Why You Need Three Fantasy Quarterbacks

All across the NFL, quarterbacks are dropping like flies.  Just this week we saw Big Ben's shoulder act up (again), Matt Schaub get injured (again) and Derek Anderson get benched (that happens a lot in Cleveland).  If you didn't realize it by now, it is absolutely critical that you have three QBs on your fantasy roster.  I realize some very large leagues just won't allow that, but in a competitive 10-12 team league, you need to have that type of security.  

As a example, here are the average draft positions (ADP) for the first 30 quarterbacks taken in CBS Sportsline drafts this season.   The names in BOLD ITALICS are QBs that have missed (or will miss) significant time this season
 
Brady, Tom QB NE
Manning, Peyton QB IND
Romo, Tony QB DAL
Brees, Drew QB NO
Palmer, Carson QB CIN
Roethlisberger, Ben QB PIT
Anderson, Derek QB CLE
McNabb, Donovan QB PHI
Favre, Brett QB NYJ
Cutler, Jay QB DEN
Manning, Eli QB NYG
Hasselbeck, Matt QB SEA
Bulger, Marc QB STL
Garrard, David QB JAC
Delhomme, Jake QB CAR
Rivers, Philip QB SD
Schaub, Matt QB HOU
Kitna, Jon QB DET
Warner, Kurt QB ARI
Rodgers, Aaron QB GB
Campbell, Jason QB WAS
Young, Vince QB TEN  
Leinart, Matt QB ARI  
Russell, JaMarcus QB OAK
Garcia, Jeff QB TB
Jackson, Tarvaris QB MIN
Edwards, Trent QB BUF
O'Sullivan, J.T. QB SF
Pennington, Chad QB MIA
Orton, Kyle QB CHI

See what I mean?  Out of the "Top 30" fantasy quarterbacks at the beginning of the season, 13 of them (43%) have missed significant time this season -- and we're only through nine weeks.  Did you draft a quarterback in the first three rounds of your draft?  Probably a bad idea, four of the top seven QBs have missed time.  A full 20% of the quarterbacks (Brady, Anderson, Young, Leinart, Jackson and O'Sullivan) are almost certainly not coming back this year either.  This is really a train wreck.
 
Of course, these injuries provide opportunities as well.  Gus Frerotte has become - and Sage Rosenfels probably will become - a decent fantasy starter but they're the exception.  Losing a top quarterback almost never provides you with a Sage Rosenfels, they leave you a Ryan Fitzpatrick or a Seneca Wallace or a Brady Quinn.  

If you don't have a third QB, go out and get one right now.  It will probably be somebody who stinks, but you can always start upgrading.   QBs who "stunk" at the beginning of the season -- guys like Chad Pennington or Matt Ryan -- are looking pretty good right now.