It’s never too early to start scoping out draft prospects for fantasy football dynasty leagues. Here’s a look at some quarterbacks who may prove worthy of some future value to stash on those keeper leagues.
10. Jimmy Garoppolo, Quarterback, New England Patriots
Garoppolo currently sits as heir to quarterback Tom Brady’s throne. While Brady is still playing some of his best football ever at age 37, he won’t be around forever. Garoppolo makes a great keeper stash if you’ve got the slot to house him for a couple of more seasons. Additionally, the harsh reality stands, that if Brady goes down, Garoppolo steps up to be the No. 1 man in New England. There’s a reason the Patriots’ targeted Garoppolo in last season’s draft and traded their former backup Ryan Mallett away.
9. Colt McCoy, Quarterback, Washington Redskins
McCoy becomes a free agent in 2015 as he enters his sixth season in the NFL. Showing sparks of some effective signal calling, McCoy did a respectable job in the five games for which he started for the Washington Redskins. Averaging over 250 passing yards per game, McCoy has a strong arm, and is certainly worthy of finding himself on another quarterback-needy team during the free agency, which makes him a lower-end dynasty draft prospect.
8. Blake Bortles, Quarterback, Jacksonville Jaguars
Certainly a work in progress and now under a new offensive coordinator, is Bortles, whom the Jaguars spent their first-round draft pick on in 2014. He’ll potentially become more polished as the Jaguars’ starter over his next couple of seasons, so he’s worth a draft if you’ve got the patience to wait for him to develop. Bortles’ stature as he stands at 6’-5” makes him a dual threat not only in passing, but for his mobility. Bortles actually finished 2014 with the fourth-most quarterback rushing yards of 419.
7. Kirk Cousins, Quarterback, Washington Redskins
Cousins has made it clear that he wants to be traded if Robert Griffin III is named the team’s starter moving into 2015. Entering into just fourth season in the NFL, Cousins shows signs of potential and should he work his way into a starting role for another team, he makes a draft prospect worth housing in a keeper league. Cousins will need to focus on his passing accuracy over the offseason and if there is a quarterback competition in Washington and Cousins stays around, there is the likelihood that Cousins could see time as the team’s starter. It’s no secret that the injury-prone RGIII has work to do himself over the offseason to prove worthy of remaining the team’s starter.
6. Johnny Manziel, Quarterback, Cleveland Browns
If you’re the risk-taker type, then a rough-around-the-edges Manziel may be the dynasty draft prospect for you. Manziel, who sported fantastic college statistics, got a dose of reality with the big boys in his two NFL starts this season, which were less than impressive to say the least. With loads to work on during the offseason, including working his maturity level, Manziel still shows promise and perhaps in a season or two, he’ll become a reliable starter that will be worth the keeper pick for which he was drafted.
5. Zach Mettenberger, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans
Showing signs of promise and now entering into his second NFL year with the Tennessee Titans is Mettenberger. With the always-injured quarterback Jake Locker not exactly stepping up when he did play in 2014, the Titans’ rookie signal-caller could slowly work his way into the starting job for the Titans over the next couple of seasons. Standing at a tall 6’-5”, Mettenberger who threw six touchdowns in his last five games with the Titans is worth considering in dynasty leagues.
4. Geno Smith, Quarterback, New York Jets
If Smith is available in keeper leagues, he may finally be worth drafting. With coaching and management changes taking place this offseason for the Jets, Smith, who shined in his 2014 season finale is worth considering. We certainly know Michael Vick is not the right choice at starter for the Jets, so this will be the season for Smith to prove he is the franchise quarterback the Jets can trust. Coming off of his best performance of the season last week had Smith passing for 358 yards, scoring three touchdowns and playing interception-free. Let’s hope Smith is finally starting to get it right entering into 2015.
3. Mark Sanchez, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles
Sanchez is only on a one-year gig with the Philadelphia Eagles who may decide to part ways with him come the free-agency period. While Sanchez had certain struggles while with the Eagles, he put up decent numbers in the nine games for which he did play. There are definitely teams who are in dire need of an improvement at quarterback, and Sanchez at just 28-years-old certainly sits above many others in his class. The Eagles have yet to decide if they want to move forth with Nick Foles as starter and may end up keeping Sanchez around for another season. Either way, Sanchez is worth a draft in a dynasty league if you’ve got the space to hang on to him to see where he winds up.
2. Teddy Bridgewater, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings
Bridgewater had a promising year for a rookie who took over the starting job three weeks into the season. Showing that he can also be a mobile quarterback when defenders are covering his receivers, Bridgewater racked up 209 rushing yards in addition to his 2,919 passing yards in his 13 starts. With no other viable quarterback competition on the horizon for the Vikings, Bridgewater will be the guy that the team will depend upon as they mold him into their franchise quarterback. He makes a solid dynasty fantasy quarterback moving forward.
1. Derek Carr, Quarterback, Oakland Raiders
While the Raiders struggled to win games this season, no one put forth a better effort than their rookie quarterback, Derek Carr. Carr was handed the keys to the car in Week 1 and finished the season ranked at a respectable 20th place among his fellow fantasy football quarterbacks. Keeping his touchdown to interception ratio at 21:12, and passing for 3,270 yards sets the foundation for Carr to improve on these numbers as he matures into his starting role. The Raiders certainly won’t be looking to switch up their quarterbacks anytime soon, making Carr a safe dynasty pick who should have several seasons of quality production.