1. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (ADP: 59)
As the eighth quarterback off the board in terms of ADP, how is it possible that Romo is being under-drafted? While that's a fair question considering he finished last season as the 11th-best fantasy quarterback, it's all about consistency and opportunity when looking at tier-two quarterbacks. Romo put up 100 less passes last season than he did in 2013. In fact, that number dropped from 648 in 2012 to 435 last season. With DeMarco Murray now in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform, Romo should put up near 600 attempts this season. Considering he's a much more consistent quarterback than he was three years ago, this is good news for those intent on drafting the Cowboys signal caller.
The other thing to look at here is consistency. Romo finished as the sixth-most consistent quarterback in the NFL last season, putting up 300-plus yards and/or three-plus touchdowns in over half his starts. When comparing to the Russell Wilson's of the world, that has to bode well for those of you who decide to roster Romo as a QB1. In terms of overall play, Romo has accounted for 65 touchdowns and just 19 interceptions over the past two seasons. That has to count for something, even in today's world of advanced analytics.
2. Eli Manning, New York Giants (ADP: 86)
With an ADP in the eighth round, Manning could very well be one of the steals of draft season. This past year saw the two-time Super Bowl champ put up career highs in completion percentage (63.1) and touchdowns (30) while posting over 4,400 yards and just 14 interceptions. This was good enough for him to finish 10th among quarterbacks in fantasy points.
Now with Odell Beckham slated to continue dominating and Victor Cruz seemingly back healthy, Manning has more weapons at his disposal. That's only magnified by the addition of PPR stud Shane Vereen at running back and Rashad Jennings returning to full health.
As the sixth-most consistent quarterback a season ago, there is no reason to believe Manning won't improve on his numbers. Everything is in place for him to have a huge season. With an ADP behind the likes of Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan, Manning is a tremendous value play.
3. Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (ADP: 128)
As with any quarterback taken late in the draft and expected to put up starter-caliber numbers, it's all about playing matchups and nabbing two from that group. This is where Kaepernick comes into play. He can't be relied on as a QB1 option in four of the 49ers six divisional games—two against the Seattle Seahawks and on the road against the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals. This means that you will have to do extra research to make sure Kaepernick is indeed a value play in the 13th round.
Though, in the right situaton, he could help lead you to a championship. Here are the factors involved in drawing this conclusion. Kaepernick averaged less than five fewer fantasy points than Russell Wilson last season. He's also working with a much better skill-position group than last season after the team added both Reggie Bush and Torrey Smith to go with Anquan Boldin, Carlos Hyde and a seemingly re-energized Vernon Davis.
The inclusion of Kaepernick in this article has more to do with an inside slant on the happenings around Santa Clara this preseason. New offensive coordinator Geep Chryst has made it a priority to utilize an offense that enables Kaepernick to display his talents to the best of his ability. This means more spread formations and read-option packages—two things that Kaepernick performed well running early in his NFL career. Chryst along with first-year head coach Jim Tomsula are also focusing on an up-tempo attack. Considering San Francisco averaged among the fewest plays per game last season, even a hint of more tempo will give Kaepernick more opportunities to provide fantasy points. Sometimes, it's all in the details, not the numbers. In this case, Kaepernick could be a major sleeper, even if he struggles with turnovers in the new offense.
4. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears (ADP: 155)
A Kaepernick-Cutler parlay in the later rounds might not be a bad decision in the grand scheme of things. As I mentioned in the previous blurb, going with a late-round QB strategy means that you need to find another option and play matchups.
Believe it or not, Cutler might be the safest late-round pick you can make. He ranked seventh among quarterbacks in consistency last season, and finished 14th with one less start than 12 of the quarterbacks ahead of him. If Cutler starts all 16 games this year, his floor is as a top-12 quarterback. Nabbing him with one of the last picks in your draft would be a coup.