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There are times when a rookie can provide surprisingly high production simply due to their situation. Whether it's a quality offense, a lack of competition at his position, or a great supporting cast, a rookie quarterback can provide quality fantasy starts. Our staff will attempt to find such a quarterback.
Jason Wood
I'm a Drew Lock fan, so it's hard to categorize him as a not-so-great talent, but I sense he lacks elite traits, I'll mention him here. Joe Flacco will be the starter this year, but John Elway has to think Lock will be the starter in 2020 and beyond. I'll also mention Jarrett Stidham, who landed in New England. I think Stidham is the longest of long shots as an NFL prospect, but the Patriots have proven time and again that anyone under center has value, even if it means showcasing him for a starting opportunity elsewhere in a few seasons.
Daniel Simpkins
Jason is correct to say that Drew Lock fell into a decent situation, but lacks the skills to capitalize on that landing spot, especially since we might see him as the starter sooner rather than later. It’s easy to envision Joe Flacco failing early on this season and Lock being pressed into duty sooner than is good for his development. Lock has a big arm, but that’s his only elite trait, and that won’t be enough to bail him out at this level of competition. Also noted on his film is panicking under pressure and trying to force throws that lead to turnovers. This fit sounds like a disaster in the making, one that we could look back on as being the beginning of the end of John Elway’s tenure as General Manager for the Broncos.
Andy Hicks
A rookie quarterback with not so great talent generally doesn’t last long in the NFL. If we are talking relatively, Ryan Finley is in a great situation. A new coaching regime who probably don’t have a lot of faith in Andy Dalton and a so so backup in Jeff Driskel. With even average development Finley could start this year. As Jason mentioned the timeline of Tom Brady's career means that Jarrett Stidham could be groomed as the heir apparent, but only because he is standing in the right spot at the right time. The Patriots have discarded higher drafted quarterbacks if they aren’t going to manage the Patriot way effectively. Bill Belichick would rather have Brian Hoyer starting than someone who is going to make bonehead plays.
Sigmund Bloom
Daniel Jones is a pedestrian talent with pedestrian numbers, but he'll obviously get a long chance to become the entrenched starter in an offense with good weapons (although no Odell Beckham) and a good line.
Daniel Hindery
I haven’t seen enough of Daniel Jones to have a strong opinion on his talent level but many sharp evaluators are down on his abilities so I suppose he qualifies as "not-so-great." However, from the perspective of dynasty value, Jones still looks like a great short-term investment in Superflex leagues. He is probably going to show just enough flashes in the preseason to get people excited and his underrated running ability will get people intrigued about his fantasy prospects. Plus, even if he doesn’t play as a rookie, there will be some who are desperate to add a young quarterback who will talk themselves into his upside and be willing to overpay next offseason. If you can land him in the mid-2nd round of your Superflex rookie draft, odds are high you can flip him next spring and make a nice profit in the process.
Chad Parsons
Ryan Finley and Jarrett Stidham landed in spots where they can exceed their draft position and individual stock simply because of their situations. Finley is behind Andy Dalton, one of the least sturdy starters in the NFL when projecting the next year or two. Stidham landed in the developmental haven of New England where he can quickly gain standing of being viewed as a future heir to Tom Brady, or even trade bait to another team during his rookie contract like previous Patriots backup signal-callers.