Which QB should you draft in Fantasy Football after Cam Newton?
Every Friday, the FOX Sports Fantasy team will tackle a fantasy football question for the upcoming season.
For this week, we're talking quarterbacks.
1. Assuming Cam Newton is your top ranked QB, who is your No. 2 ranked QB? What's the earliest round you would take him?
Ryan Fowler (@FOXSportsFowler): Aaron Rodgers, but only if he slips to the fourth round. I'm a proponent of waiting on a fantasy quarterback. With Jordy Nelson returning, Eddie Lacy fat/not-fat, all eyes should be focused on Rodgers' offensive line. It needs to improve on 46 sacks allowed in 2015 for this to work.
Adam Meyer (@FOXSportsMeyer): Ben Roethlisberger is my second-ranked quarterback for 2016. Last year, in only 12 games, Big Ben threw for 21 TDs and nearly 4,000 yards. Even with DeAngelo Williams in the backfield, the Steelers' passing offense was nearly unstoppable. With Le'Veon Bell back, Pittsburgh will produce a prolific amount of points. If Roethlisberger is available around the 6th round, he'll be a steal.
John Halpin (@jhalpin37): Aaron Rodgers was QB7 in FOXSports.com scoring in 2015, but Jordy Nelson's absence changed the Packers' entire offense. Rodgers' YPA dropped from 8.4 in 2014 to a career low 6.7 last season, and I'm expecting a rebound. I probably wouldn't draft him until Round 5 at the earliest, though.
D.J. Foster (@FOXSportsFoster): I like Big Ben as the second ranked QB, mainly because of his weapons. He has arguably the best receiving back (Le'Veon Bell) and all-around receiver (Antonio Brown) in football to utilize, and he's in an offense he has tons of familiarity with. I'm comfortable letting a few quarterbacks go off the board before snatching him up, so the 6th round sounds about right.
2. If Tom Brady wasn't suspended four games, where would he be ranked?
Fowler: Brady played with a fire lit under his ass to start the 2015 season and dominated fantasy scoreboards, but faltered in point totals come December's playoffs. With that said, his supporting cast of Edelman, Gronk along with the return of Dion Lewis make Brady a top-five quarterback in 16-game campaigns.
Meyer: If Tom Brady goes unsuspended for 2016, his rank will propel into the top two for QBs. At age 38, Brady led the league with 36 passing TDs and trailed only Drew Brees and Philip Rivers in passing yards. I would strongly consider taking Brady in the first two rounds of my fantasy draft if I knew for certain that he would play in all 16 games this season.
Halpin: Brady was QB2 last season, leading the league in passing TDs and finishing third with 4,770 passing yards. With a full complement of weapons â including the returning Dion Lewis â it's hard to argue anyone but Cam Newton over Brady in a full season.
Foster: He's 38 now, and his top weapons have suffered some injuries very recently (Gronk, Edelman, Lewis). It wouldn't shock me if the Patriots leaned a little more on the run and didn't throw the ball 624 times again, so I'm going to say third, behind Cam and Ben.
3. Are you a little worried Cam's career year was fluky?
Fowler: This is such a loaded question. From a fantasy perspective, the short answer is no. Why? He's got the green light to call his own number, 4.8 YPR in 2015, inside-the-five red zone priority. Plus, the return of Kelvin Benjamin working in concert with Greg Olsen, Ted Ginn and Jonathan Stewart, Newton could definitely improve upon 24.3 FPPG.
Meyer: I'm not worried about Cam Newton at all in 2016. Sure, the rushing TD total might drop since that stat can be extremely volatile. However, Newton threw for 35 touchdowns without his number one receiver last year! With Kelvin Benjamin healthy, Newton's numbers should continue to rise.
Halpin: Nah. Newton's 2014 should be seen as the fluke, as he suffered numerous injuries. He was a top-five fantasy quarterback in both 2012 and 2013, and while last season's numbers were ridiculous, a big year should have been expected. He's at his peak, and should again be fantasy's best QB.
Foster: Yes. In his first four seasons, Cam averaged 20.5 passing touchdowns a season, a far cry from the 35 he put up last year. His rushing should be fine, but asking for 10 touchdowns on the ground again might be pushing it. Cam probably won't replicate or improve upon his touchdown numbers last year, even though I still think he'll be a top-5 QB with ease.
