X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

The Perfect Pair - Two Mid-round QBs Who Can Combine for QB1 Value

In my home league for fantasy football, I've adopted the strategy of avoiding all the top quarterbacks. Some guy I knew in college is definitely going to pick Drew Brees three rounds early and someone else is going to think picking Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady is a tremendous value--they'll never have to worry about the bye week!

Just when the run on top-tier QBs begins is when I zag the other direction and pick up some undervalued position players. I do this because I know I can grab a couple of QBs later on in the draft who can give me close to QB1 value and come out ahead of the other owners in my league. (Note to the friends in my friend league--ignore what I just typed and please keep drafting quarterbacks early.)

What's a good QB combination for 2017? Whose bye weeks sync up perfectly and don't have very many bad matchups at the same time? And more importantly, which QBs do this and are outside of the top 10 in the preseason rankings? As the wise owl in the classic Tootsie Pop commercials would say, let's find out:

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

The Perfect Pair: Matthew Stafford and Tyrod Taylor

Both of these QBs are ranked in the mid-teens going into 2017, which seems a little wild since Stafford finished last season as the QB7 in standard and Taylor as the QB8. Both players are on teams whose offenses could take a small step back this season, but likely not far enough back to knock them out of the top twelve.

Let's look at each player's strengths and weaknesses as individuals before I give you a Way Too Early look at how their schedules mesh.

 

Matthew Stafford

Detroit's offense might not be as stacked as it has been in the past--Anquan Boldin is gone and they didn't really do much to replace him--but Stafford is still a very good quarterback, especially in fantasy where some of his real life flaws don't hurt as much.

He's continued to cut down on the interceptions. He's finished as a top ten fantasy quarterback four times in the past six seasons. He's coming off his best two seasons in terms of completion percentage.

I'm not out here saying Matthew Stafford is the perfect QB. There's a reason I'm saying that he should be combined with another player in order to maximize his value. The Lions' depth chart doesn't look great--after Golden Tate and Marvin Jones, there's a lot of who? Eric Ebron has a lot to prove and the stats don't back up him proving it.

The Detroit backfield has improved though--a (hopefully) healthy Ameer Abdullah, a good fullback in Matt Asiata, and the increasingly reliable Theo Riddick can take some pressure off of Stafford, which should minimize his mistakes. Riddick is also a very valuable threat as a receiver and should give Stafford a good target down near the goal line.

But again, Stafford isn't perfect. That's why...

 

Tyrod Taylor

...you should also try to get Tyrod Taylor. Like Detroit, Buffalo's offense looks worse on paper this year. They've lost Mike Gillislee, who worked very well in the backup running back spot. They don't have much receiver depth after Sammy Watkins (who will probably get hurt at some point because COME ON IT WILL HAPPEN), Andre Holmes, and rookie Zay Jones.

This might be a good thing for Taylor's fantasy stats. Gillislee saw his fair share of work in scoring situations last season. Could we see Taylor rolling out a little more this season? He rushed for 580 yards and six touchdowns last season. It wouldn't be too much of a shock to see those TD numbers go up.

The Bills could also find themselves not doing well in football games many times. Quarterbacks can get a boost from playing behind as long as they don't turn the ball over while trying to make a comeback. In two seasons as a starter, Taylor has only thrown 12 interceptions.

Initially I had a slight concern that the Bills may move toward their younger QBs mid-season if the team was struggling on offense. Before publication of this piece, the Bills traded Cardale Jones to the Chargers. This means any main concern about a backup QB challenging Taylor for playing time has been eliminated, so feel even more confident about taking this route.

 

Playing the Schedules Right

It's really, really early for me to try doing this. Injuries will happen. Teams will be good surprises and teams will be bad surprises. But let's go ahead and take a look at their first fourteen weeks and see how we'd balance these two as of early August.

Week 1: DET vs ARI, BUF vs NYJ (A matchup against the Jets? YES.)

Week 2: DET @ NYG, BUF @ CAR (Not a great choice here with two defenses that are predicted to be around the bottom of the top ten, but Stafford should provide some value.)

Week 3: DET vs ATL, BUF vs DEN (You want to avoid Taylor this week, but Stafford has a good matchup against a pretty weak Atlanta defense)

Week 4: DET @ MIN, BUF @ATL (Take advantage of the Falcons again.)

Week 5: DET vs CAR, BUF @ CIN (The Bengals defense is not nearly as scary as they used to be.)

Week 6: DET @ NO, BUF on Bye (The Bills are on a bye? It's fine because Stafford gets the Saints.)

Week 7: DET on Bye, BUF vs TB (A mediocre Tampa Bay defense makes up for not having Stafford this week.)

Week 8: DET vs PIT, BUF vs OAK (I think these are both good matchups. I'm leaning Taylor right now, but that might change in a few months.)

Week 9: DET @ GB, BUF @ NYJ (I don't think you can go wrong here either.)

Week 10: DET vs CLE, BUF vs NO (DO YOU SEE WHY YOU SHOULD OWN BOTH OF THESE PLAYERS?)

Week 11: DET @ CHI, BUF @ LAC (The Bears look like they will be in disarray this season. By Week 11, that disarray could be even messier.)

Week 12: DET vs MIN, BUF @ KC (This is the one week that really worries me. Two tough matchups. I'd lean Stafford at this point.)

Week 13: DET @ BAL, BUF vs NE (Keep riding Stafford.)

Week 14: DET @ TB, BUF vs IND (In what's likely a must win game for a lot of fantasy owners, you get Tyrod Taylor against Indianapolis. Sounds pretty good.)

Look at that schedule. There are maybe two weeks where you don't feel great about your quarterback. There's only one of those that will make you look into a mirror and say why did I do this? Only one week of that!

So, feel free to pass on those "elite" quarterbacks early on in your fantasy drafts and wait for the perfect pair of Matthew Stafford and Tyrod Taylor. Then watch lead your team to the fantasy playoffs and get the last laugh on your leaguemates.

 

More 2017 Fantasy Football & ADP Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Nathan Eovaldi16 mins ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen28 mins ago

Traded To Atlanta
Patrick Cantlay1 hour ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López1 hour ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland1 hour ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia1 hour ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti2 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL2 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette2 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus2 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants2 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears2 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale2 hours ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida2 hours ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger2 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks2 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele2 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford2 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns3 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals3 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito3 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter3 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry3 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello3 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips3 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz3 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith3 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Max Scherzer3 hours ago

Day-To-Day After Getting Cortisone Shot
Lonzo Ball3 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Freddie Freeman3 hours ago

Likely Out Until Friday
Kevin Huerter3 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Willson Contreras3 hours ago

Taking First Day Off
Josh Giddey3 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton3 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale3 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant3 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal3 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II3 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons4 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young4 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser4 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo4 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud4 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Edouard Julien4 hours ago

Making First Start Of The Season
Isaiah Stewart4 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba4 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga4 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry4 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Dylan Crews4 hours ago

Not Starting Against Blue Jays
Jaylen Brown4 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault4 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Lourdes Gurriel Jr.4 hours ago

Sitting Out In New York
Alex Laferriere4 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Paul Goldschmidt4 hours ago

Hitting Leadoff Again
Jonathan Aranda4 hours ago

Christopher Morel Sitting Against Pirates
Luke Schenn4 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Jose Siri5 hours ago

Making Another Start In Center Field
Dante Fabbro5 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions7 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans7 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders7 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear7 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins7 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL8 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä8 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway8 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys8 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal8 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy8 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith8 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Chris Godwin8 hours ago

Buccaneers Optimistic Chris Godwin Will Be Ready For Week 1
Josh Norris8 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Los Angeles Rams8 hours ago

Coleman Shelton Expected To Start Again In 2025
Brady Tkachuk8 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Los Angeles Rams8 hours ago

Rams Open To Drafting A Quarterback
Kyren Williams8 hours ago

Rams To Discuss Long-Term Deal With Kyren Williams
Aaron Rodgers9 hours ago

Signs "Pointing" Toward Aaron Rodgers Signing With Steelers
Brock Purdy9 hours ago

49ers Optimistic On Getting Extension Done With Brock Purdy
Jordan Spieth10 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp10 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim10 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood11 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau11 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole11 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith15 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment15 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka15 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov15 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov15 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes15 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens24 hours ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA24 hours ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Denver To Take A Running Back In The Draft
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Courtland Sutton1 day ago

"No Timeline" On Courtland Sutton Extension
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Sami Valimaki1 day ago

Finishes Fourth At Texas Children's Houston Open
Maverick McNealy1 day ago

Finishes Tied For 32nd At Texas Children’s Houston Open
Tom Kim1 day ago

Finishes Tied For 36th At Valspar Championship
Christopher Bell1 day ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott1 day ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson1 day ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron1 day ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano1 day ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick1 day ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum4 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales4 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.4 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira4 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]