QB…or not QB…THAT is the question!

Well that is probably the closest I will ever come to quoting Shakespeare in my blog.

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry the FFOC has been conducting drafts since early June, exclusively in the form of Q School. In fact, we had over 200 teams participate in these drafts.

 July 1 marked the start of the REAL thing though, the FFOC Tier Drafts. While the message board has been swamped with people asking “What do you think of the team I just drafted?”, the prevailing topic of  discussion amongst most players seems to center around the QB position. Yes – they are flying off the FFOC draft boards. Drew Brees is a regular Top 5 pick, and Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner are not too far behind.

For the fantasy football veterans out there, this is a distinct change from what has been the norm for several years. Early parts of drafts have traditionally been dominated by RB and WR selections. Maybe I am too much in favor of equal opportunity, but when I designed the rules for FFOC, I did not hesitate in deciding that QBs could be used as the offensive option player (also known as OP or Flex). They play on offense just like RBs, WRs, and TEs – so why exclude them?

The key to wearing the Ivory Jacket in Las Vegas this December may not be choosing the right QB with your early round pick, but instead finding the late round QB that is going to have the productive season. Reigning Open Champ Shane Schroeder proved this last year when he used mid round pick to select Philip Rivers. I normally don’t do this, (but hey there is a first time for everything) – I am going to list 3 QB sleepers that I think you can pluck with a mid round pick and get exceptional, difference making production out of. In reverse order:

3) Matt Cassel, Kansas City Chiefs

Proved in 2008 that he belongs in the league, and that he is worthy of being a starter. He especially looked strong in the second half of the season once he entered his comfort zone gaining confidence with each game. KC made a significant investment in him, and brought in a coaching staff that put up HUGE passing numbers in Arizona. Add to this that KC will likely be playing catch up for at least 2/3 of the season, and you could end up with a nice statistical package with Cassel.

2) Kyle Orton, Denver Broncos

Let’s get past the obvious – while in New England Josh McDaniels orchestrated a system that involved lots of passing, short routes, quick slants, etc. If he is successfully able to bring a mere 60% of the Patriots offensive production with him to Denver then Orton is already a decent mid-round selection in your FFOC draft. The element that  I wish to focus on however is the pride and perception factor. For McDaniels, there is no option – Orton HAS TO HAVE A BIG YEAR, and it does not necessarily have to result in numbers in the win column. Most NFL head coaches get a pass in their first year when it comes to W’s and L’s. For McDaniels to survive his new gig, he needs to be able to prove to EVERYONE that he was right. He will do everything he can make sure that Orton throws for 3,900 yards and over 20 TDs. He can then give Cutler the middle finger, and con the Broncos faithful into backing him for another couple of seasons. I think you can enjoy success with Orton as a mid round draft choice.

1) Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles

McNabb is not getting near the respect of some of the other QB’s in FFOC drafts. He is clearly looked upon as a 2nd tier QB. I think he is going to have a huge year. The Eagles have given him more weapons to work with, and they have also strengthened the offensive line in front of him. McNabb has always been an accurate thrower, and historically he has had MONSTER games in terms of fantasy points. He has big play WR’s, which in the FFOC can mean an extra 2 points for scores 40 yards or more. The Eagles are contenders to win the NFC, and McNabb is intelligent enough to realize that the window of opportunity is now for his team to get back to the big dance. My gut tells me that fantasy owners are going to be kicking themselves for passing on McNabb.

So there you go. You can wait on any of these three QB’s and use some of your earlier picks to grab some quality RBs and WRs. You can also simply ignore this whole blog. I am not one of those fantasy football experts, just some guy who knows how to come up with a pretty cool contest!

Talk soon….

Stan