In a world without Don LaFontaine, where a group of elite fantasy quarterbacks rule the airways, providing consistency, points in bunches, and a level of reliability not seen at other fantasy positions, you have to ask yourself one question: What in the hell do I need a backup QB on my roster for?

This year, there are 11 QBs that are legitimate fantasy starters: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Drew Brees, Derek Anderson, Carson Palmer, Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, Jay Cutler and Eli Manning. You can argue about the credentials of Cutler and Eli Manning, but they will make the leap into the ranks of the solid fantasy starters this year. Considering that the vast majority of fantasy leagues field 10 or 12 teams, you’re talking about one solid QB being available for nearly every fantasy team.

After these "Legit 11", it starts getting sketchy. Donovan McNabb, Matt Schaub and Marc Bulger all have the talent to excel, but skirt around the edge of legitimacy because they are made of Tiffany crystal and are held together with bailing wire and Chiclets. Kurt Warner is the very definition of a short-term starter, as in his next crushing fumble or ill-advised interception sends him back to bagging groceries. It is only out of necessity that a fantasy player should start players like Jon Kitna and Philip Rivers. Beyond these last lonely outposts of playability, it’s only worth mentioning guys like Vince Young, David Garrard and Jeff Garcia in passing. While they may win real games, they won’t win you any fantasy games. You’re taking a significant risk every time you start one of these players.

One statistic that really jumps out among the Legit 11 is their durability. Between all 11 players, they missed a grand total of one game over the course of 2007. One! That’s unbelievable consistency at a critical position. It also precludes the need for wasting a roster spot on a backup QB, who you’ll only need for a bye week.

After a certain point in the fantasy draft, all the backup QBs start looking the same. Do we really know whether Trent Edwards or JaMarcus Russell will be a decent fill-in during some random week? Afraid not. Who’s to say, months in advance, that Chad Pennington wouldn’t be a better play than Young? Why not just pick up the scrub QB with the most favorable matchup that week? You’ll be making that determination when you know more about the actual matchup, i.e. during the season, as opposed to in the preseason, when it’s just a guess.

In the meantime, you can use that roster spot to grab the best available player on free agency. There’s always someone that slips through the cracks, like Eddie Royal or Ben Utecht. The upside they offer is worth more to your roster than Garrard sitting on your bench, making those sad puppy dog eyes while Brees or Romo play all 16 games.
 
You drafted your top QB to play, and the Legit 11 are players that don’t have a history of taking weeks off with a hangnail. They are tough guys that consistently deliver for your fantasy squad. If your top QB does get hurt, you can always make a trade for a guy like Kitna, who can at least stop the bleeding. If the player you picked up by dropping your previous backup turns out to be decent, you’ll have the ammunition to make that trade, as opposed to sucking it up and hoping that Tarvaris Jackson throws up a couple of rainbows to Bernard Berrian. We’re talking about 10th-round value at waiver wire prices. Hopefully, it won’t even matter because your starting QB goes the distance.

I know some of you are looking at your roster and thinking, “Why did I draft J.T. O’Sullivan?” Well, correct that mistake and take a chance on a player with the potential to break through. Worry about your bye week QB situation when that time comes. Irresponsible? Maybe, but fortune favors the bold.

Here are my thoughts on who soars and who stumbles in Week One:

Hot Freaks of the Week

Michael Turner, RB, Falcons: Rookie Matt Ryan is the Falcons’ starter at QB, so they’ll be relying heavily on their running game this season. While Atlanta’s offensive line is pretty poor, they won’t need to be world beaters to assert their will on the Lions. As bad as the Lions’ defense was in 2007, it will be far worse in 2008 without DT Shaun Rogers. Expect the Falcons to give the Lions a steady diet of Turner, who is eager to show his skills after his long apprenticeship to LaDainian Tomlinson.
 
Jerricho Cotchery, WR, Jets:  Cotchery will be Brett Favre’s favorite target this year. Look for his leap into the ranks of the big-time fantasy receivers to begin in Miami. With the loss of Jason Taylor and Zach Thomas, the Dolphins defense is in a bad way. Opposing QBs will leave Miami with immaculate uniforms, beginning with Favre, who will get the ball to Cotchery early and often
 
Jason Witten, TE, Cowboys: WR Sam Hurd will miss the Cleveland game with an ankle injury, and this leaves the Cowboys with no one to man the slot. Enter Witten, arguably the best TE in the league. Sure, Cleveland upgraded their defense, but they don’t have enough talent in their defensive backfield to keep track of Witten, Terrell Owens, and help defend against Marion Barber III at the same time. Look for Witten to line up all over the field and post top-end WR2 numbers.

Kurt Warner, QB, Cardinals: Warner is getting his shot to take the starting QB job, at least for the short term. The problem with Warner was never his ability to find open receivers, but his inability to hold onto the ball. This is probably his last chance to start in the league, so you’ll see the best of what he has left. That best will be plenty good enough to throttle the Niners, who are trying to break in several new defensive linemen to bolster their pass rush. If your league has any kind of passing yards bonus, look for Warner to hit it this weekend.

Darren McFadden, RB, Raiders: Forget about Justin Fargas; he will be an afterthought this year. McFadden will have a scintillating debut against the Broncos and their pitiful run defense, taking the heat off of JaMarcus Russell.
 
The Untouchables

Larry Johnson, RB Chiefs: We here at RotoExperts have been warning you all preseason about exactly how abominable the Chiefs’ offensive line is, and Johnson will be the victim of their poor play. Unfortunately for a young Chiefs team, their first test will be against the meat grinder that is the Patriots’ front seven. Considering that you probably had to draft Johnson in the second or third round, you can’t sit him, but don’t expect much.
 
Peyton Manning, QB, Colts: The Colts say that Manning is ready for the season opener, but even if he does play, there’s no way he posts solid numbers against the Bears. While their defense is in decline, it still has several very good players, and they won’t get smoked by a cold Manning. He will look rusty and put up some non-Manning numbers for the first few games while the Colts rely on Joseph Addai to win.
 
Ryan Grant, RB, Packers: Grant has been battling a hamstring injury and had no carries in the preseason. Sure, he came out of nowhere last year, too, but you have to practice to be truly ready for the season. The fact that Aaron Rodgers is Green Bay’s QB puts a dent in Grant’s projected output as well. Teams will not respect Rodgers, and will stack eight players in the box to stop the run. That is a serious problem when you’re talking about the Minnesota’s already vicious run defense. Don’t expect much from Grant until Rodgers can loosen things up, and particularly not against the Vikings.

Joey Galloway, WR, Buccaneers: Yes, yes, he has owned the Saints in the past. Nevertheless, Galloway is another guy who hasn’t even sniffed the field in the preseason. I ain’t saying that the Saints defensive backs are worth a nickel, but even if Galloway takes the field, he should be rusty enough that even the normally horrific Jason David will be able to cover him. Find another WR3 or flex player instead of Galloway this week.

Mike Gilbert began covering fantasy football for RotoExperts in April 2008. You can reach Mike with questions about any of his reckless strategies at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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