Fool Me Once... Sophomore QBs Set to Bust Again

August 16, 2020

Rishi Patel reviews three second-year NFL quarterbacks to avoid in 2020 Fantasy Football leagues as draft busts.

Just because QBs have one year of NFL experience under their belt does not mean natural progression will come sophomore year, unfortunately. In fact, many players, especially QBs, undergo growing pains for their first few years in the league before emerging as a true gunslinger.

Look at what Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, and Josh Rosen did in year two. Those are just a few of the more recent QBs to have not upped their game to an elite level in their sophomore season (which was last year). Development is different for every QB, but for fantasy owners, consistency and explosiveness are needed from players at all positions.

A few QBs entering their sophomore year this season have the potential to be fantasy stars due to offseason growth, the addition of weapons, and a stronger offensive line. Examples include Broncos QB Drew Lock and Giants QB Daniel Jones. Unfortunately, some QBs may not have that luxury and could struggle in fantasy. Let’s look at some sophomore signal-callers to avoid for your fantasy team in 2020.

Dwayne Haskins, Washington Football Team

Ohio State product Dwayne Haskins was thrust into the NFL spotlight last season in Week 4 against the Giants and the 23-year-old had a turbulent rookie season on the Washington Football Team. The QB finished with 1,365 pass yards, seven touchdowns, seven picks, 6.7 yards per pass attempt, 151.7 pass yards per game, a 76.7 quarterback rating, and 101 rush yards in nine games played. He had 38 bad throws and a 19.4 percent poor throws per pass attempt rate.

The New Jersey native finished 35^th among fantasy QBs. Among NFL QBs, he ranked 34^th in pass yards, 33^rd in pass touchdowns, 22^nd in interceptions, 34^th in pass yards per game, and 23^rd in rush yards. The team went 2-7 during the games Haskins played, and the young QB didn’t finish with more than 261 pass yards, two pass touchdowns, a 92.2 quarterback rating, and 28 rush yards in any of the nine games he appeared in.

Heading into his second season, Haskins has room to improve; however, he is still young and unproven for fantasy. In addition, Washington doesn’t boast a high-powered offense, but instead one of the weakest (if not weakest) in the league. The QB’s only reliable weapon on the entire pass-catching unit is fellow Ohio State product, Terry McLaurin. Other than that, Haskins doesn’t have proven playmakers to toss the pigskin to. When considering that he is still growing as a QB, along with the lack of firepower on the offense, it makes Haskins a candidate to be a fantasy bust. He can only be viewed as a backup in deep fantasy leagues heading into drafts.

Jarrett Stidham, New England Patriots

Coach Bill Belichick has made it clear that newly-signed veteran QB Cam Newton will have to earn the starting QB job for the New England Patriots, but the former Panther’s abilities and experience in the NFL give him the edge on sophomore QB Jarrett Stidham.

Stidham was viewed as the “successor” to Tom Brady after he departed for Tampa, and Belichick must see something in the kid because New England didn’t draft a QB in the draft despite much speculation about them needing one.

Nevertheless, an open QB competition does not bode well for the fantasy value of the 23-year-old, as he is unproven, young, and lacking NFL experience. The Auburn product appeared in three games for the Pats last season and only mustered four pass attempts, 14 pass yards, one pick, a quarterback rating of 18.7, and -2 rushing yards. It will be hard to consider Stidham a capable fantasy QB heading into drafts, and the presence of Cam Newton (and even Brian Hoyer) just sends his fantasy value to non-existent. He is the safest pick on this list to call a fantasy bust for 2020.

Gardner Minshew II, Jacksonville Jaguars

Gardner Minshew may have taken the NFL world by storm last year with his playmaking and hip mustache, be he does remain a risky fantasy option heading into his second year. The 24-year-old had 3,271 pass yards, 21 touchdowns, six picks, 233.6 pass yards per game, a 91.6 quarterback rating, and 344 rush yards in 14 games. He had 84 bad throws and an 18.6 poor throws per pass attempt rate.

Minshew finished 20^th among fantasy QBs. He also ranked 20^th in pass yards, 20^th in pass touchdowns, 21^st in pass yards per game, 16^th in quarterback rating, 17^th in bad throws, eighth in poor throws per pass attempt rate, and 20^th in on-target throws (332). The Washington State product also had 13 fumbles, which was tied for fourth-highest among NFL QBs.

The Mississippi native is a risky fantasy option heading into 2020 because he has the tendency to fumble and only ranked average in mostly all passing categories. Though he could shine some weeks, he can flounder in others. This means the QB could potentially be a fantasy bust, especially considering there are better and more reliable options at the position. Minshew shouldn’t be considered more than a backup in 12-team fantasy leagues heading into drafts.

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