Backup QBs to Target on Your Dynasty Team

Photo: Jerome Miron, USA Today Sports

One of the best parts about dynasty fantasy football leagues is the year-long commitment to the team. The ongoing nature of dynasty teams creates a lot of advantages for dynasty GMs who use good strategy and roster construction. Free agency, trades, the NFL Draft, and the different news cycles lead to different strategies for different positions. This series will focus on different moves to make this month.

Optimize Your Backup Quarterback Options

In Superflex dynasty leagues, the search for quarterbacks should always be a priority. This can include the deal for an elite quarterback or adding players in the middle range of starters.

Even if those options are successful, adding depth at the quarterback position will create optionality during the season. One of the cheaper ways to address the quarterback position is to have quality backup quarterbacks. On average, between 2001 and 2021, 55 quarterbacks started a game per season. In 2022, the number jumped to 69. On average, 48 quarterbacks start more than one game, and this jumped to 60 in 2022.

While your preferred option should be to spend on durable, long-term quarterbacks, backups can help your team as potential spot starters or trade assets. For example, if you have Russell Wilson or Matthew Stafford, you may want to see if they rebound during the season, but it is good to build in some optionality at the position in case they do not.

Our target quarterbacks come in a variety of forms. There are four types we will focus on:

• Backups with a chance to start.
• Pure backups with a history of success.
• Pure backups with high draft pedigree.
• Pure backups in high-level offenses.

Quarterbacks with a Chance to Start

The highest priority is those that have a chance to start. At present, the list of backups who have a chance to start includes the following:

• Taylor Heinicke, Atlanta
• Gardner Minshew, Indianapolis
• Colt McCoy, Arizona
• Jacoby Brissett, Washington
• Bailey Zappe, New England

Each has an opportunity to potentially start, whether for an injury starter (McCoy), a young quarterback on shaky ground as a starter (Heinicke, Brissett, and Zappe), or ahead of a quarterback who could open the season on the bench as part of his longer-term development (Minshew).

After you look at potential starters, you should look for pure backup quarterbacks. When doing so, it is important to keep your roster limitations in mind.

With shallow rosters, it is more difficult to solve problems with volume-based solutions since roster spots are limited. When you have a hole at the quarterback position in a small-roster league, you should focus your efforts on higher-level solutions.

However, where you have room to roster backup quarterbacks in 28+ man roster spot leagues, backup quarterbacks are a good option.

There are three key features to prioritize when selecting pure backup quarterbacks.