ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp to Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which backup quarterback will end up making the greatest fantasy impact this season?
PRETZEL MAY
I have to go with Nick Foles. Mike Vick is always a good candidate to get hurt. Philly can put points on the board with Chip Kelly's up tempo offense. Fantasy points are not determined by wins or loses so when Nick Foles gets his chance in the next couple of weeks he will put up some good numbers for you.
The May brothers have more than 20 years of combined fantasy football experience and are the co-founders of FantasyDraftMaster.com. In FDM's first 3 years as part of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll, they have amassed 1st- and 2nd-place finishes. The cornerstone of FantasyDraftMaster.com is the UberRank which is a revolutionary approach to the traditional fantasy football cheat sheet. FantasyDraftMaster.com also offers insightful and humorous commentary and recommendations on waiver wire pickups, lineup submissions and weekly pick em' pools. For more info on FDM, visit the web site or email info@fantasydraftmaster.com.
DAVID DOREY
Brock Osweiler in Denver needs to get a chance to start… HA! Just kidding. I would love to see Matt Cassel become the starter in Minnesota and he would take the offense to a new level. Chad Henne is maybe the obvious answer here and another needed move but Cassel in particular could really surprise.
Dorey is the co-founder and lead NFL analyst for The Huddle and author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. He has projected and predicted every NFL game and player performance since 1997 and has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, radio and television.
BOB HENRY
There are really two parts to this answer. The first is the likelihood of the starting quarterback going down. The second is my confidence in the backup making an impact. In my mind, he only player that legitimately fits both criteria is Nick Foles. Predicting if a player will get hurt or not is a tricky proposition, but Michael Vick's propensity to tuck the ball and run with reckless abandon combined with his history of getting hurt is enough for me to think it's not a matter of if, but when with him. As for Nick Foles, he has demonstrated an ability to command the Eagles offense enough that he gave Vick a run for his money for the starting job during training camp and preseason. In the Eagles' up-tempo offense with the weapons they have, Foles can definitely make an impact.
Henry is a senior writer/analyst for Footballguys.com since 2004 and an industry veteran of 17+ years. His responsibilities at Footballguys include leading the annual training camp reports, providing detailed preseason and year-forward projections during the season that help drive the Footballguys suite of mobile, web and desktop draft and in-season management tools, along with managing the depth charts and his popular weekly Sleepers column during the season.
MIKE NAZAREK
Titans QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will start the next 4-8 weeks, and he's one of the better backups in the league. He has a great chance to produce solid numbers for anyone needing a quick fix at the position.
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
ALAN SATTERLEE
The answer is a function of both expected playing time and production when playing. Tampa's Mike Glennon looks locked in as the Tampa starter for sure, but Tampa is so dysfunctional right now and I don't see Glennon being overly fantasy-relevant. That leaves three QBs who will likely not start the rest of the season (maybe though) but when they play should be (relatively) more attractive fantasy producers in Matt Cassel, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Hoyer. For me, I think at this point you have to go with Browns' QB Brian Hoyer. He's had 5 TDs in two games and is playing inspired ball. I also think Cleveland will stick with him over Brandon Weeden who looked pretty dismal (along with Browns' offense) in his two starts.
Satterlee is Co-Owner and Chief Editor/COO of FantasyFootballWarehouse.com. FFW features comprehensive profiles for all the major 2013 skill-position rookies, its Trading Spaces series, the team Deep Dives, the Speed Bump competition plus draft strategies, rankings, projections and more. FFW runs in tandem with its dynasty site DynastyFootballWarehouse.com.
MICAH JAMES
This seems too easy, but my answer has to be Nick Foles. Both players looked very capable of directing the Eagles' offense during the preseason and in a relief appearance last week against the Broncos, Foles performed admirably completing three of four passes with a score for good measure. Not only do I like Foles' ability and talent, but Vick hasn't played an entire season since he re-entered the league in 2009. Even if Foles only plays in a few games, he could rack up a lot of fantasy points running this team. Of course, if Vick's injury is significant, Foles could find himself in the top 15-20 QBs for the season.
James, the FFMagicMan, has been playing fantasy football since 2000. James won the FSTA Accuracy Rankings Challenge in 2012, finishing 1st out of 61 expert entries with an unprecedented Top-9 performance across all four skill positions. You can follow James on Twitter (@FFMagicMan) and be sure to listen to his weekly fantasy football strategy podcast, The Magic Formula.
SAM HENDRICKS
I hate to say it but it depends. Are we talking about a backup QB who is now starting? If that is the case then Brian Hoyer for Cleveland has to be the top choice. If it is which current backup could make a big fantasy impact, then my vote is Nick Foles. Mike Vick is injury prone and if Foles gets the nod he could really explode with the Kelly offensive scheme.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 20-plus year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 competitors) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). Follow him at his web site, www.ffguidebook.com.
SCOTT SACHS
Let's talk Browns and hometown hero Brian Hoyer. In just 2 games, he has taken the team and city on his shoulders. No, he hasn't been perfect, but he plays fast, is decisive, and certainly has much more accuracy than Weeden. The Bills are next up for the Brownies in a national game Thursday night--2 up and coming young teams from small market towns in the rust belt. A Cleveland win assures a continued share of 1st place in the AFC North. Reports are stating that Weeden's thumb has healed and he is saying that the Browns are still his team, but he hasn't even been named the #2 QB for Thursday as of this writing. If Hoyer chalks up another W this week, Weeden will be needing that healed thumb to hitch a ride out of town.
Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, offering LIVE Talk/Text/Email consulting & advice. Winner of Fantasy Football Index's 2012 Experts Poll & 2011 Mock Auction League, Scott can be found at http://perfectseasonffb.com/.
CORY BONINI
At this time, it has to be Ryan Fitzpatrick. He has proven capable of producing positive fantasy results, at least in spurts, as long as you're willing to tolerate turnovers. Tennessee should be without Jake Locker for a month or more. It is entirely possible head coach Mike Munchak sticks with Fitzpatrick for the rest of the year if he finds sustained success.
Since 1996, KFFL.com has been combining its award-winning news service with fantasy analysis. KFFL.com offers services including daily news, draft guides and in-season advice. Completely free, KFFL.com is your destination for fantasy baseball, football and NASCAR cheat sheets, tips, sleepers and much more. KFFL.com has won more than a dozen expert championships and was listed as "One of the 10 essential sports-related online destinations for fans, athletes and fantasy owners" by Time.com. KFFL.com is property of USA TODAY Sports Media Group.
ANDY RICHARDSON
I'm not sure there really is one, given that the most likely backups to start appear to be on poor offensive teams. But I'll go with Nick Foles, who at some point will need to replace Michael Vick, and when he does will be running a capable offense linked to a really awful defense. Foles won't be as productive as Vick, but he should generate some fill-in potential in games against similarly poor defenses.
Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for 12 years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.
IAN ALLAN
To me, you're looking for a balance of upside versus the possibility that the guy will actually get on the field. So basically, I'm looking at quarterbacks for the teams that can pass that are getting knocked around a little bit. I see give candidates. Kyle Orton, Seneca Wallace, Nick Foles, Kirk Cousins and Shaun Hill. With all of those guys, I will have some interest if there's an injury that gets them on the field.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index. He's been in that role since 1987, generating most of the player rankings and analysis for that publication. His work can be seen in Fantasy Football Index magazine, and also at www.fantasyindex.com.