Late night discussion: When to take a QB in fantasy
Louie DiBiase
Twitter-@DiBiaseLOE
In the real world, quarterback is seen by many as the most important position not only in football, but in all of sports. Finding one could create a decade of success regardless of surrounding talent on the roster. The same can't always be said about the position when it comes to fantasy football.
While running backs aren't seen as neccessities for winning a Super Bowl, they are the quarterbacks of fantasy football. Without at least two good ones, your team probably won't be hoisting a fantasy championship.
So if QB is the RB of fantasy and vice versa, does that mean owners can wait until the late-rounds of their draft to pick one up? What is the right strategy? How many quarterbacks in the league are an exception?
Fans took to Twitter for Sunday's "Late Night Discussion" to give their two-cents.
The middle man
Fans appeared to be split on when to target a QB in fantasy drafts. A popular opinion throughout the discussion was not be the first person to take one, but don't be the last either.
Rd 5/6
-- Alexander ---- (@tobermorylife) July 22, 2019
No earlier then 5th-6th round
-- Buffalo Pride (@10Harris76) July 22, 2019
This strategy is for someone looking to prioritize other positions, but still maintain some guarantees when it comes to prodctuion at QB. According to consensus ADP (average draft position) of the position, the likes of Drew Brees, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, and Matt Ryan are all being selected in rounds 5-7.
The early birds
It appears Patrick Mahomes is convincing a lot of people to change their approach at QB.
6th round, 3rd if Mahomes is still there.
-- Jon Hagen (@Sabres_Nation) July 22, 2019
He's my keeper , Mahomes
-- Michael McCully (@HanBri1) July 22, 2019
Round 3 or four. Try to get one before everyone else and you'll get a pretty great one
-- NoahMorse (@NJLM44) July 22, 2019
The reigning league MVP was a late-round pick in most drafts last year but his 50 passing touchdowns won a lot of owners a fantasy championship. That has many wanting to run it back.
Wait, wait, and wait some more
While some want more of the Mahomes experience, others see his success as a reason to wait with the variety of options at the bottom of drafts.
Not sure but I do know I got Mahomes late last year and I won my league so I say wait wait wait
-- Brian (@BrianIsenhart1) July 22, 2019
10th round at the earliest.
-- Eric Esch (@EricEsch) July 22, 2019
As late as possible. Not a valuable fantasy position. All about the skill positions.
-- Asst. Coach Grit E. Bl?collar (@kdcarlson15) July 22, 2019
Looks like the belief is there are plenty of gems to go around.
Author's choice:
There are just too many good options to reach early. While Mahomes or Aaron Rodgers will erase the dissapointing spot-starts throughout the season, the point differential between them and the other quarterbacks is not big enough to take one potentially eight rounds higher.
The potential gap of the opponent's top RB compared to an owner's who selects a QB early is big enough to avoid this strategy. The likes of Carson Wentz, Kyler Murray, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, and Josh Allen are all going later than the 9th round.
Waiting until the final rounds and selecting two players in this tier will provide a much deeper roster at the other positions. Grabbing a duo of strong rushing quarterbacks in Jackson and Allen could be the better bet.
Most leagues have 10-12 teams. One could find at least 15 solid options in the second half of a draft.
Notable quarterbacks with an ADP of Round 9 or lower
PHI QB Carson Wentz
ARI QB Kyler Murray
LAR QB Jared Goff
NE QB Tom Brady
LAC QB Philip Rivers
PIT QB Ben Roethlisberger
TB QB Jameis Winston
DAL QB Dak Prescott
CHI QB Mitchell Trubisky
BAL QB Lamar Jackson
BUF QB Josh Allen
MIN QB Kirk Cousins
DET QB Matthew Stafford
To participate in our daily late night discussions, follow us on Twitter: @WGR550.