Draft Strategy

2QB Fantasy Football Strategy

By Marty Borotsik

Posted on July 4, 2013

I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for 23 years, and since 1990, my roster has had 2 starting quarterbacks in the lineup. It never made sense to me that you could have the most important player in the sport not even close to being the most important player in FF

2QB Fantasy

2QB League: Fantasy Football Strategy

I’ve been playing Fantasy Football for 23 years, and since 1990, my roster has had 2 starting quarterbacks in the lineup. …And every summer it bugs me that 1QB leagues dominate this game. It never made sense to me that you could have the most important player in the sport not even close to being the most important player in Fantasy Football.

For instance: heading into 2013, a top-five quarterback such as Cam Newton is on par with the likes of Lamar Miller (fourth round). In a recent mock draft, Colin Kaepernick was drafted just after Pierre Garcon (late fifth round). I am sorry, but if I am a NFL GM, Kaepernick is MUCH higher on my radar than Garcon. This alone is enough for you to consider the challenge of a 2QB league. If so, you have to be aware heading into your draft that the strategy is much different than your everyday ‘standard’ league.

In ‘typical’ FF leagues, if you don’t snag two solid RBs before the end of the third round, there is a good chance you will be spending the majority of September playing the waiver wire, looking for that diamond in the rough that can help propel your team into the playoffs. It happens to be similar in 2QB leagues.

Just looking at the point differential, the #10 QB last year was Matt Stafford, who put up 325 pts. The #10 RB was Frank Gore with 202 points. At WR, #10 was Victor Cruz with 181 pts. You can see that when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck (or points for your draft position) it’s almost mandatory that you take 2QBs in the first three rounds.

As the NFL continues to evolve into a passing league more and more each year, QBs are very deep. We now have an upper echelon of passers that is ten deep (in order of my cheatsheet): Aaron Rodgers, Payton Manning, Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick, Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, Andrew Luck, and Russell Wilson. You could probably throw Tony Romo, RG3, and Ben Roethlisburger at the bottom of this list, too. It is mandatory that you have one of these players as your QB1, meaning that you will most likely spend a first or second round pick on this QB1.

But the key factor to a 2QB Fantasy Football Strategy, is your second QB. Those who stuck with Romo through to the end, or stashed Wilson or Kaepernick early in the season, were probably rewarded with sips of champagne out of the league trophy. Going into this year, finding that QB2 who can compete at a high level is daunting. Who of that next tier of QBs is worth a third or fourth round pick to help vault your team to the next level?

Here are five of my favorite potential ‘Difference Makers’ available for QB2:

Ryan Tannehill – Miami’s offense is an up-and-coming threat in the NFL. Already blessed with RB Lamar Miller and WR Brian Hartline, they spent the offseason getting new toys: All-pro WR Mike Wallace and jets castoff TE Dustin Keller. All of these threats on the offensive side of the ball, plus another year under an NFL offense for Tannehill means the ceiling is VERY high. Chances of Stepping Up: 8.5 out of 10

Jay Cutler – Talent around Cutler has never been a problem (Brandon Marshall at WR and Matt Forte at RB), but what makes this year different is that the Bears have brought in former Montreal Alouette head coach Mark Trestmen, who is known for creativity within the passing game. Trestman brought in former Saints RB coach Aaron Kromer as offensive coordinator, making this a really interesting situation. The new offense could mean big numbers for Cutler, Marshall and the rest of the offense. Chances of Stepping Up: 7.5 out of 10

Josh Freeman – Year number two under Greg Schiano, it seems like this is a true make-or-break season for Freeman. He now has the talent around him (Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams and Doug Martin), but Freeman has to prove he can consistently put up big numbers in a high scoring division. Chances of Stepping Up: 7 out of 10

Philip Rivers – After back-to-back sub-par years for Rivers and the Chargers, changes were made in the coaching staff. Out is perennial loser Norv Turner, and in comes former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. In the past, McCoy has been able to make the best out of working with the likes of Tim Tebow and Kyle Orton, giving hope that he can inject a shot of adrenaline Philip Rivers’ career, which as of now, is on life support. Chances of Stepping Up: 6.5 out of 10

Sam Bradford – It’s been a tough transition into the NFL for Sam Bradford, and as the last #1 overall pick before a rookie salary cap was put in place, the Rams are left wondering if Bradford is the answer. They have brought in rookie Tavon Austin to be matched up with Chris Givens, which will allow Bradford to have some open targets all over the field. A lack of a real talented runner is going to put pressure on Bradford to make plays happen. Chances of Stepping Up: 5 out of 10

I have given you the knowledge to let your QB2 slide to round 4. This should allow you to pick up 2 starting running backs in rounds 2-3, therefore giving you a leg up against your competition. Next week I will write about deep sleepers at QB that you can count on when needed.

Marty Borotsik

Marty has spent 23 of his life managing multiple fantasy football teams and cheering for the Seattle Seahawks. He currently lives in Calgary, Canada, where he is forced to go watch CFL football.

Related Items:Colin Kaepernick, Jay Cutler, Josh Freeman

7 Comments

Fantasy Flyer

July 29, 2013 at Monday, July,29

Marty…what do you think of Dalton. I think if Dalton has a healthy Sanu he might be able to rip it up. They have a pretty interesting 1-2 tandem at TE with Gresham and Eifert, and the middle will be pretty open with people attempting to double AJ. I think the Dalton could have a pretty decent year. I don’t see many people talking Dalton up. He seems to have some pretty capable weapons.

I had Wilson last year, took him with the very last pick of our draft. I had him and Rodgers as my 2 QB tandem down the stretch and I got the trophy

Reply
David Berk

July 14, 2013 at Sunday, July,14

Excellent article! I also play in a 2 QB PPR league with 12 teams that awards 6pts per TD. I have a keeper dilemma and was looking for some clarity. Which 2 players would you keep:

1) R. Wilson (10th round)
2) C. Kaepernick (10th round)
3) Alfred Morris (10th round)
4) Lamar Miller (10th round)
5) Randall Cobb (12th round)
6) AJ Green (7th round)

We start 3 RBs, 3 WRs, and a flex with the 2 QBs.

Thanks for your time.

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- Jody Smith
  
  July 16, 2013 at Tuesday, July,16
  
  David,
  
  Obviously AJ Green is your first keeper and the best value I see. I’m interested in Morris because it’s a great value too, but he won’t do anything to help you as a receiver. Since you start 2 QB’s and get 6 points per passing TD, I’d seriously think about keeping Colin Kaepernick as my 2nd keeper, again, because of the value.
  1. Green
  2. Kaepernick
  3. Morris
  4. Cobb
  5. Wilson
  6. Miller
  
  Reply
Marty Borotsik

July 10, 2013 at Wednesday, July,10

Hi Sean,

Thanks for your question. Personally, the 1st overall pick for me would go to AD, and that is because QBs are MUCH deeper this year than RBs. You can find starters in round 2-3 for QB, but the RBs will be thin by round 3.

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Sean Parks

July 10, 2013 at Wednesday, July,10

If you are in a 2 qb league where quarterbacks are awarded 4 points for a passing td, what would you do with the #1 overall pick? Do you take AP and lock up a stud running back and take quarterbacks in rounds 2 and 3. Or do you secure a quarterback with the first pick?

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- Jody Smith
  
  July 13, 2013 at Saturday, July,13
  
  Sean,
  Although the logic states that nabbing a top QB makes sense, most people are still taking Peterson or other RB’s because of the scarcity of that position vs. the depth of the QB position. Personally, I’d try to trade down and take a QB at the bottom of 1, if possible. If not, there’s nothing wrong with taking Brees or Rodgers in this format, just be prepared to sacrifice RB depth. However, if you were to go QB/QB, that would probably more that make up the points of a sure to be depleted RB corps.
  
  Reply
John Young

July 5, 2013 at Friday, July,5

Thank you for bringing a dose of reality for those of us in a 2-QB league. While there are some fantasy analysts that actually address the issues of a 2-QB league, most simply ignore it. Using the same logic you presented with regards to the amount of points differential between a middling QB and the equivalent RB/WR, I always drafted two QBs in the first three rounds. Using this strategy, I finished in the money four out of five seasons in my league.
Thanks again for your input. Unless I get the first pick in my league with a shot at A. Peterson, I will be taking a top-tier QB at the start of my league’s draft.

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