Fantasy football: Best value and sleeper quarterbacks for 2017

It’s time to break down this year’s fantasy football quarterback class. Let’s find out where the best value is and who could break out in 2017.

The quarterback can serve as the cornerstone of a fantasy football team and is oftentimes the highest-scoring position in the game. The position’s perceived draft value fluctuates wildly, from those who grab the best passer with the first pick to those who wait until they absolutely must pick someone.

Here are all the draftable quarterbacks in 2017, along with the rounds when drafting them is a good value in standard ten-team leagues.

Draftable in the fifth round: Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees

Brady, Rodgers and Brees are obviously the best quarterbacks in fantasy football. Both rarely turn the ball over, play in offenses that throw the ball a lot, and have consistently scored in top five at the position almost every week for the past few seasons.

Notice that even the best quarterbacks should not be taken until at least the fifth round. The reason for this is simple: the lack of startable depth at running back and wide receiver means that you should invest in them before grabbing a quarterback so you aren’t left with terrible streaming options at your flex slot. There are at least ten startable quarterbacks in the league, so if you miss out on the best, don’t panic and reach for one when there will be value further down the board.

That consistency is their greatest asset. 250-yard, two-touchdown games are reasonable expectations every week, and they oftentimes exceed those numbers, sometimes in ways that win games almost by themselves. They aren’t reliant on having great weapons in the passing game and don’t have running backs that command red zone carries.

If there is a downside to drafting these guys, it’s that they routinely go too early. There are decent starting quarterbacks available in the middle of the draft, but the other startable players—especially running backs—tend to be gone by that point, leaving you with some poor options. If however, the run on quarterbacks hasn’t begun by the fifth round, go for it. The difference between these three guys is negligible in preseason rankings, so feel free to wait around and see which one falls to you.

Draftable in the seventh round: Matt Ryan

There is a gulf that separates the top three quarterbacks from this next group, but these three quarterbacks are all good starters who will probably finish in the middle of the top ten—average starter material.

Ryan is going to come down to earth after an outstanding 2016. He doesn’t have Kyle Shanahan anymore, which hurts, and his level of production last season just isn’t sustainable. Still a high-end starter with top-four potential, but you shouldn’t plan on him being the world-beater from a season ago.

Draftable in the eighth round: Russell Wilson

Russell Wilson is an excellent quarterback, but that doesn’t always translate into fantasy numbers. He’s already in an offense that loves to run the ball, but now he himself is running less and he ranked 17th passing touchdowns last season. Not bad things from a football perspective, necessarily, but Wilson seems to be settling into low-end QB1 numbers and while he has little bust potential, he’s not likely to go off either.