Roundtable: Stretch-Run QBs
Patrick Daugherty: Outside of this season’s Big Five at quarterback — Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Drew Brees — who do you feel like you can trust? Everyone has had issues. The bottom seems to have fallen out on the dual threats, while old pocket standbys like Matt Ryan and Jay Cutler have slowly gone to pieces.
Do you see any rays of light? I love Matthew Stafford’s stretch-run schedule (vs. TB, vs. MIN, @CHI), especially after he finally delivered on his promise against the Bears. Then there’s Jay Cutler, who was No. 8 on the year coming into Week 13. He seems to mix the horrifying with gratifying. I just find a quarterback who has Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery hard to bet against. Finally, there’s Russell Wilson. His passing upside has completely eroded, but he’s compensated by averaging 72 rushing yards over his past four starts. He’s one quarterback where the production hasn’t been nearly as ugly as the traditional numbers would indicate. Stafford, Cutler and Wilson all have warts, but they’re the trio I feel most comfortable rolling the dice on outside of Luck, Manning, Rodgers, Brees and Brady.
Jeff Ratcliffe: How about tossing Ryan Tannehill's name into the mix? Over the last month, he's averaging more fantasy points per game than two of the Big Five — Brees and Luck — and he's not doing it against the Little Sisters of the Poor. Sure, he struggled against the Lions, but he did put up good numbers against the Bills, Broncos and Chargers. You also have to like his dual-threat ability as a runner. Admittedly, Tannehill's ceiling isn't massive, as he's yet to top 300 yards passing this season, but he offers a high floor and a surprisingly-low likelihood of posting a clunker.
Mike Clay: I wouldn't say I trust any of these guys per say, but, "Big 5" excluded, Romo is my top-ranked quarterback the rest of the way. He gets the Eagles again, will feast on the Bears’ ugly secondary next week and should have to throw more than usual against the Colts in Week 16. That's a very quarterback-friendly slate.
I also like Tannehill. His schedule isn't too bad (gets to attack the Jets and Ravens secondaries over the next two weeks) and he also adds points with his legs (fourth in rushing yards among quarterbacks).
Raymond Summerlin: Trust is a strong word for any of these guys, but Tannehill is the guy I would roll with. He has only one clunker over the last eight games, completing over 70 percent of his passes and averaging almost four fantasy points on the ground over that span. His legs give him a nice floor, and he has shown the last several weeks he had a reasonable high ceiling as well.
Daugherty: Completely agree on Tannehill. People may not realize that he’s actually up to No. 9 on the entire season. He has 17 total scores and 258 yards rushing over his past eight starts. Aside from Week 15 against the Patriots, his playoff schedule is not imposing.
Adam Levitan: I obviously wouldn't want to use Mark Sanchez in Week 14 against the Seahawks, but I've been thrilled to use him in Weeks 10-12, and will be thrilled to use him in Weeks 15 and 16. People just can't seem to get the Jets misery out of their minds, but he's a reasonably-average quarterback playing for the God of Offense. That's more than good enough to put crooked numbers in the box score. Bet on Chip.
Also, at what point is Russell Wilson just an every-week, no-doubt QB1 starter? He has at least 16 fantasy points in 9-of-12 outings and is averaging 56.5 rushing yards per game. I'm a sucker for quarterbacks with legs and Wilson is the best in the business at that right now.
