2017 Fantasy Football AFC West Rankings: Quarterbacks
Heading into the 2017 fantasy football season, we take a look at each AFC West quarterback and review their likely impact to your fantasy football leagues.
I know what you’re thinking, ” Dude, seriously its June. Stanley Cup Finals. Lebron and Durant are dueling for a chip, and you want to discuss Fantasy Football?” Well if you’re gonna act that way young man then I guess we will be seeing you at the bottom of your league standings come December. All of your friends will ostracize you while they point and laugh at yet another of your lost Fantasy Football seasons. To think all of this could have been avoided if only you had taken 5 minutes to read this article. Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. So without further delay lets dive into the first of an eight part series ranking each division’s quarterbacks and their fantasy outlook for 2017:
The Rising Star
Last season, we saw Carr not only take another step in his ascension towards being a top flight signal caller, but also become a viable weekly QB1. Carr threw for 3,937 yards 28 TD’s and only 6 picks in 15 starts. Had Carr not gotten hurt in week 16 he most likely would have topped 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Most owners were able to grab Carr late in drafts last year and he ended up being a steal, scoring 307 points in standard league formats. Last year the Raiders offense was 6th best in the league and have added weapons like TE Jared Cook and RB Marshawn Lynch to go with holdovers Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper and 2nd year running back Jalen Richard. Throw in the fact that Carr operates behind one of the biggest and best offensive lines in the game and you have a recipe for a huge fantasy season.
Carr is a future fantasy stud and is only 25 years old, so those who own him in keeper leagues are in for about ten years of gaudy numbers and the great satisfaction that comes with being able to tell your friends what a genius you are.
The Proven Commodity
Where does the time go? It’s hard to believe that Rivers is now 35 years old and will be entering his 14th year in the league. 2016 was a bit of a mixed bag for the NC State alum, as he threw for 4,386 yards and 33 touchdowns. What made these numbers even more impressive was that he accomplished it with what seemed like a different cast of skill players each week.
Injuries have been a constant theme with the Chargers the last few years and 2016 was no different. Keenan Allen, Antonio Gates, Melvin Gordon and Danny Woodhead all missed significant time last year but despite working with depleted weapons, Rivers still found a way to post 332 fantasy points last year.
The troubling part of Rivers game was the continued spike in interceptions, as he tossed up 21 last year. The hope is that the turnovers are just a byproduct of trying to do too much. With a healthy Keenan Allen and the drafting of wide out Mike Williams (Clemson) and offensive linemen Forrest Lamp (Western Kentucky) and Dan Feeney (Indiana), “Old Man” Rivers should be able to cut down on the turnovers and have another stellar fantasy year.
Fantasy Football Torture
Welcome to Fantasy Footballs version of Nickelback. Safe, bland and predictable, you know what you are getting with Smith and quite frankly it ain’t gonna be much. Smith actually has a few quality weapons at his disposal in Travis Kelce and second year speedster Tyreek Hill but he lacks the arm talent to consistently capitalize on them. In 16 starts last year Smith threw for a career high 3,502 yards with only 15 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Smith’s scrambling ability does lend owners a bit more value, as he was able to find the end zone 5 times last year.
The Chiefs realized they are never going to win a Super Bowl with Smith at the helm, which is why they traded up in this years draft to select Patrick Mahomes. Fantasy owners need to take a cue from the decision makers in KC and accept the fact that if you are saddled with Smith as your weekly starter, there is no way you are going very far in the playoffs. Add to the mix the fact that Kansas City just took away one of his few weapons on offense by cutting Jeremy Maclin and the arrowhead is definitely not pointing up for Smith in 2017.
The Mystery Box
Whoever wins the job in Denver could surpass Smith by years end but as of now the sample size is just too small to make that leap. In what was essentially Siemian’s rookie season he posted numbers very similar to Smith, throwing for 3,401 yards 18 touchdowns and 10 picks, not bad production for a former 7th round draft pick.
Siemian is surrounded by talent at the skill positions with the likes of Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and C.J. Anderson returning from injury to tote the rock. The main issue for Siemian last year was the combination of playing behind a porous offensive line and his tendency to hold onto the ball for too long. If those issues get shored up Siemian could develop into a very solid QB 2 or borderline QB1 by the end of the year.
Even though new Head Coach Vance Joseph says there is an open competition for the gig, I still think Lynch is a good year away from presenting a real challenge to the top job in Denver. In his only two appearances last year, he looked way out of his depth. The good news for Lynch and those who own him in keeper leagues is that GM John Elway has surrounded him with some great offensive coaches.
Ex-Chargers head man Mike McCoy returns to his earlier position of Broncos Offensive Coordinator where he succeeded in making Tim Tebow a viable fantasy option back in 2011. Bill Musgrave, fresh off a two-year stint with Oakland, where he helped develop Derek Carr into one of the league’s top young talents, comes over to Denver as the new QB coach. If Lynch bombs it won’t be because he didn’t have quality coaching.
Next: Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Rankings
Now that you know who to target at QB from the AFC West, good luck with your 2017 fantasy football draft and remember to follow @fantasycpr for updates.