Other than in screenwriting, where the old adage “less is more” rules, more is usually better. Why eat one chocolate peanut butter cup when you can chow down on two? Why binge only one hour of ‘Gilmore Girls’ or ‘Breaking Bad’ on Netflix when you can watch two? Why start only one quarterback in your fantasy football league when you can trot out two every week? Wait, what? You don’t play in a 2-QB fantasy football league? Well, maybe it’s time to change that.
For my fellow 2-QB fantasy football enthusiasts already enjoying the added research, strategy preparation and all around good times that come with playing in fantasy football leagues that start two quarterbacks you know full well what I’m about to spiel. For the rest of you, hopefully I can teach you about 2-QB leagues while also convincing you to play in your first such league this season.
This article is based on 10-team 2-QB leagues since those tend to be more accessible to 2-QB newbies.
The most important aspect of 2-QB leagues you want to grasp is draft strategy.
No longer can you just hit default mode with the late-round quarterback (LRQB) strategy, as has become routine in most start-one quarterback leagues. Nor can you just jump on an elite quarterback early thinking no one else will grab an elite signal caller because the depth of the position allows you to wait.
When it comes to 2-QB leagues you have to put a lot of thought into how you want to build your 2-QB squad, especially at the quarterback position.
The obvious difference between a 1-QB league and a 2-QB league is the number of quarterbacks required in your weekly starting lineup. In a 10-team league you’re looking at 20 starting quarterbacks, rather than the standard ten. Math is hard, right?
Let’s take a brief look at the fantasy scoring gaps between each tier:
Using FFtoday stats, the highest scoring fantasy quarterback in 2014 was Andrew Luck, who finished the season with 442.4 fantasy points. That’s 94.4 points more than the QB10 (Ryan Tannehill - 348), and 186.2 points more than the QB20 (Derek Carr - 256.2). Comparing Tannehill to Carr, and you have a difference of 92 fantasy points in favor of Tannehill.
Clearly, we see how much of an advantage it is to roster an elite fantasy asset such as Andrew Luck than Derek Carr, but that advantage will cost you on draft day.
Taking a look at the 2-QB ADP data from Fantasy Football Calculator (FFC), we see Luck with an ADP of 1.02 (QB2). Tannehill’s current 2-QB draft day cost is 4.08 (QB14), and Carr is going off the board at 9.04 (QB22).
What does this mean for 2-QB leagues? Initially, you have to wrap your head around how a quarterback like Carr will be drafted, and drafted as a starting option, rather than a backup, or not drafted at all, as we would normally see happen in a standard league.
It’s tough for first-time converts to the 2-QB format to adapt to such a mentality. Carr, and sorry to keep picking on him, would most likely end up undrafted in traditional standard fantasy football leagues. Why would he be drafted when you’re only starting ten quarterbacks and there are a number of better options than him at the position? In 2-QB leagues he suddenly becomes a viable starting option.
Once you’ve come to terms with this fact you can start focusing on 2-QB draft strategies.
A few in particular I have come across over my years of playing in 2-QB leagues are: QB-QB, Studs and Streaming and a version of LRQB.
Let’s take a look at these strategies in more detail:
QB-QB
Going QB-QB can mean either using your first two picks on quarterbacks in a 2-QB draft, or coming away with both of your starting quarterbacks in the early portion of your draft, usually within the first four rounds.
Again, referencing FFC’s 2-QB ADP, there are 14 quarterbacks being drafted on average after the completion of the fourth round. That may seem like a significant number, but is par for the course in 2-QB leagues. With 14 signal callers drafted before the fifth round starts it shifts the draft from the QB1 tier to the QB2 tier, and highlights the importance of the position in this format.
The clear advantage of going QB-QB is securing an elite QB1 for your squad, and possibly two, depending on where you are drafting from and your 2-QB draft strategy of choice. There’s a better chance of you snagging two QB1s if you’re drafting near the end of the round rather than the beginning.
However nice it may feel securing an Aaron Rodgers or Andrew Luck in a 2-QB league you’re going to be passing on top talent at other positions. If you take a quarterback early you will most likely be missing out on an opportunity to land an RB1 such as Adrian Peterson or Jamaal Charles, or a WR1 like Antonio Brown or Dez Bryant.
Roster construction and opportunity cost play a big role when it comes to 2-QB drafting. Deciding on how much value you place on the quarterback position will be an important part of your strategy come draft day. You might think waiting on quarterback and landing a Sam Bradford-type to be your QB1 is a sound strategy now, but once you’re on the clock, at say the 1.01 pick, how confident will you feel not drafting Luck, and waiting?
Studs and Streaming
If you’re torn between drafting a quarterback or two early versus waiting on the position then the ‘Studs and Streaming’ approach to drafting in 2-QB leagues might be for you. This draft strategy combines going quarterback early and going quarterback late by drafting a top QB1 option early in your draft and pairing him with two QB2 types you can stream based on match-ups each week.
By taking one stud QB1 and streaming the QB2 position you get the best of both worlds in terms of security at the QB1 slot and getting value at the QB2 spot. Be warned though that nailing your QB1 draft pick is simpler than securing your QB2 streaming pair. There are a great number of QB1s to choose from, and you should be able to land one of the top-12 fantasy quarterbacks.
Your QB2 duo picks will be trickier. Factors to consider when trying to pair up quarterbacks to stream include strength of schedule, bye weeks and draft cost. One of the best resources you can find when it comes to pairing up quarterbacks to stream is this QB Strength of Schedule Map & Guide from Pro Football Focus Fantasy Lead Writer Pat Thorman.
The color-coded guide Pat provides for fantasy players is invaluable when it comes to quarterback streaming, and is a must-have tool to bring with you on draft day. Pat suggests a number of quarterback pairings to get you started, but let’s highlight his Sam Bradford-Andy Dalton combination as an example of how ‘Studs and Streaming’ might work.
If you were to go with a ‘Studs and Streaming’ approach in a 2-QB draft, you could select either a top-six fantasy QB in the first round or Tony Romo in the second round, then follow that up with Sam Bradford in round six and Andy Dalton in round eight. 2-QB ADP and your draft won’t sync up perfectly, so use the ADP data from FFC as one part of the equation, not the be-all and end-all.
A Romo+Bradford/Dalton starting quarterback combination will leave you with a solid nucleus at the quarterback position, while still being able to draft top-tier players at other skill positions to round out your roster. This draft strategy is one that also provides you with flexibility during the draft.
Also, if all three of your quarterbacks produce you’ll have a huge trade chip in your 2-QB league, as quarterbacks yield the greatest bounty in 2-QB leagues. I once traded Alex Smith, who was my QB3, for DeSean Jackson straight up.
LRQB
If you’re completely adamant on not drafting quarterbacks early in a 2-QB draft in order to build a juggernaut of a 2-QB squad then going with a version of the late-round quarterback strategy is for you. While you can’t wait until the last two rounds to grab your starting signal callers you can wait an absurd amount of time until you consider drafting your quarterbacks.
How late will depend on your comfort level at the quarterback position, and how your draft is going. By keeping an eye on the quarterbacks selected by each team you will get a feel for the flow of the draft, as well as pinpointing which teams have selected their QB1s, QB2s and QB3s. This will give you a greater idea of when the right time to pounce at the quarterback position is.
Using the 2-QB quarterback position ADP data from FFC, you’re going to want to focus on the 6th-9th rounds for your QB1. This area of the draft sees the likes of Jay Cutler, Sam Bradford, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton drafted.
If you want to wait even longer, Alex Smith, Robert Griffin III, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota are going off the board in rounds ten and eleven. Taking things to an extreme level and waiting even longer in your game of quarterback chicken will leave you targeting someone like Geno Smith (2-QB ADP of 13.08) or EJ Manuel (14.04 2-QB ADP). That last tier might be taking things a little too far.
The three draft strategies detailed above provide you with flexibility when it comes to 2-QB drafts, and gives you a glimpse into the inner workings of a 2-QB draft. There is no one proven winning draft strategy in 2-QB leagues, which only adds to the fun of playing in such a format, and provides you with a more challenging fantasy format to tackle.
The QB3 Tier
You’ll also want to devote some of your draft preparation time to researching the QB3 tier. Having a solid QB3 on your bench you can either rotate in at the QB2 slot based on match-ups or one who can start when your starting quarterbacks are on a bye is another dimension of 2-QB leagues you don’t need to worry yourself with in standard start-one fantasy leagues.
In a 10-team 2-QB league that means focusing your attention on the QB21 and beyond tier. 2-QB ADP reveals that list starts with Andy Dalton (QB21) and ends with Johnny Manziel (QB37).
Unless you’re going ‘Studs and Streaming’, Dalton and his 8.09 ADP as your QB3 might be a bit pricey. You’ll find more value in the later rounds of your draft by targeting either a current starting quarterback such as Marcus Mariota (11.08) or a real life backup signal caller you think might supplant the current starting quarterback such as Mark Sanchez (13.10) or Ryan Fitzpatrick (14.04).
2-QB Leagues and the Importance of the Waiver Wire
Once your 2-QB draft is over don’t think that you’re done. The waiver wire is an important part of your 2-QB league, and is almost an extension of your draft. Injuries and ineffective play happen every year in fantasy football, and the quarterback position isn’t immune to the injury bug or bad play. Backups and third stringers will see meaningful time on the field.
Studying up on each team’s quarterback depth chart is an integral part of playing in 2-QB leagues. Even if a Ryan Nassib or Joe Webb isn’t the QB1 on their team’s current depth chart right now it doesn’t mean they won’t play at all this upcoming season. We’ve seen the likes of Matt McGloin, Scott Tolzien and Thaddeus Lewis start an NFL game in recent years. Anything can happen on any given Sunday in the NFL. Your best bet for keeping up with the evolving landscape of quarterback depth charts is OurLads.
Hopefully you now have a greater idea of how different 2-QB leagues are than your traditional 1-QB league. You need to change the way you think when prepping for a 2-QB league compared to a 1-QB league, and the strategies discussed in this article should be a good starting point to prepare you. Good luck if you decide to give 2-QB leagues a shot and use one of the above detailed draft strategies.
Salvatore Stefanile is a 2-QB fantasy football enthusiast. He won the Fantasy Sports Writers Association award for Best On-Going Fantasy Football Series in 2013. You can find him on Twitter @2QBFFB and he can be reached through email.
