All right, folks, we are two positions down, WR, RB, and moving onto our 2022 QB busts. Anyone can draft Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. We know this much. The issue at the draft is when are you willing to spend your draft capital on a QB? I am of the opinion you can wait until much later in the draft and grab a QB knowing that your RB/WR corps is stacked. I made it to two finals not called RazzBowl (Best Ball Cut Line) and did not reach on a QB in either league. In one, I selected Kirk Cousins as the 14th QB off the board and, in the other league grabbed Joe Burrow as the 9th QB off the board.
In fact, in the first scenario, there were some teams with two QBs prior to Cousins coming my way. At QB14, Cousins was an absolute monster from the bargain bin, and I rolled with him all season. The only mistake I made, hindsight being 20/20, is starting him over my backup, Trevor Lawrence, in the finals. Considering I paired Cousins with Justin Jefferson meant I was not benching him, so I finished in second place. The Burrow-led squad also finished in second place and had nothing to do with the Bengals/Bills game cancellation. My supporting casts just did not perform, and I lost both ‘ships. I say all of that to say this…wait on QB, but buyer beware on some of the names you have targeted for later in your draft. The names below are all QBs I had slated as later values, and man, oh man, did they disappoint.
@BobbyLamarco and Mitch will be chatting about quarterback busts on the Tuesday night Razzball YouTube channel. I will follow today’s article up with the Tight End position later in January. As always, if you have questions or comments, feel free to drop those at the bottom of this thread.
Coming in at the top of my QB busts list is Tom Brady. Now, before you scream, ‘BUT, BUT, BUT, he’s the GOAT’, remember what Brady did in 2021 and compare that to his 2022 season. We certainly did not get full GOAT numbers from TB12 in 2022. You can point to Brady’s 2022 season and his almost 4,700 passing yards as successful, but in doing so, you must also address the fact he dropped in yards by almost 700 and QB taring by 12+ points. Where I am really focusing my disappointment is in the precipitous drop in touchdowns from 43 to 25. That number 5, an 18-touchdown drop, is also Brady’s second-lowest output since 2004. Let that sink in. Brady had thrown for 26+ touchdowns all but four seasons, one of which was in 2008 when he was injured in Week 1 and missed the remainder of the season. Depending on where you drafted Brady in 2022, he may have been a bargain, but planning on similar numbers to 2021 has to be listed as a major disappointment.
Normally, I would leave off a QB that saw his season derailed by injury. Let’s be honest, Matthew Stafford’s best play was heading to the injured list. The Rams looked awful virtually all season, and Stafford was basically done once Cooper Kupp went down in Week 10. Stafford managed one 3 TD game and one game over 300 yards this season. For a team that throws the ball first, those numbers just will not cut it. His TD-to-INT ratio was 10-8, which does not scream QB1. The Rams made a good call in shutting Stafford down when they did, as they are looking to him to bring some semblance of competitiveness back under center in 2023. A curious stat for Stafford is his completion percentage in 2022. Can you believe it was the highest in his career at 68%? Somehow, he was more accurate with less to show for said accuracy in the long run. A QB1, if drafted late, better bring more than an average of 231 yards passing and 1.1 TD per game. Keep an eye on Stafford during the off-season, as it is paramount that we know about his injury status prior to draft season. If he comes back fully healthy and the Rams get him some help on the O-Line, then he might bring a solid bargain in 2023…exactly what we want when punting QB early.
The reigning, two-time NFL MVP just shit the bed in 2022. Yes, my Green Bay Packers QB! MY QB! I hate to say it, but it is the truth, and I am the first to both pump up my team and hold them accountable for lackluster play. Aaron Rodgers was atrocious in 2022, averaging less than 220 yards passing while not eclipsing 3,700 yards over 17 games. The numbers are mind-boggling, and I cannot reconcile just how bad Rodgers was in 2022. He looked confused at times. He looked upset at times. He looked frustrated by young WR at times. And possibly worst, he looked disinterested for much of the 2022 season. He was just not that dude this year, and there are three options for him heading into 2023: trade (at his behest), retirement, or an elongated press-filled lead-up to him reporting for camp to prove all the haters wrong again. If he plays in 2023, and I am not sure he will, I think he needs to be buried down your QB draft rankings. He has talent around him in Green Bay but just does not seem willing to use them in the manner required to bring a positive return on investment.
Additional bust-worthy QB names:
Russell Wilson – Mister Unliiimmmmmited was certainly limited after the huge off-season trade to Denver.
Justin Herbert – Love the upside for this kid, and with the talent around him, he should be back near the top of QB ranks in 2023.
Derek Carr – Poised to light up the NFL with his BFF Davante Adams in the fold, only to not look good and finally get benched to end the season. Where Carr ends up in 2023 is up for a lot of speculation.
Kyler Murray – He can say he lasted longer than HC Kliff Kingsbury, but is that saying much?
Dak Prescott – Did the real Dak stand up in the San Francisco playoff game?
Trey Lance – 2022 pre-season QB darling did not last one start and apparently will need to usurp Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, for the starting gig in 2023.
Thank you for hanging around the Razzball water cooler with us during the 2022 fantasy season. We will be around during the off-season with both articles and podcasts. Look for us on the Razzball YouTube site and drop your questions both here and there. Remember, your 2023 fantasy football season draft prep starts as soon as the playoffs are complete. We are down to three remaining games in the season, so get all the football content you can now!
-Mitch-
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
