Finding the Right Backup QB

Photo: Danielle Parhizkaran, USA Today Sports

This article makes two assumptions:

• You want to have a Top 10 quarterback
• You want to start that quarterback every week he plays

If that doesn't describe you, check out our quarterback by committee (QBBC) article.

Now that all those committee players are out of here, let's get down to business and find your backup quarterback.

Top 10 Quarterbacks

If you're drafting a Top 10 signal-caller, that means you're looking at one of these guys:

• Josh Allen, Buf
• Justin Herbert, LAC
• Kyler Murray, Ari
• Patrick Mahomes II, KC
• Tom Brady, TB
• Joe Burrow, Cin
• Jalen Hurts, Phi
• Lamar Jackson, Bal
• Russell Wilson, Den
• Dak Prescott, Dal

And that guy is your every-week starter. All season long. Well, except for that pesky bye week. In most leagues, you'll want to grab a backup and come out of the draft with two quarterbacks.

The Next 5 Quarterbacks

By most accounts, there is a group of quarterbacks just below the Top 10.

• Kirk Cousins, Min
• Trey Lance, SF
• Matthew Stafford, LAR
• Aaron Rodgers, GB
• Derek Carr, LV

We won't count these guys as potential backups. They will be worth starting at least a few times regardless of your starting quarterback. Plus, in some leagues, you could easily need to roll with one of them as your every-week starter. For that reason, we'll also find the top backups for them.

Finding Backups

Finding the right backup quarterback will be based on three things:

• Bye week compatibility - This seems obvious, but your backup quarterback can't have the same bye week as your starter.
• Projected fantasy points scored - Better players make for better backups, so quarterbacks projected to score more points will generally be higher on the complementary backup list.
• Strength of schedule - Weaker opponents make for better performances, so quarterbacks facing weak defenses will generally be higher on the complementary backup list.

Using the Draft Dominator

Before we go any further, know that the following work is based on a standard scoring system. It's not bad to go with standard scoring, but you can do better. The Draft Dominator will find complementary quarterbacks (and every other position, for that matter) and do it based on your custom scoring.

To find complementary players, all you have to do is click/tap the "* More" menu just above the player list in the Draft Dominator.

Week 6 Complementary Backups

This quarterback is off this week:

• Derek Carr, LV

Here are the top backups for this week (with projected fantasy points):

• Justin Fields - Chi - 22.83
• Wilson/Flacco - NYJ - 21.93
• Daniel Jones - NYG - 22.18
• Carson Wentz - Was - 21.77
• Tua Tagovailoa - Mia - 21.78
• Trubsiky/Pickett - Pit - 21.22