When Should I Draft A Fantasy Quarterback?

07/30/2013

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Quarterback is often the most polarizing position in all of football both from a fantasy perspective and in real life. In both real life and fantasy a team’s quarterback is often the top scorer posting multiple touchdowns and hundreds of yards per game. It is this very correlation that makes many people feel the need to draft a quarterback early on in your fantasy football draft. If you nab a top 3 quarterback that seems fine and dandy but the name of the game in fantasy football is to obtain maximum value for your draft pick. In order to obtain a top 3 quarterback you are likely going to use one of your first 3 draft picks and I think given the fantasy quarterback depth in 2013, there is much greater value to be had. Seems easy enough, but how do you know what real draft day value is? Let’s take a look at some interesting numbers;

To really get my point across here we are going to withhold the names of the players until the end of this article. In the mean time we will simply refer to these three players as players as player A, B and C.

In 2012 player had 5,177 total passing yards. Player B had 4,903 passing yards and player C had 4,018 total passing yards on the year. (There is a reason he is listed as player C, more on that later)

In 2012 Player A averaged 324 passing yards per game. Players B was close behind him averaging  306 passing yards per game and player C averaged 268 passing yards per game.

When it comes to fantasy football you want guys that not only have skills but also have a fair amount of touches/opportunities to use those skills. Without opportunity, skills are squandered into fantasy obscurity (See: Stewart, Jonathan) In the case of quarterback you want players that have a ton of pass attempts in order to maximize their chances at fantasy glory;

In 2012 player A had 670 pass attempts. Player B had 648 pass attempts and Player C had 565 pass attempts.

With those pass attempts in mind; player B had the best completion percentage with a 65.6 success rate. Player A was next at 63 percent.  Player C wasn’t too far behind with a 61.1 percent completion rate.

The major difference with these 3 players would be touchdowns which we all know can vary from year to year depending on a number of factors (Matthew Stafford went from 41 touchdowns down to 20 touchdowns from 2011 to 2012!) Player A led the pack with 43 touchdown passes. Player B comes in second with 28 touchdown passes and Player C brought up the rear with 22 total passing touchdowns.  I do realize these numbers are somewhat far apart but believe me, we’ll get to that.

The final stat is rather important as is usually pertains to negative points in standard fantasy football leagues; interceptions. There may be a direct correlation between pass attempts and interceptions but player C led this category with 15 interceptions in 2012. Players A and B tied with 19 interceptions a piece in 2012.

Now I know that is a lot of data to take in at once so let’s make it simple with league rankings this time;

2012 Passing yards
Player A – 1st in the league
Player B – 3rd in the league
Player C – 10th in the league

2012 Passing yards per game
Player A – 1st in the league
Player B – 3rd in the league
Player C – 9th in the league

2012 Pass attempts
Player A – 2nd in the league
Player B – 3rd in the league
Player C – 8th in the league

2012 Completion percentage
Player A – 10th in the league
Player B – 5th in the league
Player C – 14th in the league

2012 Passing touchdowns
Player A – 1st in the league
Player B – 6th in the league
Player C – 15th in the league

2012 Interceptions
Player A – tied for 1st in the league (aka the most interceptions thrown by a quarterback in 2012)
Player B – tied for 1st in the league
Player C – tied for 12th in the league with 3 other quarterbacks

If you haven’t already figured it out;

Player A – Drew Brees
Player B – Tony Romo
Player C – Carson Palmer

Now take a close look at those numbers and more importantly those rankings. Touchdowns aside Tony Romo is not far behind Drew Brees in a good number of those statistical categories even besting Drew Brees in completion percentage. It is true that Drew Brees had a good number of touchdown passes compared to Tony Romo but stayed focused on the point of this article; fantasy football draft value. In order to even think about getting Drew Brees as your starting fantasy quarterback you are going to
have to grab him before the 4th round in almost every standard fantasy football league. In comparison Tony Romo is currently going as late as the 7th round in mock drafts. Now I am not saying you should draft Tony Romo over Drew Brees nor am I saying that the touchdowns do not matter. I am simply saying that across the board the only thing separating these two fantasy quarterbacks at great length is the number of touchdowns. Tony Romo clearly has the opportunity to throw more touchdowns, which has been made clear by his number of pass attempts. Half of fantasy football is a gamble; you are gambling that a certain player will outperform another player based on his position on draft day. It is unlikely that Tony Romo will outperform Drew Brees in 2013 but he does have the supporting cast around him to shine (Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten make up one of the league’s top receiving corps) and the numbers are close enough for me to take that gamble and grab another highly coveted skill position player on draft day. Fantasy football is all about value and risk/reward! The third round (which is where you will have to grab Drew Brees) has been yielding players like Jimmy Graham, Montee Ball, Darren Mcfadden, Randall Cobb and Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald is a monster and a former first round fantasy football draft pick, which leads me to player C - Carson Palmer. Carson Palmer is now paired with Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. That dynamic duo is also paired with Bruce Arians. Bruce Arians is the same pass happy play caller that had Andrew Luck (a rookie in 2012) slinging the rock to the tune of 4,374 passing yards with 23 touchdowns. I realize that Carson Palmer’s 2012 numbers do not hold up against Drew Brees or Tony Romo but look at the supporting casts. Tony Romo had Jason Witten, Dez Bryant and Miles Austin. Drew Brees had Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston, Lance Moore and Darren Sproles. Poor Carson had Denarius Moore, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Rod Streater. That trio is pedestrian at best compared to the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts. Carson Palmer is currently going as late as the 16th round in mock drafts. 

If you want to draft a quarterback in the first three rounds of your fantasy draft you go right ahead, after all it is your fantasy football team. Someone like Drew Brees is sure to produce high octane fantasy numbers, but will your team be lacking elsewhere? I would rather roll with two quarterbacks from later rounds and retain my top 3 draft selections for skill positions with slimmer options heading into this season. If you go with the two players above one of them is likely to pan out. The moral of the story is spending a top 3 pick on a fantasy quarterback just is not necessary in 2013; there is far better value to be had in later rounds.

Still not sure which fantasy quarterback to target in 2013? Check out our 2013 preseason quarterback rankings or feel free to write in seven days a week for free fantasy football draft advice!

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2013 Fantasy Football Draft Advice

07/26/2013

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The 2013 fantasy football season is almost upon us! Ok so we are still a good month and change away from kickoff weekend but your fantasy football draft will be here before you know it. If you have dreams of grandeur (which if you are reading this article you clearly do) then you must begin your draft preparation well in advance! There are oh so many question marks this season and far fewer “sure things” than ever before. Which Quarterback is ready to take it to the next level and join the ranks of the elite fantasy football quarterbacks? Which rookie running backs will emerge as the next surefire studs? Which top tier fantasy wide receiver falls off the map this season and who takes his place? With all the New England tight end issues which other tight ends should you target this year? The list goes on and on and while it is important to know the right names heading into your 2013 fantasy draft it is equally important to know when to draft those players. Draft day value is more important than ever in 2013.  So what exactly do you need to know heading into your draft this year? Let’s jump right into it;

Know the Rules!
This first one goes without saying but it is imperative that you know your leagues rules! How many players are in your league? What’s the scoring system? How many players from each position must your start each week?  Those three questions alone will dictate a good percentage of your draft strategy. If you are in a PPR league (point per reception) you’ll want to target running backs that catch a lot of passes over those who are not as involved in the passing game. If you must start three receivers or two quarterbacks you will need to draft accordingly to avoid any lame duck starters. The number of players or owners in your league will determine a lot of the value each player carries. In larger leagues (12+ teams) you will find the need to pull the trigger on those thinner positions a lot sooner than you would in say an eight or ten team league. This leads to my next point;

Know your draft position!

This rule only applies to traditional draft formats and snake drafts; does not apply to auction format drafts.

Knowing where you draft each round will be pivotal to your fantasy football success in 2013. Many leagues base this year’s draft order on last year’s final standings.  If that is the case with your league you will be in good shape from a draft day preparation standpoint. If your draft order is determined at random just before the draft you can still certainly prepare yourself you’ll just have to work a little harder beforehand and really know your stuff. I highly recommend doing several mock drafts in the months leading up to your fantasy football draft. The best place for this would be espn.com where you will find numerous fantasy football mock drafts running round the clock. If you know which pick you own this upcoming season play out several scenarios, several times. This season I think it’s clear that in most cases you will want to take a running back with your first round selection, so maybe try that first and go from there. Although most will go with a running back in the first round of their 2013 fantasy draft it certainly won’t hurt to see what will happen if you take a quarterback or wide receiver with your first round selection. For those of your picking at the end of the first round this year in 10 and 12 team leagues you may very well be taking a quarterback or wide receiver with your  first draft pick depending on your style and preferences. Don’t be afraid to try different things when prepping for your draft, that’s what mock drafts are for! I have never gone into a draft without having done at least 4 or 5 different mock drafts with the scoring system and league size in mind.

You do not have to go with the flow!

The flow in this case would be the inevitable runs that will occur with every position. Runs are when several owners decide to take a certain position one after another which seemingly depletes the inventory at that spot causing increased demand. As expected, there will be a run on running backs in the first two rounds of all standard formats. I cannot stress enough how very important it is to get at least one running back during that portion of your 2013 fantasy draft. Aside from that make sure you are picking for value and necessity, don’t get caught up in positional runs unless it makes sense for your fantasy team. 9 times out of 10 getting a guy at the tail end of a run will turn out to be a wasted draft pick. I would much rather start a run then be selecting at the end of a run. Lets say you have already selected a running back in the 1st round (which I highly recommend doing this season) and you notice the run on running backs continues on into the second round, you may want to consider taking a wide receiver or tight end instead depending on which running backs are left (Jimmy Graham should be the only tight end to be selected before the 4th round this season) the bottom line here is don't draft a certain position based on the flow of your fantasy football draft.


Do you homework and have a backup plan!

Going into a draft you should always have targets in mind but be sure to have a backup plan in place should your targeted players be selected before your turn to pick. You do not want to be that guy scrambling around with one minute on the clock trying to find a decent player to select; it is embarrassing and does not bode well for your fantasy success. Use our 2013 fantasy football rankings as a guideline but be sure to create your own cheat sheet based on your preferences and league rules.

Have fun with it!

Remember, this is Fantasy football. Build your team as you see fit. If you have a misstep that’s not a problem, you may just need to pull off a trade or two during the regular season.  Do not forget, we are here to help with free fantasy football trade advice 7 days a week! Good luck with your draft!

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Fantasy Tight End Shake Up!

06/28/2013

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What an eventful week in the world of Fantasy football tight ends! This week saw Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots led away from his home in handcuffs. He was immediately dropped by the New England Patriots and therefore rendered useless from a fantasy football perspective. This was a huge development when you consider that Aaron Hernandez was our #3 overall fantasy tight end coming into the 2013 season. While the court cases are pending and Rob Gronkowski is mending one cannot help but ask who on earth is going to catch the ball in New England this season. I think it is clear that Danny Amendola gets a big boost in targets and could attain the numbers Wes Welker had before the emergence of New England’s tight end friendly offensive scheme. The real question is which tight end emerges from the depth chart to fill the void. The obvious selection would be Jake Ballard who experienced moderate success with the New York Giants two years ago. He spent all of 2012 inactive after knee surgery but could and should be ready to roll this season for the Patriots. Given Jake Ballard’s skill set and the offense New England likes to run he could be in line for some serious targets this season. Even if Rob Gronkowski doesn’t miss any time Ballard will still have value as a #2 Fantasy tight end with high upside. We have bumped him up to our #10 fantasy football tight end in our pre-season rankings. Keep a close eye on Ballard this pre-season and make sure he is on your radar come draft day.

Draft day is right around the corner. Be sure to write in day or night for unlimited fantasy football draft advice!


David - The Trade Expert

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Fantasy Football Keeper Questions

06/21/2013

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It’s that time again! Time to dust off the old laptop and get down to studying for the 2013 fantasy football season! Our preseason fantasy football rankings are live but for those of you in keeper leagues your roster questions will like require a more in depth look. With the vast array of different league rules, number of keepers permitted and keeper contracts these in depth decisions are not a matter for the untrained eye. Write in to our team of experts for any fantasy football keeper league help you might need this preseason!

 David - The Trade Expert

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Trade Jimmy Graham for Arian Foster?

11/26/2012

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  Name
John

Fantasy Team Name

Proposed Trade
PPR league, I'm weak at Running Back and have been starting Jimmy Graham and Jason Witten as Tight End and Flex. Should I trade Jimmy Graham for Arian Foster?

Thanks,
John

John,
Thanks for writing in. That’s a tough one to answer without seeing just how weak you really are at running back. As of this writing both Tight ends have been PPR gold. Witten has 82 receptions and Jimmy Graham has 55; that’s a lot of points to give up but you really could gain a lot by getting the best and most reliable running back in the game with Arian Foster (who has caught 25 passes himself) I really have no problem pulling the trigger on that one since you would be retaining the more valuable PPR Tight end in the deal and getting the best running back possible. Aside from the Pittsburgh match up, there is nothing scary about the cowboys upcoming schedule, in fact it's rather inviting! I would be curious to see your running back depth though so feel free to write back when you get a moment.

Best of luck in week 13! Write in as much as you like for free fantasy football trade advice!

David - The Trade Expert

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Should I Trade for Darren McFadden?

11/14/2012

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Name
Chris

Fantasy Team Name


Proposed Trade
It's a weird redraft league. Its standard format, except receptions are worth 2 points and 20 return yards are worth 1 point. You can start 2 running backs, 3 wide receivers, and 1 flex spot. I have Arian Foster, Maurice Jones-Drew, Alfred Morris, and Ahmad Bradshaw at running back. I have Danny Amendola, Demayrius Thomas, Marques Colston, Roddy White, Kenny Britt, and Anquan Boldin at wide receiver. I'm being offered a trade: Darren McFadden, James Jones, Brandon Marshall for Alfred Morris, Danny Amendola, Demayrius Thomas. It seems like a great trade for me, but wide receivers tend to have more value with the 2 points awarded per reception. Would you do the trade?

Chris,

Thanks for writing in. On paper it looks great but upon further review I think I would pass on this fantasy football trade offer as it stands right now. Here is my reasoning; 1) Darren Mcfadden is hurt and does not have a reputation of being a fast healer. Since it doesn’t look like you can count on Maurice Jones Drew running out of the tunnel anytime soon that would leave you starting Arian Foster and Ahmad Bradshaw. Not only is Bradshaw on a bye this week but he is also a high injury risk and is losing significant touches to Andre Brown. Ahmad Bradshaw is not a bad option but he’s trending downward and as of this writing, not someone I am putting my fantasy football championship hopes on. 2) James Jones has had a nice little season thus far but of the 4 wide receivers involved he has a mere 40 catches! Brandon Marshall is the obvious prize of this deal with 67 receptions thus far and I would love for you to get him, I just think you lack the running back depth to make the deal happen right now. That said, If you have a cushion in your fantasy league and can afford to take a loss or two while you wait on Darren Mcfadden and his 31 receptions then by all means take the deal! (Keep in mind 13 of those receptions came in one game) If it were me though I would try to get another running back to fill in this week in place of James Jones. If there is a viable option for the one week (Marcel Reece?) on the waiver wire then the deal would work as well. I don’t think you are far off on this trade offer but the Giants week 11 bye isn’t helping from a fantasy football stand point.

Hope this helps! Write in as much as you like for free fantasy football trade advice!

David - The Trade Expert

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Fantasy Trade Marques Colston for Andre Johnson

11/12/2012

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Name
tj

Fantasy Team Name
ouch

Proposed Trade
Should I trade Marques Colston for Andre Johnson?

Tj,
Thanks for writing in. I strongly prefer the Marques Colston side of that deal. He hasn't really outperformed Andre Johnson on paper this season aside from the number of touchdowns; 7 to 2 in Colston's favor. But  touchdowns count! Marques Colston is on a prolific passing offense and will get  more opportunities down the stretch.

Hope this helps! Best of luck in week 11! Write in as much as you like for free fantasyfootball trade  analysis.

David -The Trade Expert

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Fantasy Trade for Ben Roethlisberger

11/11/2012

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Name
Joel

Fantasy Team Name
Voracious Turtles


Proposed Trade
I trade away Julio Jones. I have decent depth for Wide receivers, including Demaryius Thomas, Percy Harvin, Danny Amendola, and Greg Jennings(IR).

I receive Ben Roethlisberger. Currently, I have Michael Vick and Tony Romo. Not impressed by either thus far.

What do you think?

Joel,
Thanks for writing in. That’s a tough one considering the way Michael Vick and Tony Romo have played thus far. When you factor in Percy Harvin’s ankle injury and Danny Amendola’s injury history I think you have to hold off for at least one more week. Julio Jones has a dream match up this week against the Saints after goes off you can sell high and get a bit more than Ben Roethlisberger who has in fact been quietly pretty good this year. I do like Tony Romo’s upcoming schedule; he has a week 15 match up with the stingy Steelers’ defense but beyond that there is nothing to scary on the fore front. I can understand why you want to make a move but I think given the injuries you might be best served to roll the dice with Romo for the foreseeable future.

Hope this helps! Best of luck in week 10! Write in as much as you like for free fantasy football trade analysis!

David - The Trade Expert

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Should I Trade Julio Jones?

11/10/2012

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Name
doninator

Fantasy Team Name
igor's revenge

Proposed Trade
Would you trade Julio Jones for Desean Jackson and Randall Cobb?


 Doninator,
Thanks for writing in. I would definitely pass on that one. Yes I am aware that the Packers are banged up at wide receiver. Yes I realize the Packers have been feeding Randall Cobb the ball but Julio Jones is clearly the most talented player in this equation and too much to give up. Even if you are in need of fantasy wide receiver depth it is still not a deal I am making. The Philadelphia offense is a dumpster fire and productivity comparable to what Desean Jackson is offering can be found on the waiver wire. If you want to trade Julio Jones wait until he explodes this week against the Saints then sell high. Even then I probably wouldn’t want to deal Julio, he’s very talented.

Hope this helps! Write in as much as you like for free fantasy football trade analysis!

David – The Trade Expert

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Fantasy Trade for Aaron Rodgers

11/09/2012

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Name
Brandon

Fantasy Team Name
untouchables

Proposed Trade
this guy proposed a trade to me right before the deadline. Aaron Rodgers, Rashard Mendenhall, and Danny Amendola. He wanted from me Michael Vick,  MJD (whose injured), and Eric Decker. The guy is 3 and 6, so I might not see him in the playoffs. Do you think this a good trade to accept. By the way, I have freeman at Quarterback but really want a stud I can trust going into the playoffs.

Brandon,

Thanks for writing in. I really hate to give up Eric Decker who has been great with Peyton Manning at the helm but in this case I think you have to. I don’t think Maurice Jones Drew is going to play anytime soon, but then again I don’t think Rashard Mendenhall will either making them a wash. It really comes down to Michael Vick and Eric Decker for Aaron Rodgers and Danny Amendola. We know all about the quarterbacks so it really comes down to the receivers in this deal. He gains getting Eric Decker but you gain immensely getting Aaron Rodgers. Danny Amendola could prove serviceable once again if he can get/stay on the field which has always been a problem for him. I would try to get a more reliable fantasy football wide receiver but if the other guy wont budge take the deal anyway.

Best of luck in week 10! Write in as much as you like for free fantasy football trade analysis!

David - The Trade Expert

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    The Trade Expert

    David Olivarez
    [email protected]

    Long time fantasy football expert with league insider knowledge and a knack for making big deals happen! Each week I’ll be answering trade and roster option submissions, highlighting those that might help all of our subscribers! Bring any and all questions our way, our service is unlimited and 100% free!

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