2020 Mid & Late Round Gems to Target: Quarterbacks
Quarterback is the most important position on the field in the game of football. In fantasy football, depending on your scoring system, it can be just another position or the top scoring spot on your team. However, regardless of the format it is important to have middle and late round targets. The options listed below are highly recommended in the popular 1 QB redraft leagues with 4 point passing TD’s.
Injuries, suspensions or holdouts can happen at anytime, be that during preseason or the regular season. You hope it doesn’t happen to your fantasy players players but it seems as though it is inevitable as least one or two players will be lost for a period of time. This leaves fantasy owners having to start players that they have very little faith in, especially in leagues with larger rosters and thin waiver wires.
Therefore, it is important to find those mid or late-round gems. Guys that can step in and perform. Sure, they most likely won’t lead your team in points, but they can produce enough to sustain your team and keep you from tanking. I’ll be recommending certain players that have an ADP after Round 6 who can step right in and produce. Some leagues can be won or lost in these critical rounds.
Matthew Stafford | Detroit Lions
Stafford missed the final eight weeks of the season in 2019, but prior to the injury he was on pace for over 40 touchdowns and 5000 yards. As for this injury-prone tag that Stafford has right now? Well, he went seven straight seasons starting all 16 games prior to losing half of the season in 2019. If he is back on the field at full strength this year then he certainly has some nice talent around him.
The Lions drafted RB DeAndre Swift in April, after taking TE T.J. Hockenson in 2018 and have a nice WR duo of Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones to lean on. If you choose to wait on QB, Stafford is one to target. Chances are he may out produce many of the quarterbacks currently being drafted ahead of him, names like Tom Brady, Drew Brees or Carson Wentz.
Related | FANTASY FOOTBALL: MATT STAFFORD OFFERS VALUE IN 2020
Baker Mayfield | Cleveland Browns
Last season was an epic fail for Mayfield and the Browns. While Mayfield’s numbers started to pick up towards the end of last season, he was no more than a plug and play option. However, the Browns new head coach, Kevin Stefanski, helped Kirk Cousins to the fourth best passer rating in the NFL last season, as Cousins threw just six interceptions.
We all know that coach Stefanski ran the ball a lot in Minnesota as their offensive coordinator and why wouldn’t he with a stud like Dalvin Cook? In Cleveland you have two of the best RBs in the league with Chubb and Hunt. With an effective running game, Mayfield should have more time to find the consistency and efficiency in this new offense.
His upside may not be quite as high as it was under the Freddie Kitchens offense, but his floor should increase a decent amount. Look for his average to increase from a paltry 14 points per game to around 18. That’s good value for the 15th QB off the board.
Jared Goff | Los Angeles Rams
Goff was a different quarterback last season compared to the 2018 version that led his team to the Super Bowl. In 2018 Goff finished with just over 290 total fantasy points, in 2019, that dropped to just 232. He definitely fell flat in certain weeks.
The identity of the offense had to change and coach McVay appeared to realise that over the last month and a half of the season. Goff finished strong in the final five weeks (13-17), average 19 points per game during that stretch and throwing for over 275 yards in each contest. He also threw two touchdowns in 4 of those games and three in the final contest. It was quite a turn around considering in weeks 10 through 12 he threw for a total of zero touchdowns.
In the offseason, the Rams traded away Brandin Cooks and cut Todd Gurley. Adding playmakers via the draft in RB Cam Akers and WR Van Jefferson should help and they still possess one of the best WR duos in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. McVay knows his offense and so expect to see the Rams and Goff find more consistency in their redesigned offense. Goff is a nice sleeper who should be able to put up solid numbers. If you are willing to wait on QB, he is a great option.
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