The 2015 fantasy football season is on it’s way, as the third week of NFL preseason action is about to get started and it’s all downhill from there. The first NFL game of the season is literally two weeks away from today, so if your fantasy league has yet to draft, now is the time to get in your last minute preparations.
If you haven’t been living under a rock over the past few years, you’ve noticed that quarterback is one of the deepest positions in the fantasy realm. It can also be the highest scoring by a wide margin, but the position importance is nothing compared to running back or wide receiver, which tend to allow 2-3 or even more spots in your weekly starting lineup.
That means taking quarterbacks later in fantasy drafts isn’t just the in thing, but also the smart thing. That being said, for every Andy Dalton of 2013, there’s your Andy Dalton for 2014. Hitting on those sleeper quarterbacks late is all relative, as you need to factor in history, talent, supporting cast, schedule and of course, their ADP (Average Draft Position). Luckily we’re here to do that for you. Without further haste, here are our favorite quarterback sleepers for the 2015 fantasy football season:
Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers) – Round 10
Newton was working with a bum ankle and a rookie wide receiver in 2014, yet he still was fantasy football’s 17th best quarterback. He did lose that aforementioned receiver, but he’s fully healthy and still has Greg Olsen. I don’t love him as a top-10 possibility anymore, but he DOES have that upside and could easily get back into the top-15. Besides, the value he possesses in round 10 is just insane.
Teddy Bridgewater (Minnesota Vikings) – Round 11
Bridgewater didn’t look like much coming out of Louisville, but it turns out he’s pretty good. He’s looked terrific in three preseason games and was solid last year as a rookie, too. Despite not playing a full season and it being his first year, he was still fantasy’s 22nd best passer. I think he’s ready for a huge jump, as Adrian Peterson, Charles Johnson, Mike Wallace and Kyle Rudolph give him a dirty supporting cast. In a good way, of course.
Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) – Round 12
Kap was obviously a huge disappointment in 2014, as instead of being a top-5 or top-10 option, he was merely serviceable as fantasy football’s 16th best passer. His weekly value was even worse, though, as he struggled from within the pocket and had some disastrous duds in the brutal NFC West. His schedule remains tough, but I think he has new life with a coaching and potential philosophy change, plus the addition of the speedy Torrey Smith can only help. He needs to get back to his elite ground game, too, and after scoring just once with his legs in 2014, I like him to be much more dangerous in 2015. That could mean for a push back into the top-15. For round 12, that makes him a crazy value buy.
Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears) – Round 13
Cutler might be the best pure value to this point, as when healthy he looked like a top-5 option in 2013 and last year finished as fantasy’s 14th best passer despite a crazy amount of turnovers. The talent and weapons are there for Cutler to crush it, while reports out of camp have been pretty positive all summer long. If he can cut down from his 18 picks, he could be a terrific value and competent weekly QB1.
Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals) – Round 14
Speak of the devil, Dalton enters 2015 as one of the top quarterback sleepers to target. He was top-5 in 2013 and last year was just 19th overall, but we can safely expect The Red Rifle to land somewhere in the middle. The reality is, Cincy scaled things back offensively in 2014 due to injuries to A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Tyler Eifert. With all of those talented receivers healthy, Dalton could be in for a big year.
Think another quarterback makes for a better sleeper pick? Tell us about them in the comments below!
