There are plenty of ways to handle quarterbacks in fantasy drafts - you can wait on one or you can draft one early. But with so much depth at the position, do you prefer to draft a second quarterback or play the waiver wire for byes/injuries?
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- Michael Fabiano NFL Media Senior Fantasy Analyst
Depends on who's No. 1
Honestly, this all depends on who I draft as my No. 1 quarterback. If Peyton Manning or Drew Brees falls to me in the fifth round, for example, I'd likely take just one quarterback. On the flip side, I'm more likely to take a second quarterback if my No. 1 is a third-tier player such as Tom Brady, Cam Newton, Tony Romo or Matt Ryan. This will also determine whether I take a second tight end, because I always draft five running backs and five wide receivers in a standard NFL.com league.
The last several years I've tended to wait on the position and grab a guy I'm high on, but then back him up with a second arm for my bench. Unless I have one of the sure-things in Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck or now Russell Wilson, I definitely want a security net in case my first choice doesn't pan out. For instance, a trendy later-round quarterback that I (and I'm sure plenty of others) will target in 2015 is Ryan Tannehill. If I were to grab him late, I'd probably try to pair him with a more established veteran like Tony Romo or Philip Rivers to hedge my bets and protect my fantasy team from being mired in a quarterback-less drought for much of the season. Or, if I take a safe but unspectacular veteran like Romo or Rivers as my top choice, I'll go for upside behind him with a Teddy Bridgewater-type.
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- Marcas Grant NFL Media Fantasy Editor
Seeking waiver wire heroes
I've never truly been patient enough to wait on a quarterback, in which case I end up with a player that I'm confident I can start week-in and week-out. In which case, I hopefully only need a second quarterback for one week. Looking at last season's final quarterback totals, there was nearly a 48-point differential between the top QB (Aaron Rodgers) and the No. 5 signal-caller (Ben Roethlisberger). Meanwhile, the difference between the 10th quarterback (Eli Manning) and the 19th (Alex Smith) was just 49.50 points. There should be plenty of lower-tier quarterbacks floating around the waiver wire when I need one, it's just about finding the best matchup.
