Kyle Terada-US Presswire
In recent years, players at the quarterback position have had high ADPs in fantasy football. It makes sense right? You’re on the clock in the first round and see Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers on the board or New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees. How could you possibly pass up on these Pro Bowl caliber quarterbacks?
The fantasy draft in 2013 will be a little different than past year’s drafts. There are multiple quarterbacks throughout the NFL that can consistently produce solid numbers for your fantasy team. The quarterback position is this year’s deepest position. My advice for you is to wait on drafting any player from the offensive shot caller position.
If we learned anything from the 2012 season, it’s that running backs have came back to be a predominate force in the fantasy world. Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson nearly broke the single-season rushing yard record, Houston Texans’ Arian Foster showed us once again he should be one of the most sought after fantasy players, and rookies Doug Martin on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers along with Washington Redskins’ Alfred Morris made an immediate impact on their respective teams.
In the 2013 draft, you’re going to want to go after the ball carrier position before even thinking about selecting a quarterback.
If you don’t land Rodgers or Brees on your team, it’s not the end of the season for you. In fact, if it’s the fourth round and you still haven’t selected a quarterback, it’s not time to panic. There are many guys on the board who you can wait until the later rounds to select who will still have a major impact on your team.
Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan is a veteran who posts solid numbers, Denver Broncos‘ Peyton Manning battled through multiple neck surgeries only to come out with a Pro Bowl season and Indianapolis Colts’ Andrew Luck is a second-year man who looks like he has the knowledge and talent to bring your fantasy team the points it needs to win games.
Detroit Lions’ Matthew Stafford actually set an NFL record with 727 pass attempts in 2012 while getting the ball to possibly the best receiver in the NFL, Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. Eight of the top 11 single-season pass attempt leaders in NFL history have been established since 2010.
The pool of mobile quarterbacks is also quite vast in 2013’s draft. Many fantasy owners look to bring one of these new-age style quarterbacks to their team due to their running abilities. Carolina Panthers’ Cam Newton has troubled defenses with his feet; Redskins’ Robert Griffin III had a monster of a rookie season; Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson proved that his lack of height makes no difference in his performance and San Francisco 49ers‘ Colin Kaepernick was able to take his team to the Super Bowl. Each of these versatile quarterbacks ran for 400-plus yards last season.
The bottom line on drafting a quarterback in this year’s draft is to wait. There are too many possibilities on the board to use one of your top draft picks on. If you wait until the eighth round to select your first quarterback, you won’t be any worse off than if you drafted one in second round.
Use your high draft picks in the 2013 draft to select players from positions that aren’t nearly as deep as the quarterback position is this year.
Tristen Challe is a fantasy writer for Rantsports. Follow him on twitter @TristenChalle
