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Many savvy fantasy drafters have begun to wait until the middle rounds to take their starting quarterback. The rationale for this strategy is that the quarterback position is the most predictable of the fantasy positions and even a bad quarterback has a good shot at putting up good numbers against a poor pass defense. But what if you want to wait really, really long before drafting your quarterback?
We will take a look at several quarterback streamers who will either be available in the later rounds or could go undrafted, yet could end up combining to score as a QB1. Quarterbacks are listed by ADP from Fantasy Football Calculator based on a 12-team standard league along with weeks where they are expected to have favorable matchups. Because the nature of NFL defenses and their effectiveness can change as the season goes on, I tried to highlight a few options per week to give the quarterback streamer options.
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Late Round Quarterback Values
Ryan Fitzpatrick, New York Jets (ADP-13.09)
Fitzpatrick is back calling the signals for the Jets after prolonged contract negotiations in the offseason. Now that he's signed, the contract dispute doesn't interest us at all as Fitzmagic still has Chan Gailey calling the shots and stud receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker to target. Add in a talented pass-catching back in Matt Forte and Fitzpatrick's 2015 line of 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns can be considered his floor heading into this year.
Weeks to Target:
Week 1 vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 5 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 8 @ Cleveland Browns
Week 9 @ Miami Dolphins
Week 10 vs. Los Angeles Rams
Week 15 vs. Miami Dolphins
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (ADP-14.02)
We have reached a make-or-break year for Tannehill as he's running out of excuses. The former first-round draft pick has a multitude of weapons around him and a new, offensive-minded head coach in Adam Gase. Gase has had success as an offensive coordinator in his previous stops, getting career years from Peyton Manning and coaxing Jay Cutler to one of his most efficient seasons. Tannehill has some upside as a streamer depending one how much faith you are willing to put into Gase's abilities to get the most out of his quarterbacks.
Weeks to Target:
Week 3 vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 4 @ Cincinnati Bengals
Week 5 vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 6 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 11 @ Los Angeles Rams
Week 13 @ Baltimore Ravens
Robert Griffin III, Cleveland Browns (ADP-14.04)
Griffin could be primed to revive his career. Don't laugh, but he ended up in a great landing spot in Cleveland. The Browns have one of the best coaching staffs they've had since returning to the NFL in 1999 as head coach Hue Jackson has had success on offense in most of his stops along his career. Griffin is surrounded by fantastic weapons in Corey Coleman, Josh Gordon, Duke Johnson, Jr., and Terrelle Pryor. As a bonus, RGIII has flashed his trademark running ability in preseason, picking up 36 yards on three carries in his second preseason game.
Weeks to Target:
Week 1 @ Philadelphia Eagles
Week 2 vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 3 @ Miami Dolphins
Week 6 @ Tennessee Titans
Week 9 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 10 @ Baltimore Ravens
Week 17 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (ADP-Undrafted)
Cutler enjoyed one of his most efficient seasons in the NFL, posting a career-high 92.3 QB rating and his second-highest completion percentage of his career. With two talented receivers to target in Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White, plus a productive tight end in Zach Miller, Cutler can be counted on to have some useful weeks as a streamer.
Weeks to Target:
Week 2 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 3 @ Dallas Cowboys
Week 4 vs. Detroit Lions
Week 6 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 12 vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 14 @ Detroit Lions
Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens (ADP-Undrafted)
At this point of his career, we know what we are getting from Flacco. He offers a solid floor without a ton of upside. There's nothing wrong with that when looking for a one-week streamer. On the plus side, offensive guru Marc Trestman is still calling the plays for Baltimore and has been known to be very friendly for quarterbacks from a fantasy perspective. The other thing to consider about Flacco is the division he plays in. He will play four combined games against what should be bottom-10 secondaries in Pittsburgh and Cleveland this season.
Weeks to Target:
Week 2 @ Cleveland Browns
Week 3 @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 9 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 10 vs. Cleveland Browns
Week 11 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 13 vs. Miami Dolphins
Week 15 vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Week 16 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (ADP-Undrafted)
Smith is not an exciting player to roster in fantasy leagues, but he's extremely safe and can be counted upon to not ruin a week with a dismal performance. Another bonus that comes with starting Smith comes in the form of rushing yards as the veteran quarterback can be counted upon to pick up a few extra yards on the ground every week. The Chiefs defense also has several key injuries which may force Andy Reid and Smith to open up the offense a bit more than they have done in previous seasons.
Weeks to Target:
Week 4 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 7 vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 9 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 11 vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 15 vs. Tennessee Titans
Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings (ADP-Undrafted)
Bridgewater enters his third NFL season after being mostly average over his first two campaigns. That being said, he has a full complement of weapons around him with Laquon Treadwell, Stefon Diggs, Charles Johnson, and of course Adrian Peterson. There's some hope that the Vikings could slowly start to open up the offense as they begin to trust Bridgewater more as he matures, similar to what has happened in Seattle with Russell Wilson. Now, Bridgewater is not Wilson, but there's the potential for some productive weeks as a streamer for Bridgewater.
Weeks to Target:
Week 1 @ Tennessee Titans
Week 3 @ Carolina Panthers
Week 8 @ Chicago Bears
Week 9 vs. Detroit Lions
Week 12 @ Detroit Lions
Week 13 vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 14 @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 17 vs. Chicago Bears
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