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

Early Sleepers for 2017 - Quarterbacks

Andrew Lovell highlights early 2017 fantasy football sleepers at the quarterback (QB) position for the 2017 NFL season.

Everyone seems to have a different definition for what makes a fantasy football "sleeper." For some, it's simply a player they expect to greatly exceed expectations based on their draft position. For others, sleepers are more like unknown commodities - deeper under the radar than mere value picks. For example, Cam Newton and Russell Wilson currently have average draft positions of 10th and 11th, respectively, among quarterbacks. Both should rebound from injury-plagued seasons to return greater value in 2017, but they're hardly sleepers.

Below we've highlighted a handful of quarterbacks that have a chance to break out next season as viable fantasy quarterbacks, like Matt Ryan and Dak Prescott did this season. Note: 2017 average draft positions from Fantasy Football Calculator are in parentheses.

Editor's Note: Our industry-leading NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer/Generator tool helps you build winning DFS lineups in seconds. Try it now for free, and get an edge on your competition.

Editor's Note: Find sleeper picks, undervalued ADPs, and draft targets to help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. Try our free who to draft tool for personalized recommendations.

 

Quarterback Sleepers for 2017 Fantasy Football

Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10.04)

Final 2016 stats: 4,090 pass yds, 28 TDs, 18 INTs; 165 rush yds, 1 TD

At first glance, it's easy to think Winston already had his breakout season in 2016. His final numbers (4,090 yards, 28 TDs) are solid, but upon closer inspection, his rookie season was actually more productive from a fantasy perspective.

Winston's passing touchdowns increased by six in his second year, but his interceptions also went up (15 to 18). Most notably, his rushing numbers dropped from 213 yards and six touchdowns to 165 yards and one score. Winston will only be 23 years old when the 2017 season begins, so his best days should still be ahead of him. With one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the NFL (Mike Evans) and an up-and-coming tight end (Cameron Brate), Winston is one more weapon away from approaching 4,500 yards and 30-plus touchdowns.

Considering he's being drafted in the 10th round as the 16th overall quarterback, Winston carries significant upside entering his third NFL season. He's hardly unknown, but at this point he qualifies as a sleeper for next season.

 

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys (13.01)

Final 2016 stats: 29 pass yds, 1 TD, 0 INT; 0 rush yds, 0 TDs

Of course we had to include America's most popular backup quarterback. Romo suffered a back injury in the preseason and watched from the sideline as the rookie Prescott took over the Cowboys' starting job. Prescott guided Dallas to a 13-3 record and established himself as the team's long-term quarterback.

Romo is widely expected to be playing for another team next season, so although we've listed him as a Cowboy, consider his future uncertain. He'll be 37 at the start of the 2017 season, but he has a proven track record of impressive fantasy production.

Romo's age and injury history will make him a risk, but he's still an attractive option, especially if he lands in a fantasy-friendly environment like Denver or Washington (as opposed to Cleveland, Chicago or the New York Jets). Romo's currently being drafted as the No. 22 quarterback, which makes him an intriguing high-upside player to monitor.

 

Colin Kaepernick, San Francisco 49ers (14.02)

Final 2016 stats: 2,241 pass yds, 16 TDs, 4 INTs; 468 rush yds, 2 TDs

Kaepernick, like Romo, is expected to move on from his current team in the offseason, so his fantasy future is difficult to forecast. He acquitted himself well this season after taking over the starting job from the ineffective Blaine Gabbert, showing the same dual-threat ability that helped carry the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVII.

Kaepernick's elite rushing ability will always give him added fantasy value, but if he remains proficient as a passer (16-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2016), he'll far exceed his 14th round average draft position.

Kaepernick's fantasy value is less tied to the talent around him than Romo, and Kaepernick showed this season he can be productive on a losing team. If he lands with a rebuilding team like Buffalo, Chicago or the Jets, he could still return solid value.

 

Trevor Siemian, Denver Broncos (N/A)

Final 2016 stats: 3,401 pass yds, 18 TDs, 10 INTs; 57 rush yds, 0 TDs

Siemian had ups and downs in his first season as the Broncos' starting quarterback, but he showed enough promise to warrant fantasy consideration next season. Siemian's job isn't guaranteed -- 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch will push him, and a veteran like Romo could still be added.

If Siemian enters the 2017 season as Denver's starter, he could be a sneaky option at quarterback. The Broncos have a pair of 1,000-yard receivers in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, and the additions of offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave should benefit the 25-year-old Siemian.

He isn't currently being drafted among the top 26 quarterbacks, so he won't cost more than a late-round pick, if he even requires a selection at all. Siemian is someone to monitor throughout the offseason.

 

Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings (N/A)

Final 2015 stats: 3,231 pass yds, 14 TDs, 9 INTs; 192 rush yds, 3 TDs

This is the deepest sleeper of the bunch. Bridgewater missed the entire 2016 season due to a catastrophic leg injury suffered late in the preseason. The Vikings were forced to trade for veteran Sam Bradford, and it's unclear whether Bridgewater will be ready for the start of the season.

Even if Bridgewater is healthy, he might have to compete with Bradford, who passed for 3,877 yards and 20 touchdowns in 15 starts. He also set the NFL record for completion percentage in a single season (71.6%), which won't be overlooked by the coaching staff. When we last saw Bridgewater in action, he helped lead Minnesota to the postseason, but was largely unimpressive for fantasy purposes.

The Vikings' offense, with the emergence of wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen and tight end Kyle Rudolph, looks far more fantasy-friendly now than it did in 2015, so Bridgewater would be stepping back into a decent situation. Like Siemian, he's someone to monitor as the offseason progresses.

 

Honorable Mention

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (N/A)

Final 2016 stats: 1,089 pass yds, 5 TDs, 7 INTs; 16 rush yds, 1 TD

A new coaching staff could do wonders for the Rams offense, but that's far from guaranteed for a club that finished 2016 dead last in total offense. They were the only squad to average less than 300 total yards per game (262.7), although Goff's role in that statistic was limited to seven games.


Check out RotoBaller's famous fantasy football draft sleepers and waiver wire pickups list, updated regularly!




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

Eugenio Suárez

Eugenio Suarez Back in Action to Begin Second Half
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
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