This is the first in my series of fantasy football tidbits. I will go through the Ravens roster position by position, giving my opinion on who I believe will be a good addition to your fantasy team.
We will start with Quarterback.
Quarterback
Joe Flacco
No one will be mistakening Joe Flacco for the type of top fantasy Quarterback who puts up madden-esque numbers, but that is partially because it is doubtful he will ever break 600 attempts in a season. That said, he must be in the conversation for a roster spot, although depending on your league format he may or may not be starter material.
The argument of Joe Flacco comes down to consistency and upside. He has consistently been in the top 20 Quarterbacks the past 5 years, including 12th in some formats this past year, and there is potential for more production. His offensive line is top 5 and stable, he has a solid run game, and many solid receiving options, albeit inexperienced.
That said, here is where he slots in different types of leagues:
1 Quarterback, 10-14 team leagues- A borderline fantasy starter, lower tier.The argument can be made for anyone of Tony Romo, Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, Ryan Tannehill, Cam Newton, Matthew Stafford or Joe for the last 3 spots in the top 10. Either way, he is great injury insurance with low upside if you do not count him among the top 10 quarterbacks in the league for fantasy purposes.
1 Quarterback, 16+ team leagues- He is definitely starter material in a league this deep. Might give you the most bang for your buck, as I expect him to out-perform many on the above list in 2015.
2 Quarterback leagues- An avid 2-QB leaguer myself as Commish of a keeper league, Joe is a regular target of mine. Last year I snagged him in the 10th round, and he rewarded me, outperforming almost all of the quarterbacks taken in the rounds before him. This year again, he is a solid QB2 to roster. His consistency makes it that you know exactly what you are getting with him.
The one downside to Flacco this season is his schedule- it is particularly hard this year. I expect he will still be solid, and there is a possibility this will actually increase his scoring as opponents gear up to stop the running game. Either way, you cannot go wrong by having Joe Cool on your roster.