Unless a team possesses one of the elite quarterbacks in the league, who doesn't seem to miss any time, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady, there is a possibility that they're going to have to look at a backup quarterback getting a start or two.
This is only magnified for the handful of teams that lack an above-average signal caller under center. It could be a youngster being thrown to the wolves and not playing up to par or a marginal veteran continuing to show why he isn't capable of leading an offense. Either way, there are sure to be some backups get shots under center this fall.
Let's take a look at three such backups who could see a decent amount of playing time. I will also look at each through a possible fantasy lens. For the purpose of this article, I am not going to focus on the handful of teams currently engaged in a quarterback competition.
Drew Stanton, Arizona Cardinals
There were many, myself included, who came to the conclusion that Arizona planned on starting Stanton after it signed him back in April. Why not? This is a quarterback that just hasn't had luck on his side since entering the National Football League. He started four games in four seasons with the Detroit Lions after being selected second round of the 2007 draft. His initial stint didn't go all too well for a Lions club that won just two games in 2009. Taking over for an injured Matthew Stafford and playing a handful of meaningful snaps, including one start, Stanton failed to throw a single touchdowns and was intercepted six times. Remember, that was a Lions team coming off a 0-16 campaign. It isn't like the Michigan State product had the necessary tools around him to succeed.
Stanton then started three games in 2010 and played a lot better. He won two of his three starts and threw four touchdowns compared to three interceptions. Just when it seemed the backup quarterback may have been turning the corner, Stafford played a full 16-game slate in 2011. Detroit's franchise guy excelled in every possible way, which made Stanton expendable.
Stanton signed on with the New York Jets and seemed to be in position to possibly challenge Mark Sanchez for a starting gig in training camp. Heck, the way Sanchez played this past season there was no reason to believe he wouldn't have seen the field if he actually broke camp as a member of the Jets. Unfortunately, New York had other ideas. It traded for Tim Tebow, at which point Stanton demanded a trade. At this late point in the offseason, Stanton's possible landing spots to vie for a starting gig were diminished greatly. He ended up being traded to the Indianapolis Colts as the primary backup to Andrew Luck. In the end, Luck excelled during his rookie campaign and Stanton failed to throw a single pass.
Bad luck.
Just a few weeks after Stanton signed a three-year, $8.2 million contract with Arizona, it made a deal for Carson Palmer and signed the veteran starter to a two-year, $16 million deal. This made Palmer the certain starter in Arizona.
That being said, Palmer's lack of success with the Oakland Raiders coupled with a presupposition to injury leads me to believe that Stanton might find himself under center for a while in 2013. If so, he will be given a chance that he really hasn't seen outside of a few spot starts in Detroit. As a 29-year-old quarterback, this might be Stanton's final opportunity to prove he can be a viable starter in the NFL. As someone who has advocated for him getting an opportunity over the last couple seasons, I expect him to take full advantage of it.
Fantasy Impact: Slim to none. No Arizona quarterback is going to be a viable fantasy option until its offensive line proves it can actually hold up against dominant NFC West defenses. While Stanton is a bit more mobile than Palmer, he might not have the necessary time to find the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd on the outside. Equally important to note is that the only way Stanton see's the field is if Palmer goes down to injury behind a lackluster offensive line.
Kirk Cousins, Washington Redskins
Reports indicate that Robert Griffin III will be ready to go by training camp. If not, he'll definitely be on the field by Week 1. This doesn't matter a whole lot as it relates to Cousins' ability to see the field later in the season. The former Michigan State product might find himself in a similar situation as last season. It all relies on RGIII being able to stay healthy and avoiding unnecessary hits when scrambling. I am pretty sure the Redskins will work with the talented youngster on doing just that, but it is hard to change someone's game on the fly. If RGIII enjoys to tuck the ball and run, it's embedded within his game. At the very least, he'll need to know when to get down or go out of bonds.
If RGIII doesn't learn this in 2013, Cousins will definitely see himself under center for an extended period of time.
Cousins excelled in limited playing time as a rookie. After taking over for an injured #RGIII early in the season against Atlanta and throwing two costly interceptions in a 24-17 loss, Cousins tallied three touchdowns and one interception throughout the remainder of the season. His Week 15 start against the Cleveland Browns pretty much saved Washington's season. Taking over for an injured RGIII, he threw for 329 yards and two scores in a 38-21 'Skins victory. This is the type of performance you can expect from the talented young quarterback if he is asked to see the field in 2013.
Fantasy Impact: Spot starter. Cousins will likely find himself as a waiver-wire pickup if RGIII has to miss a game or two due to injury. Depending on your quarterback situation and potential bye weeks, I wouldn't discount him as a viable QB1 possibility in a given week. It's all about reading the news and then coming to a conclusion.
Terrelle Pryor, Oakland Raiders
In this new era of the running quarterback, teams are continuing to look for ways to change and develop their offensive strategy to meet the demands of a different type of signal caller. That being said, for every Colin Kaepernick there is a Tim Tebow; someone that can't throw the ball and will never be a decent quarterback in the NFL. While no one is ready to indicate that Pryor can't play quarterback in the NFL, it is somewhat surprising that general manager Reggie McKenzie went out there and added two quarterbacks to the Raiders' roster. Matt Flynn is the "starter" as of right now with Pryor likely being his primary back up and Tyler Wilson playing scout team.
As most of you already know, Flynn was brought to Seattle last offseason in order to replace Tarvaris Jackson as its starting quarterback. Following a great offseason and training camp performance by then rookie Russell Wilson, Flynn was again a backup. Wilson ended up performing as good, if not better, than the top two overall picks in the draft and led Seattle to a postseason berth.
This made it all but a certainty that the Seahawks would send Flynn packing. Immediately after Oakland traded Palmer to the Cardinals they went out there and brought Flynn in to be their "starting quarterback." Are we expecting the same training camp battle in Oakland as we saw last season in Seattle? That's to be determined.
Even if Flynn does win the starting job, I'd be hard pressed to come to the conclusion that he starts all 16 games for a rebuilding Raiders' organization. Let's say Oakland starts out the season 1-5, which isn't out of the question, why would Dennis Allen continue running Flynn on the field when he has two young quarterbacks with much higher upside sitting on the bench? He won't.
Pryor played pretty darn well in Oakland's season finale against the San Diego Chargers last season and seems to have developed much better mechanics to go along with great pure talent and an above-average skill set. I see no reason to believe that Pryor wouldn't succeed if given an opportunity to start for an extended period of time in 2013.
Fantasy Impact: Slim to none. Don't go running to your fantasy football application to put a waiver claim on Pryor should he be given a chance to start. His inability to make plays with his arm on a consistent basis makes him a questionable QB2 option, even when on the field. What you should do is see how things play out for a week or two and then make a decision. We need a much larger sample size before drawing any type of conclusion about Pryor's ability to make a fantasy impact.