Late Round Quarterbacks To Target In 2020
The strategy to wait to draft a quarterback was pioneered by JJ Zachariason several years ago. The basic idea behind it is that, by not drafting a QB in the first 5–6 rounds, you are able to stack your roster with high-profile contributors at tight end, running back, and wide receiver. This works because the dropoff between top tier quarterbacks and mid-tier quarterbacks isn’t as steep as it is at the other positions. Missing out on the top 12 running backs is a death sentence for most fantasy squads. But if you draft a quarterback outside of the top 12, your roster can still be set up well.
With that said, here are four of my favorite late round quarterbacks for the 2020 season. Stock up on your high-end running backs and wide receivers, and get one of these signal-callers late in the draft and compete all year long.
Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford has had elite seasons in the past, including a 5,000-yard passing season and six top-10 QB seasons during his career. He has wavered over the last couple of seasons, and last season dealt with injuries that limited him to only 8 games.
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However, during those 8 games, Stafford shined more than anyone expected. He threw 19 TDs to just 5 interceptions and scored an average of 21.4 fantasy points per game, good enough for 4th in the league, and ahead of elite players like Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, and Drew Brees.
The Lions didn’t lose any major weapons in the offseason and are returning Marvin Jones, Jr., Kenny Golladay, TJ Hockenson, and Danny Amendola to the starting lineup again in 2020. In addition to that, they added Deandre Swift in the 2nd round of the draft to shore up the backfield, which has been shaky with the injuries to Kerryon Johnson in the last two seasons. Stafford is primed to outperform his QB13 ADP in 2020.
Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben missed almost all of 2019 with an elbow injury, but before that, he had put up back to back top-10 QB seasons, as well as the QB3 season in 2018. The Steelers’ signal-caller has a glut of weapons in the Pittsburgh offense, from Juju Smith-Schuster to Diontae Johnson, James Washington, and Chase Claypool as his WRs. At tight end, the team has Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron, two candidates for high red-zone targets, and James Conner and Jaylen Samuels in the backfield make for a high-ceiling offensive squad, if they can all stay on the field.
The most notable difference between the 2018 roster and the upcoming 2020 team is the lack of Antonio Brown, a player that Roethlisberger leaned on heavily during his QB3 campaign two years ago.
This is a loss that Roethlisberger will feel, and it remains to be seen if James Washington or Diontae Johnson will be able to step up as the strong number two option behind Juju. At the ADP of QB15, Roethlisberger is one of my favorite late round quarterbacks to target in 2020.
Jared Goff
Goff is somewhat of an enigma in the fantasy community. He was the number one overall pick in 2016, and he had led his team to a Super Bowl appearance by just his third season. Goff was smothered by the Patriots defense and his high-flying offense was held to just three points.
But it didn’t seem to matter to the Rams front office, and they handed him the richest contract a quarterback had ever seen (at the time). But then 2019 happened, and Goff’s previous efficiency went out the window. He didn’t throw a touchdown during November, and the offense clearly was a step or several worse than the 2018 roster.
However, despite not being worth his contract and struggling in 2019, in his three full seasons, Goff hasn’t finished below QB13, and he was the QB7 in 2018. He’s only 25 years old and is playing under Sean McVay, one of the best offensive minds in the league. The weapons are there across the board, from Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp to Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett and Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson. Goff is a QB who has an excellent chance to outperform his QB17 ADP.
Kirk Cousins
The most disrespected quarterback in the NFL. Cousins is in a turbulent offense, with a new coordinator Gary Kubiak after Kevin Stefanski left to Cleveland, and now without Stefon Diggs. But Kirk still has Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr, Dalvin Cook, and most importantly, Adam Thielen. There’s still a lot of talent in this offensive unit, and Cousins is the man to lead the charge in Minnesota.
The team threw the ball only 444 times with Cousins under center in 2019, down from 606 in 2018. Cousins just didn’t have the opportunity to make as many big plays as he had before, and as a result, all of the offensive weapons suffered.
The targets just weren’t there offensively. But we should see a number that’s at least 500 in 2020, and Cousins will thrive with that. During his five years as a starter, Cousins has been a top-8 QB three times and never finished below QB15. He’s 32 years old in a talented offense that just added Justin Jefferson in the first round, and he’s being drafted at QB22. Cousins is a guarantee to beat his ADP and finish close to the top-12 in 2020.
These aren’t the only good late-round QB options. You might also consider drafting Cam Newton (QB19), Philip Rivers (QB23), or Gardner Minshew (QB24 although if you pick him first, you might win Bud Light.)
With so many talented QB options going late in drafts, 2020 is the prime year to load up on RB and WR talent early and then take your QB late and watch the wins come in every week.
