks be in a 10 team 2QB league. Every year theres a run at QB in the first two rounds where about 8 to 12 will go in the first two rounds. Ideally I'm thinking of going RB, QB, RB for my 1, 2, 3,
The league is very deep and is also TE heavy (start 2) when would be the earliest to go for Graham, and when would you target the next tier (Gonz, Gronk, Witten etc)