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- Michael Fabiano NFL Media Senior Fantasy Analyst
Teddy time
I'm a big fan of Teddy Bridgewater in his sophomore season. He showed flashes of potential as a rookie, and the (expected) return of Adrian Peterson will only add to his sleeper appeal. Bridgewater will also have a deep threat in newly-acquired Mike Wallace in addition to incumbent receivers like Charles Johnson and Kyle Rudolph. I also like that he'll continue to learn from offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who has coached some great quarterbacks in his career. Bridgewater definitely has low-QB1 potential in 2015.
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- James Koh NFL Fantasy LIVE Host/NFL Media Reporter
Carr upgrades
This might be our best insta-debate question yet! I love what Jacksonville and Minnesota did in the offseason surrounding their young quarterbacks with significant upgrades at various skill positions ... but I REALLY, REALLY love what Oakland did.
Not only does Derek Carr have a legit stud wideout in Amari Cooper, but the Raiders went out and pillaged their bayside neighbors, signing Michael Crabtree, who should be a super-solid No. 2 option.
Latavius Murray is slated to start, meaning there could be more balance ... nahhhhh who are we kidding? We know Carr is going to sling it about 97 times a game meaning he could be an excellent late-round draft bargain and to me has the largest upside of the sophomore quarterbacks.
I was a fan of Teddy Bridgewater throughout all of 2014, so why change my tune this time around? "Teddy Two Gloves" was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL over the final month of the 2014 season. From Week 14 on he averaged 273 passing yards per game while completing 71.8 percent of his passes and throwing six touchdowns to five interceptions. He also had four multi-touchdown games over the final six weeks. Don't let Bridgewater's stats from 2014 fool you. He should make a big leap in Year 2. Let's break it down. He'll likely have Adrian Peterson in the backfield to help open up the passing attack, which will feature an emerging Charles Johnson, a motivated (we hope) Cordarrelle Patterson and the newly acquired Mike Wallace. That's a really nice arsenal of options for Bridgewater and offensive coordinator Norv Turner to employ against opposing defenses. I still think Bridgewater should be drafted as a QB2 this fall, but he's worth reaching a little early on given his past production, future potential and new/returning playmakers.
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- Marcas Grant NFL Media Fantasy Editor
Bortles-mania is underway
I'd like to throw my vote to Derek Carr, since he led rookie quarterbacks in fantasy scoring last season, but I'm going to pivot instead toward Blake Bortles. In the second half of the season, the Jaguars quarterback actually had a higher points-per-game average than Carr. While the Amari Cooper selection will earn Carr and the Raiders a lot of attention, Bortles will have the luxury of a second season with a trio of young, talented receivers. Not to mention that Jacksonville added one of the NFL's most athletic tight ends by signing Julius Thomas away from the Denver Broncos. Bortles isn't going to be the sexiest name on fantasy draft boards this season, but he could certainly open some eyes before the year is over.
It had better not be Jimmy Garoppolo. But it will of course be Derek Carr. He's an obvious choice seeing he was the best rookie quarterback last year and he gets Amari Cooper this season. I would like to additionally put in a good word for Blake Bortles who was pressed into service last year. He finished the year with some positives. Just two interceptions in his final five games. He ran the ball better than most expected. And this year he has Julius Thomas who could help increase his touchdown totals. He could be on his way to be a spot-starter this year.
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