Matthew Stafford: How an Injury-Prone QB Became Fantasy Football's Best Bet

In a game dominated by ball carries, and a few elite receivers, the quarterback is usually an afterthought. A position many top fantasy owners aren't even worried about until the third or fourth rounds, and sometimes even later—if the draft permits. This however, would never be the case in the real NFL, as real teams often struggle for years and years to find a signal caller to lead their team to the promise land.

Just ask the San Francisco 49ers, going on take number five or six with Alex Smith at the helm. Or maybe the Washington Redskins, trying to uncover some talent lost on the depth charts of other teams. Pretty pitiful situations if you ask me.

This year, I encourage fantasy players to try and change their strategy. Instead of waiting on a quarterback, and simply taking the best available, I ask you to dig a little deeper. Actually, just continue reading, consider the digging already done.

What if I told you that one of the NFL's youngest and most promising quarterbacks is currently stuck getting drafted after many of his peers. How are some quarterbacks, with far less poise and leadership, getting selected plenty of picks before him? Sitting at the helm of a fine, young offense, with one of the league's top wide outs sits our man:

Matthew Stafford.

Stafford, a University of Georgia product, hails from a program known for battling it out in the tough SEC, and for always having one of the best "pro style" offenses. Unfortunately, he has been plagued with injuries since being drafted No.1 overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Loaded with an accurate (but often injured) heat seeking missile for a right arm, Stafford has all the talent in the world. However, a plethora of injuries, and a poor Lions offense, have been the young quarterback's downfall.

Stafford suffered a knee injury his rookie year, missing two games, and then returned only to get pancaked into a separated shoulder. Although this might have made for the most bad-ass story of the 2009 football season, it didn't help the Lions, or fantasy teams, win any more games.

Come 2010, critics were once again high on Stafford, especially since Calvin Johnson, Stafford's favorite target, would have what was to be the best season of his young career. Those 12 touchdowns never came from Stafford. He had injured his right shoulder in the season opener, and wouldn't be on the field again until Halloween.

The return wouldn't last long, as Dr. James Andrews would perform a clavicle shaving and AC joint repair seven days later, thus ending Stafford's season—again.

The injuries, coupled with Stafford's awful quarterback rating (67.1) probably have you scratching your head as to why anyone would draft him as a starter, let alone a backup.

Stafford was not the No.1 pick in the draft by accident. Some of you may say that Jamarcus Russell wasn't either, but let's be honest, there's a pretty good chance that was an accident, and knowing Oakland, I'd bet my money it was. Even so, Stafford has a lot more experts chirping than Mr. Purple Drank when he came out of school.

With a ferocious defense (ask Mr. Brady and Co.) that should put him on the field often, an incredibly gifted top wide out, and a back with hands that make him the perfect check down, Stafford has the road already paved for him, all he has to do is keep his shoulder from falling off.

The Vegas odds of Jared Allen literally ripping it from Stafford's body is 2:1, but I disagree.

Although it's only preseason, Stafford's astronomical numbers are another reason he deserves a bit more than a casual glance over on draft day. Going up against first string defenses, the young kid has gone 24 for 31, with 356 yards, five touchdown's, and a big goose egg in the turnover column.

Although he might not be as fortunate in the regular season, I beg optimists (those still exist right....right?) to ask why he can't keep it up when the calendar flips to September. Stafford was off to a breakout campaign in 2010 before the injury, and it's not even a question if talent is there.

So, why, and when should you make Stafford your fantasy quarterback.

Currently, he is ranked as the 107th player by ESPN, which puts him in roughly the 10th round, and slots him 10th among all quarterbacks.

If you can sit red dead on Stafford you get to watch the competition reach for Michael Vick [Don't let the media fool you, taking Vick in the 1st round is a reach, give me Rodgers and Brady over the nine figure Eagle any day, and twice on Draft Day]. Kick it a little longer and soon enough Drew Brees, both Manning's, and even Jay Cutler slip off the board.

Don't get me wrong, if throwing interceptions and getting plastered behind a poor offensive line is a good thing for your league's scoring settings, than let the top pick in the draft go to Eli or Cutler.

As noted above, he's one of many players going ahead of Stafford, I have chosen to use Josh Freeman as a comparison. By now, there's a solid chance if you're reading this, you have had a couple sips of the Freeman Kool-Aid. By sips, I obviously mean fantasy websites have practically dumped gallons of it down your throat.

Give Freeman his due, but don't swear by last season. Granted, if he had ran for pay dirt three more times, something highly possible, he would've finished only a few points behind Louisiana's finest—Mr. Drew Brees.

However, it's a new year, and the Bucs are already looking lackadaisical since the lockout was lifted, which is expected from such a young team. Throw in LeGarrette Blount for the entire season, instead of only the second half, and it wouldn't shock me, nor anyone else, if the Bucs took a more conservative, ground pound approach.

The largest benefit to taking Stafford late, is the ability to bolster your entire offense while everyone is grabbing QB's early. For example, in a recent draft for a pretty standard scoring league with 10 teams, I was able to get Adrian Peterson, Darren McFadden, Miles Austin, Jahvid Best, Jason Witten, Mario Manningham, Ryan Mathews, and Chad Ochocinco all before Stafford.

When I finally clicked on the name of the blue and silver stud, it was only because my entire starting roster (and a few backups) was complete, and backups were starting to come off the board. Yes people, backups!

This season especially, fantasy owners should follow the running back by committee strategy. Often, a team's best friend, it is a fantasy owners worst nightmare. Finding a running back in the later rounds is tough enough, let alone one who is going to weather the storm and get the majority of his team's carries.

By waiting on Stafford until the late rounds, you can devote your first seven or eight picks to backs, receivers, and one of those elite tight ends. Next thing you know, you have a full house, with the Ace of Spades still tucked up your sleeve.

The only bit of caution I would suggest you keep a careful eye for is to always have a back up plan. I am not a fan of having two quarterbacks, but if your throwing your chips in the Stafford pot, I would equip your roster with someone like Kyle Orton, or Sam Bradford—in case anything goes awry.

Whatever you decide, remember, drafts will always throw multiple looks at you, and it is the job of an elite fantasy player to bend with the river. Whether it be the league idiot drafting a QB at No.1, or somehow a gem like Rodgers slipping into the end of the second, be prepared for anything.

Want Stafford in the 9th, but a handful of QB's suddenly go off the board in the 7th, and number nine's name slowly ticks to the top of the available quarterback list? Be ready to pounce. Trust me, it's a lot better to sacrifice your pride, and get your man than letting him ride the bench on a roster with one of the top guns in the starting slot. Nobody wants to be panicking, looking through names of wily veterans (Donovan McNabb, Matt Hasselbeck), or unproven rookies (Cam Newton) all because they wouldn't break from the pre-draft plan.

Above all, I believe Stafford will have a banner season, and reward those with the patience to wait on him. Just like all the other "experts" all I can do is offer my educated, and researched hypothesis. It will all come down to how you decide to craft your team. And remember, it's your squad for the next four months, so make sure you like it after the draft is complete.

Good luck this season boys and girls. I wish you nothing but perfect drafts, accurate waiver wire selections, and championships aplenty!