Fantasy Football

If you are looking to stockpile receivers and running backs like many fantasy football players are wont to do, you may be looking at a shaky quarterback in the later rounds of the draft. Here are the five you don’t want to sit on if you miss out on one of the top nine.

1) David Garrard
With new receivers in Troy Williamson and Jerry Porter, David Garrard might actually have some playmakers who this team has desperately needed. Garrard finally beat out Leftwich for the starting quarterback role, and looks to capitalize on the responsibility by improving on last year’s efficient performance. By efficient, I mean he only had eighteen touchdowns, but those are much more valuable next to only three interceptions.

2) Jay Cutler
Coming off an up-and-down first season assuming the starting position, Cutler could be poised for a breakout year. His numbers were about what you would expect: twenty touchdowns, 14 interceptions and 3,500 passing yards; just good enough for a serviceable quarterback. Generally this is when you see a quarterback make the leap from serviceable to effective, we are actually optimistic that will happen. The same can’t be said for all Colorado natives.

This is just where South Park and Talking Fantasy Football will have to disagree.

3) Matt Schaub
With a healthy receiving core headed by Andre Johnson and a year of experience under his belt (he was all but a rookie last season), Schaub has the potential and the weapons to make up for that surplus of running backs you took. All that said, Andre Johnson’s health really is the key. Of the nine touchdown passes Schaub threw, eight were to Johnson. And that was in nine games. We recommend Schaub, but only with a healthy Andre Johnson to open up the field.

4) Eli Manning
There is an offset chance some Giants nut in your league overdrafts the younger Manning by about a mile, if that is the case then just look at it as one more available receiver or running back available to you later. If not, Eli will give you a steady performance week in, week out (though there are exceptions). If Plaxico figures out what planet he resides on, there is a good chance he applies the experience he got from the Superbowl run.

5) Jake Delhomme
I’d probably only draft him as a backup because you have no idea how he will come back from his season ending injury last year. But if you are in dire straits, the potential here is high as he comes back into an improved offensive line, a real running back, and his second favorite career target back in Muhsin Muhammad to accompany a healthy Steve Smith.

Rounding out the ten best value picks:
6) Donovan McNabb: You may run into the same problem drafting McNabb late as you will have with Eli Manning, but shrug it off and take comfort in the fact that Kevin Curtis will be sidelined for awhile.
7) Philip Rivers: Should improve, might not. If you draft a quarterback in the first eight rounds you won’t have to worry about it.
Jon Kitna: Exactly how many more years does Detroit hope to get out of his averageness? Anyhow, throws for a lot of yards, which should help offset his interceptions.
9) Brady Quinn: If you drafted Derek Anderson, you better be prepared to use a bench spot on Quinn.
10) Matt Ryan: Will obviously stumble along the way, but at least you don’t know what you’re getting. Unless you are in a league that consists of multiple Bostonians or Georgians, he should be available.

Five to avoid in a couple.