8 Backup Quarterbacks Who Could Make an Impact in Fantasy Football 2012

A handful of starting QBs will go down with injury every year while others will perform so poorly that their teams make a change.

Last year, Matt Schaub, Michael Vick, Jay Cutler, Kevin Kolb, Jason Campbell and Matt Cassel all missed significant time. So knowing which backup could step in and make an impact is important for fantasy owners.

A few QB situations are still unsettled, but for the purpose of this list I’m projecting Brandon Weeden as the starter in Cleveland, Matt Hasselbeck the starter in Tennessee and Ryan Tannehill as the starter in Miami.

Whether because of skill-level, situation or a combination of both, these backup QBs are the most likely to make an impact if they are called upon in 2012.

Jake Locker, Titans

There’s an opportunity for Locker to win the starting job from Matt Hasselbeck in camp this year, as Titans’ offensive coordinator Chris Palmer says there is no definitive timetable to name a starting quarterback. But it would seem as if Hasselbeck will at least begin the season as the team’s No. 1. 

In limited action last year, Locker was pretty impressive. He had 4 TDs and no INTs on 34-of-66 passing for 542 yards while appearing in five games.

Locker, who was the second QB taken in 2011 and the eighth pick overall, could reach fantasy relevance immediately upon stepping in, with a pretty solid stable of receivers including WRs Kenny Britt, Nate Washington and Kendall Wright along with emerging TE Jared Cook.

Jason Campbell, Bears

Campbell was playing well for the Raiders last season before he went down with a broken collarbone on October 16 that ended his season. He was completing over 60 percent of his passes and had six TDs and four INTs in five games.

While Campbell takes a demotion in becoming the backup in Chicago, the Bears have gotten a huge upgrade in QB-depth behind starter Jay Cutler. The Bears offense sputtered when Cutler went down with a broken thumb in Week 11.

If an injury does sideline Cutler again, Campbell will step in and see better targets than Caleb Hanie did last year. The Bears traded for Brandon Marshall and drafted Alshon Jeffery in hopes of igniting an aerial attack.

John Skelton, Cardinals

John “Helter” Skelton was a spot starter in relief of Kevin Kolb for the Cardinals in his second season out of Fordham.

Skelton was inconsistent but put up a couple of big fantasy games including a 21-point performance in Week 10 and a 19-point performance in Week 14. Kolb, however, had the better QB rating of the two (81.1 to 68.9).

Kolb, the team’s projected starter once again, had lost six-straight games before missing time with turf toe. He later missed time with concussion symptoms.

The Cardinals added WR Michael Floyd in the first round of the draft to line up across from All-Pro Larry Fitzgerald, giving Kolb and Skelton another big target.

If Kolb is injured or unable to produce, then Skelton could help fantasy owners with other injury issues at QB.

Tim Tebow, Jets

I’m guessing someone in most leagues will stash Tebow at the bottom of their roster on draft day. Whether he deserves the spot will be revealed as the regular season progresses and it is known how Tebow will be used in the Jets offense.

Tebow’s production will be unpredictable as the Wildcat QB, so a fantasy impact is only likely if (for whatever reason) Tebow becomes the starter in New York.

To be a legitimate starting QB in a 10-team fantasy league, Tebow would have to improve upon his production from last year when he averaged 15.5 fantasy points per game in standard scoring, which was good for 12th among QBs.

If he can improve even a little bit more through the air (say 55 percent completion, around 200 pass yards per game), he could be a worthy fantasy starter as long as his run production remains. 

Colt McCoy, Browns

The Browns used the 22nd pick in the draft to select Brandon Weeden and most (including the Browns GM) expect Weeden to be the starter at the end of the QB competition.

That leaves Colt McCoy, who’s actually the younger QB, in the backup role.

It’s been a season-and-a-half of lackluster performances for McCoy, and his completion percentage actually dropped from 2010 to 2011 (60.8 to 57.2). McCoy though, has not had a ton of talent around him at the skill positions; which put undue pressure on the young QB to be the team’s key playmaker.

However, McCoy put up 12-plus fantasy points in seven of his twelve completed games in 2012. This isn’t great, but the Browns had one of the most ineffective rushing offenses in the league (ranked 28th).

That situation should improve this year with Trent Richardson in the backfield, which should be a boost to Weeden and McCoy.

Matt Moore, Dolphins

After taking over for Chad Henne in Week 4, Moore put together a pretty nice season for a guy who had only 392 pass attempts in his four-year NFL career coming into the season. He completed over 60 percent of his passes and had a respectable QB rating of 87.1, good for 12th in the league.

But that was not enough to convince the Dolphins he was their guy as they drafted QB Ryan Tannehill with the eighth overall pick in the 2012 draft.

If Tannehill is the starter and falters early, he may head back to the bench in favor of Moore, who has shown he can be fantasy relevant with four games of 18-plus fantasy points in his last nine games.

The Dolphins also added veteran QB David Garrard in the offseason, who has been included in the Dolphins’ QB competition. 

Rex Grossman, Redskins

It seems that the Redskins’ have gone "all in" with Robert Griffin III that he will be their starter all year, even if he struggles.

But if there is an injury that costs Griffin III a few games, Grossman has been a solid fill-in fantasy QB in the past.

Grossman started out 2011 with a 305-yard, two-TD performance followed by a 291-yard, two-TD game. But he couldn’t keep those levels up, and after a four-INT performance in Week 6, Grossman was pulled in favor of John Beck. Grossman got the job back and added a few more solid performances, but it certainly wasn’t enough to sell the Redskins on him being starting material.

Still, Grossman is a reliable pickup for about 250 yards and one or two TDs if your QB (be it RGIII or someone else) goes down with an injury.

T.J. Yates, Texans

Yates performed admirably as a rookie thrown in to a playoff chase after injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart.

While Yates’ meager numbers (three TDs, three INTs in five starts) in 2011 may not scream “future fantasy stud,” he did begin the season third on the depth chart after having a limited offseason coming out of North Carolina.

With a full offseason and the confidence of having led the Texans to the franchise’s first postseason victory on Wild Card Weekend against the Bengals, Yates should be in a much better position to do statistical damage should he be needed in 2012.

Yates is now entrenched as the No. 2 QB behind Schaub, who is returning from a season-ending Lisfranc injury suffered in Week 10.