Many of the quarterbacks listed have potential equal or better than those in the top-25. It's just these fellas have more variables that could pose risks to fantasy production.
This is where it becomes even more fun. All owners have gut feelings, and it's with these guys that we especially encourage you to stray from the board a bit and take a shot.
26 Jerrod Johnson | QB3 | Jr | Texas A&M
Jerrod Johnson can flat out play, and he has some very nice offensive weapons around him. Why then is he ranked so low? Because he's in a system that isn't really conducive to his skill set, and we have little faith in the Aggies' coaching staff. Johnson was held back at times last year while Mike Sherman was loyal to senior Stephen McGee. However there will be no looking over his shoulder in 2009, making 30 scores a possibility.
2008 Stats: 194-of-326 passing for 2435 yards and 21 TDs / 94 rushes for 114 yards and 3 TDs / 236 fant pts
2009 Projs: 227-of-381 passing for 2883 yards and 27 TDs / 103 rushes for 155 yards and 4 TDs / 301.6 fant pts
#27 Bo Levi Mitchell | QB3 | So | SMU
June Jones surprised a lot of people when he named Bo Levi Mitchell the starter going into 2008. Knowing full well SMU would take its lumps Jones was willing to deal with some of Mr. Mitchell's growing pains. And there are plenty more lessons for this youngster to learn, but this quarterback, like SMU, is going to get better. And this could mean a whole bunch of touchdowns in Jones' Run-n-Shoot offense.
2008 Stats: 236-of-410 passing for 2865 yards and 24 TDs / 51 rushes for -140 yards and 1 TDs / 204 fant pts
2009 Projs: 297-of-492 passing for 3650 yards and 29 TDs / 56 rushes for -154 yards and 1 TDs / 286.6 fant pts
#28 Terrelle Pryor | QB3 | So | Ohio St.
Pryor is one of the more intriguing fantasy stories entering the 2009 season. Yes, he can flat out play. But he loses his top tailback and some real offensive line talent. Yes, his offense is dynamic, but it's moving to a new system, a pistol formation like the one Colin Kaepernick operates out of at Nevada. The pistol, with the QB four yards behind scrimmage and a tailback behind him, will offer a new look to Big Ten defenses, and this is a plus. Although we have to wonder if there is enough receiving talent for him to make major strides in the passing game. That said there is no questioning Pryor is one of the most impressive athletes in the country.
2008 Stats: 100-of-165 passing for 1311 yards and 12 TDs / 139 rushes for 631 yards and 6 TDs / 221 fant pts
2009 Projs: 133-of-219 passing for 1741 yards and 15 TDs / 154 rushes for 699 yards and 7 TDs / 261.5 fant pts
#29 Jarrett Brown | QB3 | Sr | West Virginia
The are a few questions surrounding Jarrett Brown, but none have anything to do with him personally. In fact the coaching staff looked to create ways to get Brown on the field last year. He is a talented quarterback who has waited his turn, and now he takes over the reigns to find some issues. His O-line is not expected to be very good, and his top receiver, Jock Sanders, may not return to the team. And his number one back, Noel Devine, has his own issues. In short, we like Jarrett Brown's skill set, but there may be too much for him to overcome to warrant a higher ranking.
2008 Stats: 22-of-30 passing for 114 yards and 1 TDs / 36 rushes for 169 yards and 1 TDs / 30 fant pts
2009 Projs: 213-of-282 passing for 2332 yards and 20 TDs / 112 rushes for 460 yards and 5 TDs / 284.7 fant pts
#30 Jevan Snead | QB3 | Jr | Mississippi
It's too easy to assume that any returning player will automatically see an improvement in his numbers. It's not that predictable; still we think another year for Jevan Snead in the Houston Nutt offense will see continued improvement. Will it be result in more than 29 scores? We think so, but he does face a challenging SEC slate, so the big games will have to come against the lightweights.
2008 Stats: 184-of-327 passing for 2762 yards and 26 TDs / 57 rushes for 60 yards and 3 TDs / 268 fant pts
2009 Projs: 205-of-341 passing for 2789 yards and 27 TDs / 48 rushes for 50 yards and 2 TDs / 270.3 fant pts
#31 Jacory Harris | QB3 | So | Miami (Fla.)
Harris will lead the Miami offense, and the potential for a breakout season is present. He's a multi-threat talent with excellent poise and instincts. He may emerge as a surprise, though likely not worthy of too much consideration beyond ACC-heavy leagues due to Miami's challenging schedule.
2008 Stats: 118-of-194 passing for 1195 yards and 12 TDs / 45 rushes for 101 yards and 2 TDs / 128 fant pts
2009 Projs: 200-of-358 passing for 2197 yards and 21 TDs / 100 rushes for 399 yards and 4 TDs / 254.8 fant pts
#32 Matt Grothe | QB3 | Sr | South Fla.
The Bulls are expected to throw downfield a bit more, but this may not be enough to propel Matt Grothe into the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks. He's gutty and he's worn his hair in a mohawk...both positives. But his ceiling appears set at 25 touchdowns.
2008 Stats: 240-of-380 passing for 2911 yards and 18 TDs / 146 rushes for 591 yards and 4 TDs / 280 fant pts
2009 Projs: 228-of-355 passing for 2748 yards and 18 TDs / 126 rushes for 506 yards and 6 TDs / 282.5 fant pts
#33 Tony Pike | QB3 | Sr | Cincinnati
Tony Pike may make the biggest strides of any national fantasy quarterback. If the big guy can stay healthy there's no reason he cannot push past 35 scores. He's in a great offense, surrounded by very talented wide receivers, and has a cannon for an arm. In our humble opinion Pike may be the most overlooked top quarterback in the country. Heck he might be the most overlooked quarterback in our rankings.
2008 Stats: 199-of-324 passing for 2407 yards and 19 TDs / 56 rushes for 47 yards and 1 TDs / 198 fant pts
2009 Projs: 237-of-389 passing for 2932 yards and 23 TDs / 48 rushes for 40 yards and 2 TDs / 253.2 fant pts
#34 Austen Arnaud | QB3 | Jr | Iowa St.
With former Rice offensive coordinator Tom Hermann now calling the plays in Ames, Arnaud becomes an intriguing fantasy prospect. He is a someone to take a shot at late in the draft or nab later on the waiver wire if the offense is clicking. Just don't get too crazy...this is still Iowa State we're talking about, and they have a long way to go.
2008 Stats: 247-of-401 passing for 2792 yards and 15 TDs / 109 rushes for 401 yards and 5 TDs / 252 fant pts
2009 Projs: 274-of-457 passing for 3112 yards and 20 TDs / 104 rushes for 381 yards and 5 TDs / 297.0 fant pts
#35 Jimmy Clausen | QB3 | Jr | Notre Dame
He's made big strides in two years, and another spike can be expected. In Kamara, Tate and Floyd he has serious talent out wide, and with Armando Allen he has a great safety valve at his disposal. Despite what the Notre Dame faithful may claim, he will not face the most daunting of schedules. Clausen throws a nice deep ball, and his accuracy has shown marked improvement. 3100-30 are reasonable expectations for fantasy owners.
2008 Stats: 268-of-440 passing for 3172 yards and 25 TDs / 54 rushes for -73 yards and 0 TDs / 235 fant pts
2009 Projs: 257-of-422 passing for 3021 yards and 27 TDs / 45 rushes for -19 yards and 1 TDs / 264.9 fant pts
#36 Andy Schmitt | QB3 | Sr | Eastern Mich.
New coach Ron English brings a little energy to a football program in dire need of something, and in Andy Schmitt English has a very good senior quarterback. Maybe we're placing too much emphasis on his final two outings, where he threw five and six touchdowns against Temple and Central Michigan, respectively, but Schmitt is intriguing. Of course English is old school baby, like Sidetrack Bar and Grill old school, so it's hard to see Schmitt tossing the ball 76 or 80 times, which is what he did in the aforementioned contests last season.
2008 Stats: 261-of-417 passing for 2644 yards and 15 TDs / 57 rushes for 171 yards and 5 TDs / 226 fant pts
2009 Projs: 276-of-442 passing for 2876 yards and 20 TDs / 51 rushes for 154 yards and 5 TDs / 266.4 fant pts
#37 G.J. Kinne | QB3 | Jr | Tulsa
The transfer from Texas started out as the darkhorse in the Tulsa quarterback race. But according to head coach Todd Graham, he leads exiting spring practice. If he wins the job then he'll become very well-known in a very short time. We still like Jacob Bower to serve as the starter, but we've been wrong before...in fact we've been wrong many times so draft G.J. and hope for the best.
2008 Stats: -of- passing for yards and TDs / rushes for yards and TDs / fant pts
2009 Projs: 23-of-34 passing for 324 yards and 3 TDs / 3 rushes for 0 yards and 0 TDs / 26.9 fant pts
#38 Ryan Mallett | QB3 | Jr | Arkansas
Mallett possesses a great deal of talent and one of the strongest arms we've seen. With a March arrest for public intoxication behind him, it's clear that Mallett is the present and future leader of the Arkansas offense. The Michigan transfer has both a cannon and a coach that knows what he's doing; Mallett is the 2009 version of Jevan Snead.
2008 Stats: -of- passing for yards and TDs / rushes for yards and TDs / fant pts
2009 Projs: 215-of-388 passing for 2891 yards and 24 TDs / 49 rushes for -46 yards and 1 TDs / 235.0 fant pts
#39 Diondre Borel | QB3 | Jr | Utah St.
New offensive coordinator Dave Baldwin could breathe some life into the Utah State attack. And he has some tools to work with, starting with quarterback Diondre Borel. Borel is known more for his legs than he is for his arm, though he is developing in the passing game. While Baldwin won't coral Borel entirely, he'll need to learn to become a better passer in order to make Baldwin's spread offense tick.
2008 Stats: 136-of-242 passing for 1705 yards and 11 TDs / 179 rushes for 632 yards and 5 TDs / 207 fant pts
2009 Projs: 165-of-290 passing for 2172 yards and 18 TDs / 197 rushes for 695 yards and 7 TDs / 288.3 fant pts
#40 Blaine Gabbert | QB3 | So | Missouri
Gabbert will start for Gary Pinkel's Mizzou offense, and based on the performances of the last two quarterbacks in Columbia (Brad Smith and Chase Daniel) it's fair to deem Gabbert a very nice keeper prospect. Nab him late, but don't plan on relying on this youngster in 2009 unless matchups are perfect.
2008 Stats: 5-of-13 passing for 43 yards and 0 TDs / 6 rushes for 22 yards and 0 TDs / 3 fant pts
2009 Projs: 232-of-369 passing for 2726 yards and 23 TDs / 90 rushes for 270 yards and 2 TDs / 266.0 fant pts
#41 Russell Wilson | QB3 | So | North Carolina St.
Wilson is coming off a freshman season that saw him garner all-ACC honors. And he's fully recovered from a knee injury suffered in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Despite his knack for combining playmaking skills with great decision making there is a little bit of concern regarding his fantasy potential for 2009. Call it worry over a little sophomore slump and fear of big Mike Glennon, the backup quarterback who may be too good to keep off the field.
2008 Stats: 150-of-275 passing for 1955 yards and 17 TDs / 116 rushes for 388 yards and 4 TDs / 240 fant pts
2009 Projs: 155-of-284 passing for 2023 yards and 18 TDs / 120 rushes for 380 yards and 4 TDs / 244.9 fant pts
#42 Andy Dalton | QB3 | Jr | TCU
Dalton is a pretty solid college quarterback who lets me make the occasional Roadhouse (skinny little runt named Dalton) reference. He hasn't been much for fantasy points, but this could change in 2009. The Horned Frogs lose a ton from their defense, and this will likely put the onus on the offense. Dalton could move in the direction of 28 scores.
2008 Stats: 182-of-307 passing for 2242 yards and 11 TDs / 113 rushes for 432 yards and 8 TDs / 236 fant pts
2009 Projs: 202-of-340 passing for 2483 yards and 13 TDs / 124 rushes for 470 yards and 8 TDs / 260.3 fant pts
#43 Zac Lee | QB3 | Jr | Nebraska
Zac Lee is battling freshman Cody Green for the right to run a Nebraska offense that will go back to featuring plays with the quarterback running around. If named the starter he becomes a factor this year, but especially down the road. There's talent and a Big XII slate in Lincoln.
2008 Stats: 1-of-2 passing for 5 yards and 0 TDs / 2 rushes for 17 yards and 0 TDs / 1.30 fant pts
2009 Projs: 212-of-356 passing for 2660 yards and 19 TDs / 83 rushes for 274 yards and 4 TDs / 255.8 fant pts
#44 Nick Fanuzzi | QB3 | So | Rice
The transfer from Alabama will look to fend off a couple quarterbacks and pick up where Chase Clement left off...a tough task indeed. Still there's a good chance that Fanuzzi earns the starting job, and if this occurs then he's a top-30 fantasy quarterback.
2008 Stats: -of- passing for yards and TDs / rushes for yards and TDs / fant pts
2009 Projs: 209-of-362 passing for 2678 yards and 23 TDs / 80 rushes for 303 yards and 4 TDs / 285.4 fant pts
#45 Corey Leonard | QB3 | Sr | Arkansas St.
Arkansas State is becoming a very interesting place for fantasy owners to check out, and Corey Leonard had a very nice spring. His explosive potential makes him one to consider late.
2008 Stats: 166-of-306 passing for 2347 yards and 16 TDs / 157 rushes for 516 yards and 4 TDs / 248 fant pts
2009 Projs: 177-of-331 passing for 2405 yards and 18 TDs / 136 rushes for 444 yards and 4 TDs / 254.6 fant pts
#46 Levi Brown | QB3 | Sr | Troy
With Jamie Hampton opting to redshirt, Levi Brown becomes the clear starter at Troy. With the likes of wide receiver Jerrel Jerngian and running back DuJuan Harris returning Mr. Brown will have weapons at his disposal. Could push towards 30 touchdowns in 2009. Bad, bad Levi Brown.
2008 Stats: 201-of-326 passing for 2030 yards and 15 TDs / 33 rushes for 17 yards and 0 TDs / 166 fant pts
2009 Projs: 257-of-427 passing for 2661 yards and 24 TDs / 40 rushes for 20 yards and 1 TDs / 250.4 fant pts
#47 Dwight Dasher | QB3 | Jr | Middle Tenn. St.
New offensive coordinator Tony Franklin arrived in the Murfreesboro this spring to install his pass happy and his copyrighted (I kid you not) system. And that makes Dwight Dasher an intriguing fantasy prospect. Dasher was on the verge of breaking after a true freshman campaign that saw him rush for over 500 yards and throw for over 1000 more. Dasher found behind Joe Craddock in 2008, however. System + talent = one to watch.
2008 Stats: 17-of-42 passing for 156 yards and 2 TDs / 44 rushes for 215 yards and 0 TDs / 34 fant pts
2009 Projs: 183-of-312 passing for 2190 yards and 18 TDs / 102 rushes for 418 yards and 4 TDs / 248.9 fant pts
#48 T.J. Yates | QB4 | Jr | North Carolina
We've got a good feeling about T.J. Yates. He's an emerging star in an emerging offense. Whether this translates into a huge fantasy season remains to be seen, especially with the departure of Hakeem Nicks. However there is plenty of talent returning to Chapel Hill. Yates may become the ACC's top quarterback and a solid fill-in in national leagues.
2008 Stats: 81-of-135 passing for 1168 yards and 11 TDs / 24 rushes for -67 yards and 1 TDs / 104 fant pts
2009 Projs: 179-of-299 passing for 2412 yards and 21 TDs / 44 rushes for -81 yards and 2 TDs / 208.3 fant pts
#49 Aaron Opelt | QB4 | Sr | Toledo
The three year starter missed the end of spring drills with an injured right shoulder, but he'll be ready to go in fall camp. A veteran leader, Opult only accounted for 17 touchdowns a season ago, though he did post four in two separate contests. An illustration of his limited fantasy potential came in the Rockets' win in Ann Arbor, where he completed an impressive 33 of 50 passes, but with no touchdowns and only 257 yards. Short, controlled passes just don't get it done, however...there's a new sheriff in town, he's a senior quarterback with a bunch of offensive linemen returning, and there is some serious skill talent coming back. Avoid Toledo as they get pummeled for the first month of the season, but should this team not become a M.A.S.H unit early on we could have the surprise team in the conference, and Opelt could post some solid games.
2008 Stats: 225-of-376 passing for 2176 yards and 12 TDs / 42 rushes for -44 yards and 5 TDs / 172 fant pts
2009 Projs: 241-of-408 passing for 2651 yards and 20 TDs / 40 rushes for 0 yards and 5 TDs / 243.0 fant pts
#50 Tate Forcier | sleep | Fr | Michigan
Well he showed up in Ann Arbor this past winter with intentions of being the starter, and thanks to Steven Threet's departure it looks like Forcier will get his wish. A dual-threat quarterback with loads of ability but a bit lacking in bulk, Forcier will take his lumps this season. In fact, Forcier's first snap may bring to mind the scene where D-Bob realizes Rudy is on the field and screams "HE'S SO LITTLE!" They'll be some highs and lows, and we'll see if he's up to a Big Ten-sized pounding. A nice backup option in Big Ten leagues this year, he's a solid keeper option nationally.
2008 Stats: -of- passing for yards and TDs / rushes for yards and TDs / fant pts
2009 Projs: 125-of-216 passing for 1325 yards and 9 TDs / 144 rushes for 595 yards and 5 TDs / 186.5 fant pts