Other than The Alex Smith Experiment, my 2-QB Waiver Wire Planning series was the most fun I had writing for XN Sports during the 2013 NFL season.
2-QB/SuperFlex fantasy football owners have a different mindset when it comes to the quarterback position. We’ve trained ourselves to stay one step ahead, and to seek out quarterback talent before it’s even relevant.
It’s highly unlikely, and impossible, in most 2-QB leagues to replace your starting quarterback(s) with another highly capable option. In 1-QB leagues you can drop someone like Carson Palmer for Andy Dalton. That’s not going to happen in 2-QB leagues. The waiver wire is picked clean before the season starts, with 2-QB owners drafting backup quarterbacks to stash.
C’est la vie in 2-QB leagues.
One of the greatest attributes any 2-QB owner can have is to spot certain backup quarterbacks who might have fantasy value at some point in the season before anyone else wises up to the fact. It might seem crazy to want to roster Kyle Orton or Mark Sanchez in 1-QB leagues, but savvy 2-QB owners know they have some value, even if it’s minimal, in 2-QB leagues.
Just like we did last season, we’ll go over some quarterbacks to keep an eye on that might currently be available on the waiver wire, that you either want to make a claim for now or keep a close eye on for the future.
Before the season started I ran down all the quarterback situations for each NFL team. Use that as a reference point all season long.
For now, you can find a few names that need to be on your 2-QB radar…
At a certain point Mike Glennon almost sponsored this column last season, as he always found himself being listed at the top of each 2-QB Waiver Wire Planning piece. Eventually he found himself replacing starter Josh Freeman.
Glennon didn’t set the fantasy world ablaze, but was a decent QB2 option for 2-QB teams in need of a spot starter. Overall, he was QB26 in standard leagues, but that was with only 13 games on his resume. In terms of weekly fantasy output, he was a Top-12 fantasy scoring QB three times and finished as the QB13 an additional two times. He also was a Top-24 (QB2 in 12-team 2-QB leagues) scoring fantasy quarterback seven times in 2013.
Now, the 2014 Bucs aren’t the 2013 Bucs. Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman are gone. There’s nothing to make us think new coach Lovie Smith will bench new quarterback Josh McCown. While McCown most likely won’t put up the same numbers outside of a Marc Trestman-coached offense, he does find himself in an advantageous scenario, getting to throw passes to Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson, and Mike Evans.
Keeping tabs on Glennon has more to do with the landscape of the backup quarterback position than his talent. He started 13 games last season, and if forced under center this year could once again be used as a spot starter at the QB2 slot.
Mark Sanchez
Chad Henne and Nick Foles were the poster boys for the the first installment of this series last year. Both for good reasons. Nick Foles was backing up Michael Vick in a Chip Kelly offense. Vick’s injury past plus Kelly’s offensive scheme led many to believe if Vick wound up missing time to injury or was ineffective then Foles could step in and provide instant fantasy points. That’s exactly what happened.
No one is saying Mark Sanchez is as talented as Nick Foles. But he was once a top-5 NFL draft pick, and was able to execute Kelly’s offense efficiently this offseason (80.6 completion percentage, 2:1 TD:INT ratio). If Foles goes down, Sanchez is the next man up in Philly, and will be handed the keys to Chip Kelly’s offense. What he does with it is a question we can’t answer, but the opportunity is there for him to be a useful fantasy starter.
Kyle Orton
I think it’s too early to throw out the ‘bust’ label when it comes to EJ Manuel, but there has been some chatter that Manuel isn’t an NFL starting caliber quarterback. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen, but if there’s one quarterback that could be this year’s Mike Glennon it’s shaping up to be Kyle Orton.
He’s proven he can play in the NFL, and as the backup to Manuel, Orton could wind up taking over at quarterback for the team. It doesn’t hurt to roster him now as a QB3/QB4, as it most likely won’t cost you much. If Manuel turns out to be a capable starting quarterback then Orton can be safely dropped. If Manuel falters you may wind up with a free QB2 in Orton.
Michael Vick
From NFL starting quarterback to backup in a flash. Things move quickly in the NFL, and Vick finds himself once again in the role of backup quarterback. I’m actually a believer in Geno Smith this year, and think he might become an every week QB2, rather than just a QB2 streaming option.
The reason Vick makes the list is because he’s still talented enough to start at quarterback, and if thrust into NFL action immediately becomes fantasy relevant. We’ve been talking up Smith’s potential ascension because of the offensive makeover the Jets went through this offseason, particularly with the addition of Eric Decker.
If Vicks starts at quarterback for the Jets, Decker will still be there to catch passes. Plus Vick still has that added #KonamiCode fantasy value to his game. In three preseason games Vick ran the ball eight times for 41 yards.
Johnny Manziel/Teddy Bridgewater/Blake Bortles
All three of these rookies should already be rostered in 2-QB leagues in the QB3/QB4 slots. Whether or not they actually take a snap this year remains to be seen, but Manziel and Bridgewater were both in open quarterback competitions this offseason, and could be called upon if the starters in front of them (Brian Hoyer, Matt Cassel) falter.
The Jaguars insisted Chad Henne would be their starting quarterback, and Bortles would red-shirt his freshman season in the NFL. That’s a good plan, but the rookie showed in the preseason he could play, and had some thinking he outplayed Henne and earned the starting gig. The team didn’t budge from their plans, but if Henne gets off to a slow start they might pull the plug on Bortles’ learning from the sideline experiment and have him learn on the field instead.
The ballyhooed backup quarterback in New England rode the pine his entire career in Foxboro. With good reason, as he was the backup to one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks in Tom Brady. The Patriots shipped Mallett to the Texans this offseason, where he now finds himself with a much better shot at starting.
Journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick is the current QB1, while rookie Tom Savage is the QB2. Case Keenum is gone, and if Mallett can pick up the playbook quickly enough, he should easily surpass Savage for top clip holder duties. Mallett has a leg up in that regard, as Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was on the coaching staff in New England during Mallett’s rookie season in the NFL.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t seem to be in any danger of losing his new starting gig in Houston, but it doesn’t hurt to keep Mallett’s name at the top of your waiver wire speed dial.
Another quarterback that didn’t have the most inspiring preseason this year was Robert Griffin III. I’m still a believer in RG3‘s talent though, and think he could get back to his rookie season production.
Yet, I’d be remiss not to include Kirk Cousins in this list. He wound up starting three games for Washington last season. He’s most likely rostered in all 2-QB leagues, either as a standalone QB3 or as a handcuff to RG3, but if he’s not, look into stashing him on your bench. If you own RG3, you won’t have to worry all that much if he’s benched, as Cousins will be on your team already. And if you don’t own RG3 you could dangle him as trade bait to the RG3 owner if the current starting Washington quarterback gets off to a rocky start.
Not… Just checking to see if you made it this far.
*Stats used in this article from PFF and Pro-Football-Reference
