2015 Fantasy Football: Quarterback Busts
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Matthew Stafford, Lions (11, $5) – Jay Cutler led the NFL in turnovers last season and still finished ranked ahead of Stafford in fantasy rankings. It might seem like Stafford has been good lately, but 2011 was the only season in his six year career that he was elite (41 TDs | 16 INTs). He’s had a few slightly above-average seasons since then, but in each of the last three years Stafford has had a crap-the-bed game during the fantasy playoffs.
Stafford has the talent to be a top 5 QB, but he’s been in the league for six years now and hasn’t been in the top 5 since 2011. He seems to be getting worse as his career goes on. Stafford has elite weapons around him and may be tempting at his current price, but if you had Stafford as your starting QB anytime since 2012 you probably won’t revisit the Stafford experience in the future. I’d be ok with Stafford as a high-profile backup, but going into the fantasy season with Stafford as #1 is a serious gamble.
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Marcus Mariota, Titans (16, $2) – I am a huge Mariota fan and think he will eventually develop into a top 10 fantasy QB, but it’s not going to happen right away. This season Mariota has his work cut out for him learning a new offense in Tennessee, learning to take snaps under center, and adjusting to less skill player talent around him than he probably had at Oregon. He shouldn’t be ranked ahead of more established QBs like Bridgewater, Cutler, or Palmer,
Yahoo even has Mariota ranked ahead of Jameis Winston, which is bold considering Winston played in a pro-style scheme and has much better weapons around him than Mariota does. It’s possible Mariota’s running ability gives him more fantasy value than the more talented arms in front of him, but his supporting cast is so bad that I am staying away in all non-keeper leagues until next season.
Next: Ranking the Top 50 Fantasy Wide Receivers