Tag: Tyrod Taylor

From First-Rounders to Forgotten: Breaking Down Backup QB Tiers

Ranking lists are fun, but this time of year—smack in the middle of fantasy football draft weekend—tiers matter just as much as straight rankings. And now that NFL rosters are cut down to 53, it’s the perfect time to sort out the backup quarterback landscape.

So instead of just rattling off names, let’s group these guys into buckets. Some inspire hope, some inspire panic, and some inspire the same feeling you get when you find an old Blockbuster card in your wallet.

I Was a First-Round Pick, Now I’m Not Even QB1

  • Buffalo – Mitchell Trubisky
  • Miami – Zach Wilson
  • Indianapolis – Anthony Richardson
  • Las Vegas – Kenny Pickett
  • Los Angeles Chargers – Trey Lance
  • New York Giants – Jameis Winston & Jaxson Dart
  • Washington – Marcus Mariota
  • Minnesota – Carson Wentz
  • Atlanta – Kirk Cousins
  • Carolina – Andy Dalton
  • Tampa Bay – Teddy Bridgewater
  • San Francisco – Mac Jones

This is the “fallen angels” tier. Some are permanently relegated to backup status, but a few still have life left in the career arc. Cousins is the obvious “could start again” guy, while Richardson just needs health and improved decision making to reclaim his job. Jones, Wilson, and Pickett are still under 30, which in QB years is young enough to dream of resurrection. Dart? He’ll get thrown in at some point since they did just spend a first rounder on him.

You Know I Started a Super Bowl, Right?!?!

  • Los Angeles Rams – Jimmy Garoppolo

Matthew Stafford’s health is always a headline, but somehow people forget the Rams have one of the most decorated backups in football. Garoppolo is basically the walking, talking version of “break glass in case of emergency.” And for what it’s worth, Stetson Bennett IV looked sharp this preseason too.

Shipping Off Kenny Pickett Cleared Things Up

  • Cleveland – Dillon Gabriel & Shedeur Sanders

Joe Flacco holds the starter’s seat while Deshaun Watson waits on the PUP, but the depth chart behind him is rookies. Gabriel is technically QB2, but no rookie got more preseason airtime than Shedeur Sanders. ESPN might as well rename their morning block “First Take, Then Shedeur.”

We’re Screwed If He Plays

  • Baltimore – Cooper Rush
  • Cincinnati – Jake Browning
  • Philadelphia – Tanner McKee/Sam Howell

No offense—okay, maybe a little offense—but these guys are ok at best. The problem is they back up Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Jalen Hurts. That’s a Grand Canyon–sized talent gap.

We’re Screwed No Matter Who Starts

  • New Orleans – Tyler Shough

Kellen Moore handed the starting job to Spencer Rattler, leaving Shough as the backup. Both would be QB3s on half the rosters in the league. Saints fans deserve hazard pay this season.

Haven’t Heard That Name in a Minute

  • Pittsburgh – Mason Rudolph
  • Jacksonville – Nick Mullens
  • Tennessee – Brandon Allen
  • Denver – Jarrett Stidham
  • Kansas City – Gardner Minshew
  • Detroit – Kyle Allen
  • Seattle – Drew Lock

They’ve all started NFL games. They’ve all been forgotten just as quickly. Minshew at least has a cult following, but the rest? If you walked into a room full of them with prefilled nametags, you’d probably mess up at least three.

At Least It Would Be Interesting

  • Dallas – Joe Milton III

Nobody knows if Milton can actually play NFL quarterback. But the arm strength is cartoonish and the athleticism is legit. If nothing else, it’d be must-see chaos.

Proper Backup QB Situations

  • New England – Joshua Dobbs
  • New York Jets – Tyrod Taylor
  • Houston – Davis Mills
  • Chicago – Tyson Bagent
  • Green Bay – Malik Willis
  • Arizona – Jacoby Brissett

This is what a team wants in the room: guys who’ve started before, can step in without changing the scheme, and won’t completely sink the ship. They’re not franchise saviors, but they’re professional quarterbacks.

Backup QBs are one of the NFL’s strangest ecosystems—halfway houses for washed starters, landing pads for rookies, and random storage bins for names you forgot were still on payroll. But as history keeps reminding us, you never really appreciate a backup until you’re watching one play in December with your season on the line.

10 Crazy Fantasy Football Predictions

We may be one game into the NFL season, and most fantasy drafts have already taken place, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have some crazy predictions. For people who read Matthew Berry of ESPN, this will be somewhat similar to his “You Heard Me” column in these are predictions unlikely to come true, but I wouldn’t be shocked if it did. I am also not going to put together a prediction for each team, but have 10 crazy predictions that I could see happening, and if you end up with these guys on your team (either via trade or free agency) you can get real value.

1) The best Allen in Jacksonville will be Hurns: Allen Robinson has been pegged as a sleeper in Jacksonville this year, but I am left underwhelmed and think Allen Hurns could be the one that breaks out instead. In 2014, Hurns caught a higher percentage of his targets for more yards per catch. Robinson may have been a second round draft pick while Hurns went undrafted in 2014, and Cecil Shorts may be gone, but Hurns has been the better receiver in games that count. Robinson also missed the second half of the year, meaning he was on pace for a bigger year than Hurns, but it also means quarterback Blake Bortles has significantly more reps with Hurns. Robinson is owned in 90+ percent of leagues, while Hurns is owned in just about 4% (my ownership stats will all be based on ESPN), so even if Hurns keeps it close to Robinson, he will provide a massive value this season.

2) The number two wide receiver in Atlanta will be Leonard Hankerson: Roddy White will turn 34 this year and has become less and less reliable in fantasy. We have seen guys like Harry Douglas and Devin Hester have success with Matt Ryan at QB, and Hankerson is a better receiver than either of those guys. Hankerson is just 26, but has battled injuries for much of his career since being selected in the third round in 2011. His entire career thus far has been in Washington, who has not had an elite passing quarterback since the 90’s. At some point this year the Falcons will want Hankerson to take the torch as the number two target behind Julio Jones, and don’t be surprised if it is sooner than later.

3) The top fantasy QB in the AFC East will be Ryan Tannehill: Tom Brady is back and looks to be in the clear in terms of suspension for the season, and while many people expect Brady to give a finger to the NFL and have a massive season, I think expectations should be tempered. Meanwhile, the fish down in South Beach have are much improved and have a ton of targets for Tannehill. Jarvis Landry showed signs of being a potentially excellent receiver, and rookie DeVante Parker could be a future #1 pass catcher. They also have a guy who can really stretch the field in Kenny Stills, while Greg Jennings might be the best #4 receiver in the league. Add a solid running game with Lamar Miller and Jay Ajayi coming in fresh after he returns following week 8 and new TE Jordan Cameron is one of the most physically gifted tight ends in football when healthy. Tannehill is also much more athletic than he is given credit for, so he will get a few rushing touchdowns this year to go with a breakout season in the air.

4) Tyrod Taylor is a top 12 QB: Ever since his days at Virginia Tech, I have loved Taylor. He has been hidden behind Joe Flacco in Baltimore, but he regularly shined in the pre-season. Now he gets the nod as the starting QB with a Buffalo Bills offense loaded with playmakers. His rushing ability will really help his fantasy stats, but his arm is underrated. With Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin, Robert Woods, and Charles Clay as options down the field, if the defense focuses in on newly acquired LeSean McCoy, there will be plenty of big plays available down the field. McCoy is also excellent in the screen game, which will help inflate Taylor’s value. Get him now in your fantasy league because he will be one of the most popular pickups following his week one matchup against the Colts.

5) John Brown will be a top 10 wide receiver: Maybe I just watched too much of the Cardinals last season given I live in Arizona, but John Brown is really good. He can play in the slot, he can stretch the defense, and the top two receivers are either old or injury prone. Larry Fitzgerald is no longer the number one receiver in Arizona and Michael Floyd can’t handle a Carson Palmer fastball (sent a bone through the skin in training camp), so that makes Brown the number one to open the year. When Carson Palmer was healthy, nobody had more targets than John Brown, and he had a solid year with terrible QB play when Palmer was hurt.

6) Doug Martin will be a top 15 running back: Top 15 might not be crazy bold prediction, but I couldn’t quite go top 10 with him, although it is possible. The Muscle Hamster had a rough year last year, but he has been an elite running back in the league, and it wasn’t all that long ago. The Bucs have a rookie QB who will take advantage of very large receivers, but there is nothing that can help a young QB than a quality run game. Look for the Bucs to run often to help take some of the load off Jameis Winston, and the Bucs schedule isn’t exactly filled with dominant defenses (especially given four games are against the Falcons and Saints). Martin was regularly going in the 5th or 6th rounds of drafts, but could easily provide the return of a second or third rounder.

7) Danny Woodhead will be the best Charger RB in PPR scoring: Melvin Gordon may have been a first round running back in the 2015 draft, but he didn’t exactly look great in the preseason. Woodhead is as reliable as they come, and is sneaky good down at the goal line for such a small back. He will likely be the third down back all season for the Chargers, and will get at least a couple series all to himself each game. The AFC West has some explosive offenses, meaning the Chargers will be in shootouts, which will keep Woodhead on the field more than many are projecting. I am not saying Gordon won’t be good, but with the help of PPR scoring, Woodhead will be the better running back.

8) 2015 will be Michael Crabtree’s best season: The Oakland Raiders have not had a 1,000 yard receiver since Randy Moss, but this year they just might have two. Rookie Amari Cooper is the best pass catcher the Raiders have had since Moss, and Michael Crabtree just might be the second best since then. Derek Carr looks to be the real deal at QB and could flirt with 4,000 yards passing. All those yards have to go to someone in addition to Cooper, and it won’t be Rod Streater or Mychal Rivera. Crabtree’s best season was in 2012 when he caught 85 balls for 1,105 yards and 9 touchdowns. I don’t see the 85 grabs being eclipsed, but 1,100 yards is definitely possible, and 12 touchdowns is within reach. The Raiders don’t totally such this year, and there will be fantasy value coming out of the bay, don’t be surprised if Crabtree is a big part of that.

9) The Cleveland Browns will be a top 5 D/ST: Ok, this might be a little tough, but top 10 just doesn’t seem like enough of a limb to be out on. The Browns spent a pick in each of the first four rounds this past year on defensive help, along with a first in each of the previous two years. They struggled against the run last year, but Danny Shelton should really help with that. Joe Haden might be the best corner in football, and Justin Gilbert is immensely talented, he just really struggled last year. If he takes a step forward this year, the secondary could be excellent and the front seven is getting better. This also takes into account special teams, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Travis Benjamin returns a few kicks to the house this year. (Side note: The Oakland Raiders could be sneaky good too.)

10) Maxx Williams will be a top 15 TE: Steve Smith Sr. is 36 years old, rookie Breshad Perriman is banged up, Torrie Smith is now in San Francisco, Kamar Aiken is listed as a starting wide receiver. All those factors means somebody else needs to step up in the passing game, so why not the Minnesota tight end selected in the second round? Williams was widely ranked as the 25th-30th best tight end heading into drafts, and he may look like those rankings were accurate at the start of the season, but he will have some huge games. He will become a favorite check down option for Joe Flacco before too long, and in the Red Zone, his 6’4” 250 lbs. frame will be a favorite target over the 5’9” Steve Smith or field stretching Perriman. The touchdowns and check downs will allow Williams to dink and dunk his way into a top 15 tight end, and an every week fantasy starter in the second half of the year.