NPC’s 2011 Fantasy Draft Guide: Quarterbacks

Michael Vick – There can be a big up side and a big down side to Michael Vick. Yes, Vick will throw interceptions, but he will also gain a lot of that ground back running the ball. Rush yards add up fast, and especially rushing touchdowns. Due to the ridiculous (second time) breakout year that Vick had last year, I’d expect Vick to be gone pretty early on in your fantasy draft. That being said, Vicks biggest upside is also his downside. Because Vick is a running QB, he will likely take a big beating and could spend some time on the sidelines. Make sure you have a capable back-up that you can nab in later rounds that could potentially fill in. Someone like Mark Sanchez could still be around, and could probably muster 10-15 points a week. Maybe even more considering the WR core, and that Sanchez is another year older. Vick threw for 3000 yards in his (second round) break out season and threw for 21 TDs. Definitely the best season of his career.

Matt Schaub – Matty finished with over 4300 yards last season, and over 4700 in 2009. Last year he threw for 24 TDs, but had half of that in Ints. I include Schaub on this list because he had a few weeks with freakishly high point totals in Fantasy last year. Whether or not that will repeat is certainly to be seen, but after two solid years in a row with high numbers behind center, Schaub is definitely ready to be included on this list in some way shape or form.

Big Ben – You all know how I feel about Big Ben, but this is where you can’t let your bias get you. That being said, Ben threw for over 4300 yards in 2009, and he threw for over 3200 last season in just 11 games. Thats on pace to make another 4300 yard season. With all of these new weapons at WR, and Big Ben coming off of a “clean” off season, you can bet that Ben will be in that 4300 yard range again, and you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if he threw for more. For that reason, maybe Big Ben should be included in the Sleepers section of the article. The only thing that would keep me from drafting  Big Ben early on is that he most likely won’t throw 25 TDs this year. He finished last year with 12 TDs in 11 games. That’s about on pace for about 17 TDs on the year. That being said, he only had 5 INTs last year as well, so we’re seeing some better ball protection from Ben too (just not in the super bowl…) So, maybe wait on Big Ben and see if he’s still around in a later round. He could be a great backup to one of the bigger number QBs.