The shocking news that Tom Brady will no longer quarterback the New England Patriots surprised many. It also ignited a ripple effect through the NFL. While not surprising, Carolina parting ways with Cam Newton added even more waves.
Philip Rivers’ career as the Chargers field general is also done. Jacksonville shipped a former Super Bowl MVP north to The Windy City. What plans might the Chicago Bears now have for their no-longer-our-franchise-quarterback Mitchell Trubisky?
The Bengals are going to draft their quarterback-of-the-future, so what’s the future hold for Andy Dalton? If these changes aren’t enough to cause you to scratch your fantasy head in bewilderment, what about the two former Heisman Trophy winners who may be suddenly available?
The first two draft picks from the 2015 NFL Draft are undoubtedly going to be playing elsewhere, if not this year, soon. Both Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota have been huge disappointments.
However, stranger events have happened to quarterbacks over the years, sudden changes that revitalized their careers. The 2020 NFL Draft will unfold in about a month. This may answer a few questions, but the months leading up to training camp may answer even more.
Let’s take a look at four of these quarterbacks and see what kind of effect they might have on the 2020 fantasy football rankings going forward. We’ll skip Brady as a Buccaneer and look at how much promise these other transplanted quarterbacks may have to lead you to fantasy football glory.
Cam Newton
There is a lot of talk that Newton is damaged goods. However, he is a skilled athlete who has often taken challenges head on. Where he lands, could be as important as his health. There is talk about him replacing Brady in New England.
Talk about jumping from the skillet into the fire. Like Foles, Newton led a team to the ultimate game. His talent earned him the honor of the league’s most-valuable-player. A perceived attitude issue could make certain teams a little wary, but the guy has talent.
Depending on how things unfold, it’s very likely Newton could slip off the fantasy draft board. If he can revitalize his health, Newton has the skills to revitalize his career as a top-tier fantasy quarterback.
Andy Dalton
You listen to one angle, and you’ll hear that Dalton will be on the Bengals roster in 2020. Others think Cincinnati is secretly planning a trade strategy before April to add more quantity to this year’s draft.
There is one strong probability, however. Andy Dalton will probably not open the season as the Bengals’ starting QB. That means his fantasy value is negligible until he finds a new home.
If that happens before training camp, watch closely where he ends up. Dalton is young and has produced when he has had healthy skill players around him. Like Newton, the future is still unfolding, but he could be a sneaky waiver wire pickup as things develop.
Jameis Winston
Winston has to be considered one of the most frustrating quarterbacks from a fantasy standpoint over the last three seasons. He has blown up the opposition with masterful, multi-touchdown games.
However, this glittering fantasy production has often been followed with performances that tanked. Like Newton, there are some whispers that Winston could land in New England. This is the same situation, but with even more pressure for Winston.
He could also be a nice bridge between a draft pick QB for the Chargers and the future. The Bolts have a stable of excellent receivers, a couple with deep threat ability that would utilize Winston’s cannon arm.
Marcus Mariota
Like Winston, the jury is still out on the two players selected first and second only five draft years ago. Mariota has had trouble stepping into a leadership role that is a critical thing for an NFL quarterback.
Despite some injury problems, he is still a highly skilled athlete. He’s landed in Oakland as a presumed back up to Derek Carr, but it’s a situation worth monitoring in training camp. Mariota won’t be a quarterback to stash ahead of the 2020 fantasy season, but he certainly is worthy of being on your watch list.
The next couple of months is going to clear these muddled waters. Nick Foles and Philip Rivers will be in new uniforms, as will possible the greatest quarterback of all time. But, these four signal callers will probably slip off your fantasy football draft board.
Are they worthy of a roster spot as a sleeper? Newton and Dalton have the best track record to support taking a flier on them. However, Winston and Mariota are both still young by NFL quarterback standards. One thing we insist, one of these quarterbacks getting a change of scenery is going to make some fantasy football team owner wish they had them.
