The late-round quarterback strategy has been around for several seasons now and it’s not hard to see why it’s so successful, especially in leagues that require you to start just one quarterback. In 12-team leagues, only 37.5 percent of all NFL quarterbacks are starters in fantasy lineups every week. The top-12 scorers in any given week will be interchangeable and often dependent on the matchup.
Having said that, every season brings a fringe QB2 who makes the jump into elite QB1 status. This QB is often the catalyst for a fantasy championship. Take Matt Ryan for example. In 2016 drafts, Ryan was selected in the late rounds or not at all. He finished as the No. 2 QB overall. Ryan’s success was a product of his second year in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, and improved play at the skill positions and on the offensive line, among other lesser factors.
Below, our call is to find you this year’s Matt Ryan. We’ll use Fantasy Football Calculator’s ADP data to pick out five quarterbacks who are currently being drafted in the QB2 range but can make the jump to QB1 status in 2017.
Eli Manning, New York Giants
Manning is currently being selected as the QB16 overall after entering last season as a high-upside QB2 pick. The Giants didn’t fix their offensive line this offseason, but Manning threw for 65 touchdowns and averaged more than 4,400 yards passing annually with a similarly talented line in 2014 and 2015. The problem with the Giants’ offense in 2016 is that it got stale and they didn’t have any way to combat the Cover-2 defense that was constantly thrown at them. So they went out and drafted a tight end with 4.42 speed in Evan Engram to bust open the seam. They also added a red-zone monster in Brandon Marshall, who has racked up 42 touchdowns on 62 receptions from inside the red zone since 2010.
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