X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

An Ode To Old Quarterbacks - Why The Elder Statesmen Will Perform Well In 2017

We hear about older players declining every single offseason. Whether it's Frank Gore or Larry Fitzgerald, some people would have you believe that there's an age limit on how productive a player can be for fantasy. Sure, no one is good forever and practically all players retire before 40. That doesn't mean we need to take 35ish year olds behind the barn just because the calendar says to.

Here we'll be looking at older quarterbacks with an emphasis on why they'll be just fine in 2017. In fact, everyone listed is likely to perform well despite their age restrictions. Some are older than others, most have great weapons, all are going to produce on an actual NFL field. It's fantasy we're concerned with here, though, so that's what the primary focus will be.

As usual during the offseason months, everything we discuss is subject to change based on all the typical moves over the spring. Stay tuned to RotoBaller for everything else that comes up.

 

An Ode To Old Quarterbacks

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Let's get the most obvious name out of the way first, shall we? I'll admit, I was one of the many who thought Tom Brady might be cooked sooner rather than later. In fact, I will shamefully own up to me being aboard that bandwagon the year they beat the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Now, however, it's appearing more and more obvious that Brady will be one of the rare few who maintain his Hall of Fame level production through the entirety of his career.

Brady's path to fantasy greatness is kind of independent of whoever his weapons are. His most potent ally, Rob Gronkowski, played in just eight games this past season. The only truly strong wide receiver in New England, Julian Edelman, had himself a down year by his standards. Brady even missed four games due to an overdue, over-exaggerated suspension yet he still threw for 3,554 yards and 28 touchdowns to two interceptions. I know, I know, you're tired of hearing about how Brady would have won MVP had Deflategate never happened. Let's just move on to how he'll do next year.

The philsophy of waiting on quarterback only works if you can either nail one late in your draft or get lucky enough to snag a stud off waivers. Few are locks, many are busts, but Brady is a stud. He's proven he doesn't need any significant weapons, his schedule of opponents is irrelevant, his production hasn't missed a step, and he has the best coach in the league. If you're saying Tom Brady is going to be bad at age 40, you have every right to make that conjecture. Just be aware that all the evidence points to the contrary, so you're going out on one hell of a limb.

 

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

Independent of Ben Roethlisberger's injury history, the only thing standing in his way of consistent fantasy greatness is his play on the road. That may sound like a lot but the reality is he isn't actually missing all that much time compared to how much time we spend talking about it. He missed two games coming off of a meniscus repair that would have sidelined most players for longer. He missed four games the season prior to that, and played all 16 two seasons in a row over 2013-14. Besides, he's had such great protection the last few years anyway. It's safe to say his injuries are blown out of proportion.

That brings us to this home/road debacle. I don't have an explanation for you that will help you feel better about fantasy. I'm sorry, but I'm in the honesty business, not the make-you-feel-better business. I can say, however, that Pittsburgh's winning strategy for decades has always been "get the win, and get out of there." That's probably the best I can do for trying to rationalize why Ben plays poorly on the road. It's not like he gets mentally rattled, he just...stinks sometimes.

Never mind all that, the Steelers have the best set of weapons in the league. Sorry, Atlanta. That's why Big Ben will be an excellent option for fantasy in 2017. Antonio Brown, Le'Veon Bell, Ladarius Green, Martavis Bryant, Jesse James, Eli Rogers plus whoever else they pick up between now and August will all be at Ben's disposal. Similar to Brady, it's not like Ben is slowing down either. He's coming off of a 29-touchdown season where he was without his full arsenal for much of the year. Ben Roethlisberger is going to light defenses up come next season. Even if he misses three games, Ben + backup QB-x will easily net you top-7 fantasy production.

 

Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints

If the New Orleans Saints want to be competitive in 2017 they're going to rely on the arm of Drew Brees. Their defense is below average and the ground game is far too inconsistent. That leaves Brees, which is the best thing the Saints have going for them by a long, long mile.

That's not a bad thing from a fantasy standpoint, though. It's perfectly fine to rely on one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Just ask the aforementioned Tom Brady. It's a legitimate path to fantasy stardom. If anything, it actually helps. That's been the mindset of the Saints for years now, let your best player make the best plays. In 2016, that translated to Drew Brees leading the league in passing yards and ranking third in both touchdowns thrown and total fantasy points among QBs. It's a sound strategy that clearly works for New Orleans, letting us fantasy folks benefit immensely.

As long as their game plan doesn't change, the Saints are going to keep airing it out like crazy. No one threw the ball more than New Orleans last year. That alone increases a quarterback's value and when you're already talking about one of the best in the league, the fantasy implications are amplified.

 

Conclusion

It's a silly, lame, and cliche thing to say, but age really is just a number. All it tells us is how many times your person has rotated around the sun (shower-time thought.) It doesn't have much influence over the quarterback position when you're talking about great players, let alone surefire Hall of Famers. I would even throw some additional names in this group like Eli Manning and Philip Rivers. Both of those guys were in the same draft class as Ben Roethlisberger and they're both serviceable in fantasy given the right circumstances. Eli is a deep league play and Rivers is the "wait on QB" poster boy. Older quarterbacks shouldn't scare you at all in 2017, nor should they ever for as long as you play fantasy.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Yordan Alvarez

Resumes Swinging -- Return Imminent?
Jake Burger

to Miss an Additional 2-3 Weeks
TreVeyon Henderson

Signs Rookie Contract
Christian Watson

Goes on PUP List
Austin Riley

Hopes to be Activated Next Week
Ketel Marte

Lands on Restricted List After Burglary
Ricky Pearsall

Heads to PUP List
Brandon Aiyuk

Placed on PUP List
Luther Burden III

Signs Rookie Deal
Washington Nationals

Eli Willits Expected to Sign Contract on Saturday
Grayson Rodriguez

Being Shut Down Again - Will We See Him Again This Year?
Ezequiel Tovar

Activated and Back in Lineup on Friday
Max Fried

"Hopeful" to Pitch Next Week - Looks Like He'll Avoid IL Stint
Steven Kwan

Receives Injection in Wrist, Considered Day-to-Day
CJ Abrams

Back to Start Second Half
Alec Bohm

Back From Rib Injury on Friday
Trey Hendrickson

Holdout to Spill into Regular Season?
Jalen McMillan

Bucs Offensive Coordinator Not Forgetting About Jalen McMillan
Levi Onwuzurike

to Miss at Least Four Games
Nick Emmanwori

Seahawks, Nick Emmanwori Reach Agreement on Rookie Deal
Max Holloway

Set For Main Event
Brandon Lowe

Back From 10-Day Injured List
Dustin Poirier

Set For His Final UFC Fight
Roman Kopylov

Set For Co-Main Event
Paulo Costa

Returns At UFC 318
Luis L. Ortiz

to Remain on Leave for Another Month - Will he Pitch Again?
Daniel Rodriguez

Looks For Third Win In A Row
Kevin Holland

Set For His Fourth Fight This Year
Dan Ige

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
MMA

Patricio Freire Set For His Second UFC Fight
Daniel Zellhuber

Set To Open Up UFC 318 Main Card
Michael Johnson

Looks For Third Consecutive Win
Elijah Arroyo

Signs Rookie Deal
Jaydon Blue

Described as "Borderline Lazy"
T.J. Sanders

Bills Sign T.J. Sanders to Rookie Deal
Christian Wilkins

Raiders Put Christian Wilkins on PUP List
Jabari Small

Lions Add Jabari Small to Backfield
Quinshon Judkins

Remains Unsigned, Won't Report With Rest of Rookies
Mason Taylor

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Jets
Hendon Hooker

Leading Lions QB2 Battle Entering Training Camp
Ozzy Trapilo

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Bears
Tate Ratledge

Agrees to Rookie Contract with Lions
Jack Bech

Signs Rookie Contract with Raiders
Yegor Chinakhov

Requests Trade
Dakota Joshua

Maple Leafs Acquire Dakota Joshua
Lukas Dostal

Signs Five-Year Extension with Ducks
Shemar Stewart

Not Practicing With College Team
Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Expected Back Friday
Damian Lillard

Returning to Portland
Paul Skenes

Pirates Could Preserve Paul Skenes in Second Half
Brooks Barnhizer

Grabs 19 Points, Nine Boards in Summer League Win
Jeremiah Fears

Scores 22 Points in Summer League Loss to Thunder
Isaiah Collier

Collects 17 Points In Summer League Win
Caleb Houstan

Joins Hawks
AJ Johnson

Erupts for 25 Points in Summer League Loss
Washington Wizards

Leaky Black Logs Double-Double in Loss to Jazz
Connor Norby

Undergoes Surgery, Expected to Miss 6-8 Weeks
Trey Alexander

Tallies 25 Points in Losing Effort
Johni Broome

Records Second Consecutive Double-Double
Jahmir Young

Has Historic Summer League Outing
Rob Dillingham

Plays Big Role in Wednesday's Win
Tyrese Proctor

Erupts for 35 Points Against Kings
Cody Williams

Leads Jazz to Victory Against Wizards
LeBron James

Mavs Not Interested in "Gutting its Roster" For LeBron James
Josh Hart

Undergoes a Procedure on Right Finger
Jake Burger

Goes on 10-Day Injured List With Quad Strain
Sal Frelick

Dealing With Grade 1 Hamstring Strain, TBD for Start of Second Half
Chris Sale

Plays Catch
Los Angeles Clippers

Bradley Beal Heading to Los Angeles to Join Clippers After Contract Buyout
Rayan Rupert

Scores 24 Points in Summer League Win
Derik Queen

Collects Third Consecutive Double-Double in Summer League Loss
GG Jackson II

Records 13 Points in Summer League Action on Tuesday
Johni Broome

Logs Double-Double Against Wizards
DaRon Holmes II

Records Double-Double in Summer League Loss to Raptors
Kyle Schwarber

Named All-Star Game MVP
Harris English

Takes Stellar 2025 Performance to The Open Championship
Aldrich Potgieter

Seeks Better Result in Northern Ireland
Cameron Young

Likely to Hang Around at The Open Championship
Cameron Smith

Just Trying to Make the Cut at Royal Portrush
Jordan Spieth

Is Jordan Spieth Still a Natural for Links Style Golf?
Patrick Reed

a Viable Option at The Open Championship
PGA

Sungjae Im Wants to Rebound from Last Experience at Royal Portrush
Xander Schauffele

Looks to Defend His Claret Jug at Royal Portrush
Tony Finau

Trying to Turn Tide at Royal Portrush
Daniel Brown

Seeks a Rebound at The Open Championship
Rory McIlroy

Will be the Most Watched Player This Week at Royal Portrush
Daniel Berger

Trending Poorly as The Open Championship Looms
Clayton Kershaw

Retires Both Batters In ASG Appearance
Robert MacIntyre

Hoping to Bounce Back at Open Championship
Shane Lowry

Hopes to Repeat at Royal Portrush
Brian Harman

Hopes to Rekindle Some Magic at the 153rd Open
UTA

Michael Carcone Returns to Utah on One-Year Contract
Bowen Byram

Signs Two-Year Deal with Sabres
Morgan Barron

Jets Re-Sign Morgan Barron for Two Years
PGA

Chris Gotterup Punches Ticket to Royal Portrush With Win at Scottish Open
Bryson DeChambeau

Hopes to Reverse Links Golf Struggle at the 153rd Open
Keegan Bradley

Needs to Find The Weekend at Royal Portrush for Ryder Cup Hopes
Justin Thomas

Finishes Tied For 22nd at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Genesis Scottish Open
Jon Rahm

Finishes in Second at LIV Andalucia
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF