So, you don't own Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, Tom Brady (oops - kidding) or any reliable fantasy QB option for that matter. That's cool, your season is toast. I kid. It's not exactly the most ideal position or should I say predicament you want to face. However, you never know... help can always be right around the corner. You've just gotta be ready to snatch up the opportunity when it presents itself. You see, year in and year out there is always at least one QB that comes completely out of nowhere to become an absolute stud. Now, "that" guy may take some time to develop or need an injury or underachieving QB in front of him to be benched. However, just like the Cubs and the World Series... it's gonna happen! (Sincere apologies for jinxing the Cubs).
Anyhow, it started with the Kurt Warner breakthrough back in the '70s - um, I mean 1999. And it's been a trend. A few seasons ago Tony Romo battled his way through obscurity and a statuesque Drew Bledsoe to make a lasting fantasy impact down the stretch. Last year it took a few games, but suddenly Derek Anderson was a solid option who helped many a fantasy team. Yup, from undrafted to fantasy stardom... you know the drill.
Well, today I'm pulling out a few obvious names and a few sleepers that could be ready to grab the "who's the next (fill-in-the-blank)" surprise QB of the year. Let's run through this real quick... shall we?
Trent Edwards (Bills): Welcome to the obvious department. Edwards is still flying significantly under the radar, despite a stampede to rope him off the waivers as a bye week fill-in against the Rams on Sunday. Still though, he looks composed and steady, while drifting along in almost complete obscurity in Toronto... er, I mean Buffalo. Edwards is certainly on his way to being a solid NFL QB, but a fantasy breakout in the making? Hmm, I'm not so sure.
J.T O'Sullivan (49ers): The affection of Mike Martz's QB lust has actually made Martz look like the supposed offensive guru/mad scientist, maybe even a genius. Gulp. Martz believes in O'Sullivan more so than any other QB he's ever been around. That's sure saying a lot, all things considered. Of course, that may also be a testament to just how bad Alex Smith really is. Anyhow, O'Sullivan has already shown us a fantasy pulse with a few solid outings. Yet, despite that he still remains a waiver wire fixture, but has been shown some love this week.
Basically, any QB under Mike Martz has the potential to become a dark horse with fantasy value. Monitor O'Sullivan, because he could be this year's guy.
Brady Quinn (Browns): "When Quinn the Eskimo gets here everybody's gonna jump for joy!" Hold that thought. We were all just about ready to kick last year's fantasy sensation, Derek Anderson to the curb and anoint Brady Quinn to relevance. Well, the Browns have spoken and Anderson is still their QB. How much longer that lasts will depend a lot on how he performs against the lowly Bengals this Sunday. If Quinn gets a shot, you've gotta be somewhat intrigued by what he might be able to do with all those toys on the Browns offense. For my money, Quinn is gonna get his shot sooner than later. Chad Henne (Dolphins): The big fella already got a few snaps a couple weeks ago against Arizona. Considering the Dolphins were trusting Ronnie Brown to throw more than Chad Pennington has to tell us something. And that'd be that eventually Henne will take over. The lone concern I have is that Henne wouldn't have a whole heck of a lot to work with. When trying to predict a breakout fantasy QB... it's always nice if said QB has a plethora of weapons surrounding him. PASS.
John David Booty (Vikings): No, I think I'll just skip him over.
Drew Stanton (Lions): Yup, the ultimate dark horse. However, if you're looking for a guy who could possibly make a Romo like impact (and I stress the word "could"), you've gotta think about Drew. He has a couple of pretty nifty weapons in Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson. He's nothing like Jon Kitna and he's mobile, which will help considering the Lions offensive line is a train wreck. Yes, he's an utter long shot, but ain't that what we're looking for here?
