Football Has Encumbrance: Fantasy Football Talk Part 2

I'm back for part two people. They said I couldn't do it, but I'm back to show them what's what. In case you missed it, here is part 1 of my fantasy football blog series.

Today I'm going to be discussing player archetypes at the qb position that I look out for when I play fantasy football. I find that breaking up players according to archetypes helps me with my decision making as I can think more about how each player gets points, rather than how many points they get.

Archetypes

Quarterback:

Well Rounded- These are players that get points both through throwing the football and through running. Though they mainly get points by passing, it is not unreasonable to expect some rushing yards and rushing touchdowns from these qbs (and if you did not know rushing yards give 1 point for every 10 yards while passing yards give 1 point for every 25 yards, likewise rushing touchdowns are worth 6 points while passing touchdowns are worth 4 points). So with these qbs you get the best of both worlds: they can pass and run pretty well. The player that fits this archetype in my eyes is Aaron Rogers. He is all alone in this category as he is the only qb who's passing is so good that I consider his running to be purely bonus value. Rogers's well rounded skill set is what makes him routinely the best or second best qb in fantasy, since he can get you points in every possible way (except receiving I suppose). I think that Andrew Luck might also be in this category, but he is a clear several steps down from Rogers at this point. But hey, maybe this year Luck pulls a full Rogers and becomes the second elite well-rounded fantasy qb.

Rushing QB- These are players that derive most of their value from running the ball from the quarterback position. As I mentioned earlier, running gives quarterbacks more points per yard than passing and rushing touchdowns give quarterbacks more points per touchdown than passing. This leads to elite rushing quarterbacks being one of the most valuable commodities in fantasy football. The players that fit this archetype are Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin the Third, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, EJ Manuel, and the grand-daddy of them all Michael Vick (with possible guest appearance by Terrell Pryor). These qbs are all possible fantasy dynamite because of their running, all they need is one long run and you have yourself a 30 point day once you add in the passing yards that modern day qbs can't help but accrue. The only downside here is possible health concerns as running can take a toll on a person's health. Michael Vick hasn't played a full season since the Reagan administration and his running is the reason why. I personally value running qbs more highly than any other type of qb, save well-rounded, because of how little rushing they have to do to produce a great fantasy day.

Crazy Passers- These are qbs that pass so hard that it don't matter that they don't run. They pass long, short, upside-down, and sideways. The players in this archetype are Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Payton Manning, and Matt Ryan. These guys are a bit safer than the runners since they get hit less and have long track records of success, but I prefer to watch running qbs so I tend to lean that way.

Regular-Ass QB- These qbs pass a lot and are ok at it. Some of them will be crazy passers this year, most won't. They are all their own unique beautiful flowers, but when it comes down to it their production is likely to look pretty similar. I have no idea which of these guys will be worth starting this year and which won't, but they are all likely to vary between below-average and above-average. The players in this caste include Eli Manning, Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisberger, Mathew Stafford, Joe Flacco, and a bunch of other qbs.

Blaine Gabbert- Friends don't let friends draft or own Blaine Gabbert.

Tomorrow I'll discuss running back and wide receiver archetypes to look out for.