Previous Tiers: Tier 1 – Tier 2 - Tier 3
The Tier 4 Quarterbacks are all solid choices with great upside. Any one of these guys could have a huge, Top Ten-QB season this year. The trick will be figuring out which (if any) of them could be the one to breakout. I know, easier said than done. In alphabetical order:
Jason Campbell, Was – During the draft, the Redskins let the league know they’re going to throw the ball this season. WRs Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El are dependable targets and rookies Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly are going to stretch the field in a way the ‘Skins couldn’t manage last season. Chris Cooley (786 rec yards, 8 TDs) is a fantasy stud at tight end and rookie Fred Davis could be yet another weapon. Whew.
Jeff Garcia, TB - I know his team is doing everything they can to NOT start him (bring in 7 other QBs, try to get Brett Favre, etc) but Garcia has everything he needs for a big season. Reliable (if..uh..very seasoned) receivers in Hilliard and Galloway and super-speedy rookie Dexter Jackson give him plenty of targets. The running game of Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn will keep opposing defenses honest and provide Garcia with targets out of the backfield. Garcia’s raw stats last season didn’t overwhelm anybody, but his 63.4% completion percentage and ratio of 13 TDs to 4 INTs were excellent fundamentals.
Jon Kitna, Det – Everybody knows about Kitna, so this writeup is easy. He’s going to throw the ball to Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. The Lions want to run the ball, but they have too much talent at WR to give the ball to Tatum (snicker) Bell. Kitna will roll up a lot of yards and a lot of interceptions, so while he’ll single-handedly win fantasy games for you, he’ll single-handedly lose them for you as well.
Aaron Rodgers, GB - Poor guy, I actually feel for him. If he’s not motivated now, nothing will motivate him. Remember how I said Garcia has everything he needs for a big season? Rodgers has all of that too, and his is better. Better receivers, better RB1, better offensive line. Better, better, better. All Rodgers needs to do is keep his head about him (especially when the fans start booing him - I mean the fans in Green Bay) and focus on what he’s doing. He has spent years learning from a Hall of Fame QB and practicing for this year. If he’s mentally ready, he should have a big season. Admittedly, that’s kind of risky.
Matt Schaub, Hou – Schaub has been carrying the “potential” label for a long time, so it’s about time he produced. He’ll need a lot of help to make that happen this year though. He’ll need to stay healthy (that’s been a problem), he’ll need WR1 Andre Johnson to stay healthy (also a problem) and he’ll need RBs Ahman Green and Chris Brown to stay healthy (don’t get me started). He’ll also need his patched up offensive line to gel and it would be nice if another WR (Andre Davis? Jacoby Jones?) stepped up. If he gets all that, he could be a Top 10 fantasy QB.
