Fantasy Football's Top Backup QBs

Look, anyone can list off the top 5 QB’s in fantasy football, pretty much everyone spits out the same names:

Brady, Manning, Brees, Warner, Rodgers, or maybe Rivers in the top five. Usually it’s those 6 names that come up in the conversation.

Here’s the key: What about those weeks these guys are off? What about the weeks they have games against a tough defense, and you’d like a solid backup to provide you some points?

In this article I’ll start a series where I look at the best backup options available at each position. We’ll follow with RB’s next week, and WR’s the following.

TE’s will wrap up the offense in the week after that. Here goes:

Honorable Mention

Jay Cutler

It’s tough to really know what to expect from Cutler in his first year as a member of the Bears. They have what is reputed to be a terrible receiving corps, and due to that Cutler is ranked out of the top ten QB’s on most draft boards.

Then again, reports out of Chicago say that the Chicago receiving group looks much better with Cutler throwing them the ball.

We’ll see, but one thing’s for sure: In week 4 when Kurt Warner, Matt Ryan, and Donovan McNabb are all on a bye week Cutler is playing the Detroit Lions in Chicago, a game he should dominate what was one of the worst defenses in the league last year.

Carson Palmer

Coming off an injury plagued season, and lining up behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league Palmer could be a disappointment this season, and is therefore listed outside the top 12 on most draft boards.

He does play vs. a poor Cleveland team in Week 4 however, so he could make for a solid backup to Warner, Ryan, or McNabb.

In the same week Brady, Rivers, and Rodgers all face tough defenses as well, so either Palmer or Cutler could make a great backup for any of these guys.

Trent Edwards

Edwards is another QB who isn’t a solid bet for a breakout season, but sure has a great upside, particularly after the addition of TO to his group of targets.

He will likely be relied upon for the first three weeks to make plays as Lynch has been suspended, and may develop a real groove with star receivers Lee Evans and TO. In Week 5 he faces Cleveland in Buffalo and should put up solid numbers.

That’s the same week Brees, Rodgers, Rivers, and Cutler are off, and the same week Peyton lines up against a tough Tennessee team that put together the best record in all of football last season.

He could be a solid backup to any one of these 5 possible stars.

3. Marc Bulger

While Bulger rarely excites with big numbers, he does face some pretty weak opponents in Weeks 4 and 8 (SF and Detroit respectively, both away games for Bulger).

There are certainly teams that anyone can put up big numbers on if they find a groove that day, and I don’t think Bulger is any less capable of it than anyone else.

He may be past the best years of his career, but he’s still a solid starter who may be able to give you a decent start during either of these two weeks.

The Rams did just get rid of two of their longest standing team members in Tackle Orlando Pace and WR Torry Holt this off season, but they added former Baylor LT Jason Smith in the draft, and hope he can take the place of Pace before too long.

Make no mistake, Bulger certainly isn’t your best backup option, but he’s a solid one.

2. Matt Hasselbeck

All the stars are certainly aligned, and the pieces in place for Hasselbeck to have a breakout season coming back from injury.

Management added receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh to a receiving corps that already includes the likes of Nate Burleson and Deion Branch.

All three have the talent to headline an NFL team’s receiving group, and TJ has been known as one of the steadiest targets in the league throughout the past three seasons.

Add all of these factors into the fact that Hasselbeck faces Jacksonville, a team that posted a 5-11 record last season in Week 5, and Arizona in Week 6, a team who hardly dominated the NFC last season, posting a record barely over .500 at 9-7 before finding themselves and going on to the Superbowl.

These are the same two weeks that Brees, Rodgers, Rivers, and Cutler have off (Week 5), and Peyton and Romo have off (Week 6).

In Week 6 Brees, Brady, Cutler, and Ryan all face potentially tough games as well, so Hasselbeck could really prove to be a solid backup for any team-or develop into a great starter throughout the course of the season.

1. Eli Manning

That’s right, heading the top of this list is Eli Manning. While some may consider him a solid starter, he’s ranked as the 15th overall QB by ESPN.

He has very little in the way of a big name receiving group, but the addition of Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden through the draft could provide some potential targets, with Barden’s size easing the loss of Burress.

He also still has TE Kevin Boss, who he developed a great working relationship with last year, instead of Jeremy Shockey, who was traded to New Orleans last off-season.

He also happens to face a fairly easy schedule when the top QB’s are off, KC in Week 4, Oakland in Week 5, the Saints in Week 6, and Philly in Week 8.

That makes him the most versatile backup on the list, as he’s a solid backup for any QB, no matter when their tough games or off weeks are. Depending on the connection he develops with his new receivers, Eli could either be a solid backup, a great starter, or a completely useless waste of space this season.

Really it’s too early to tell, but for now I’m listing him as my top backup option for the 2009-2010 season.