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Fantasy Football Sleepers: Top 5 Quarterbacks

By Timothy Downs
Published on: 14:52 PST, Aug 26, 2016

Fantasy football sleepers are all the rage among American football aficionados currently as draft season is at a fever pitch. Identifying sleepers is paramount in fantasy football as the stars typically perform as expected, so it’s the guys who fill out your roster that ultimately decide if you’re going to flounder all season or bask in championship glory.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the top five sleepers (in no particular order) at quarterback in 2016 fantasy football. *Update* With Tony Romo now expected to be out 6-10 weeks, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott tops this list and is worth a flyer in all settings.

Marcus Mariota – Tennessee Titans

Marcus Mariota played incredibly well at times during his 2015 rookie campaign for the Tennessee Titans, and came through with a few monster weeks for those fantasy football owners brave enough to start him in redraft leagues and on daily sites.

A knee injury held Mariota to 12 starts, but he tallied a respectable 2,818 passing yards with 19 TDs to go along with 252 rushing yards and two rushing TDs. Marcus even added a receiving touchdown for good measure.

The Titans struggled to run the ball last season and that trend undoubtedly led to Mariota seeing a plenitude of exotic coverage packages. Despite opponents constantly disrespecting his run attack, Marcus impressed with his decision-making abilities (only 10 interceptions) which is something rookies rarely do.

The additions of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry have the Titans running game looking like it has a chance to impress in 2016, which can only aid in Mariota’s development. Although Tennessee doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, both Tajae Sharpe and Rishard Matthews possess immense talent and should be productive. Plus, Marcus has one of the most reliable possession tight ends in the NFL, Delanie Walker, as his security blanket.

As far as fantasy football sleepers go, Mariota has the most upside of anyone at the position.

Andy Dalton – Cincinnati Bengals

Say what you will about Andy Dalton’s career playoff woes and the Cincinnati Bengals’ inability to get anything going in the postseason under head coach Marvin Lewis (0-7 record), but Dalton is plenty capable of producing as a fantasy football sleeper.

In 13 starts last season, Dalton completed 66.1 percent of his passes while tallying 3,250 yards and 25 TDs to just seven INTs. While this isn’t an overwhelming stat line, it’s clearly nothing to sneeze at either.

Dalton does have a few things working against him this season. The Bengals let both Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones walk over the offseason, and tight end Tyler Eifert isn’t expected to return from injury until Week 4 at the earliest. However, A.J. Green is still in town and is one of the top five wide receivers in the NFL, and the veteran Brandon LaFell should step in and replace either Sanu or Jones’ production.

If the rookie Tyler Boyd also steps up, Cincinnati’s pass attack should be fine considering running backs Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard project to do a solid job balancing things out on the ground.

Draft Dalton is a late-round sleeper who could start in two-QB leagues or make for an excellent backup should your starter go down in standard settings.

Jameis Winston – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jameis Winston had a somewhat remarkable showing as a rookie in 2015, but flew a bit under the radar since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply don’t have much of a national following. Winston finished with 4,042 yards and 22 TDs through the air to go along with 213 yards and six TDs on the ground.

Many fantasy football experts are understandably concerned with the fact that Winston only found No. 1 wide receiver Mike Evans for three TDs last season, but keep in mind Evans did finish with 74 receptions for 1,206 receiving yards. With another offseason working together under their belts, it would shock me if Mike doesn’t finish with 10 TDs minimum in 2016.

The veteran Vincent Jackson should be a solid presence as a No. 2 wide receiver and if tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins can keep his head on straight long enough, he’s due for his first monster campaign.

Winston is currently the No. 18 quarterback according to the Fantasy Pros consensus rankings, but could easily finish right on the top 10 bubble.

Matthew Stafford – Detroit Lions

Many fantasy football enthusiasts are a tad apprehensive about drafting Matthew Stafford as he’s slated to play his first season without Calvin Johnson as his No. 1 wide receiver. I’m here to tell you today that you must let that anxiety go.

The Detroit Lions are a team with a suspect running game that should be playing behind more often than not in 2016. This is a recipe for fantasy football success for Stafford, who still has three more than capable wide receivers in Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, and the grizzled veteran Anquan Boldin to feature this season.

Add in tight end Eric Ebron (if healthy) and running back Theo Riddick, who catches a gargantuan amount of passes out of the backfield, and Matthew will have plenty of avenues to redistribute the 149 targets Johnson received in 2015.

The Lions probably won’t win more than six games in 2016, but there’s no reason to believe Stafford will fail to replicate his 4,262 yard, 32 TD performance from 2015 in the new campaign.

Robert Griffin III – Cleveland Browns

At 26 years old and coming off a tumultuous end to his tenure with the Washington Redskins, it appears as if Robert Griffin III is relishing his second chance at starting in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns.

Griffin’s best season came as a rookie in 2012, in which he threw for 3,200 yards and 20 TDs (just five INTs) to go along with a spectacular 815 yards and seven TDs on the ground. Talent has never been an issue for Robert, so if he can stay healthy and focused, there’s simply no reason to believe he can’t return to producing similar statistics.

Robert’s built a solid rapport with wide receiver convert Terrelle Pryor, and if the Browns are smart and keep Josh Gordon, the two could develop into an incredibly dynamic duo. Add in the most underrated tight end in the NFL, Gary Barnidge, and Griffin essentially has more weapons with the Browns than he did when he flourished as a rookie in Washington.

No one is telling you to draft Griffin late and pencil him in as your starting fantasy quarterback for the season. But he’s worth a spot on your roster as a backup at worst and could pay tremendous dividends before season’s end.

[Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images]

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