Earlier in the week, I tackled the RBs and WRs, and now it’s time to discuss late season success with regard to QBs and TEs. Here are a few players that performed well down the stretch and what that success means for the upcoming fantasy season:
QUARTERBACKS
Brett Favre (285 yards, 2.1 TD over the L8 games) was terrific for the Vikings, especially down the stretch. But throw in a bum ankle and a M.I.A. Sidney Rice and things aren’t lined up quite as well for ol’ #4 in 2009. Rice is especially important considering his ability to go up and retrieve all the ill-advised bombs that Favre has a tendency to chuck up. Favre was QB8 last year and I think he’s looking at a finish in the 12-15 range this season…Ben Roethlisberger (310 yards, 1.8 TD over the L6 games) is going to be suspended for the first 4-5 games, and he’s going in the 9th or 10th round as a result. This makes him a great value for use in a QBBC, because he’s probably going to give you top 10 numbers once he starts his season…Vince Young (198 passing yards, 29 rushing yards, 1.3 TD over the L8 games) had a better second half of the season than Kurt Warner, Jay Cutler, Matt Ryan, Carson Palmer and Joe Flacco, yet he’s being drafted behind all of these players (save for the retired Warner) heading into the 2010 season. He has three tough matchups to start the year, but it should be relatively smooth sailing after that.
TIGHT ENDS
Jermichael Finley‘s strong finish (5.5-72-0.5 TD over the L8 games, including the playoffs) has him poised to be a breakout star in 2010. He’s going a little early for my taste, often ahead of a far more proven option in Jason Witten, but he has tremendous upside and is a great pick in the late 4th or early 5th, after the last solid WRs (Steve Smith 1.0, Steve Smith 2.0, Wes Welker, etc.) are off the board. With Donald Driver in the twilight of his career, Finley is poised to become the Packers’ #1 or #2 option in the passing game, and that’s saying something with the way Aaron Rodgers is throwing the ball…Kevin Boss (3.4-41-0.6 TD over the L9 games) was a big part of the Giants’ passing game down the stretch, especially in the red zone. If he can just stay healthy enough to post these kinds of numbers for an entire season, he could finish in the top 10. Given his late round ADP, he’s a very solid TE2 with some upside…Fred Davis (4.1-46-0.6 TD) was terrific for the Redskins after Chris Cooley‘s season-ending injury. Cooley is back now and Davis’s draft stock is in the tank, but he might be the only true TE handcuff out there. If you grab Cooley in the middle rounds, be sure to grab Davis as insurance. Donovan McNabb loves to throw to his TE and Washington is hurting at WR2, so if one guy gets the lion’s share of the targets, there’s a good chance he finishes in the top 10 at the position.
