Here's a secret. Your bench is more important than your starting lineup.
Well, not really; but it is as important. Knowing which mid-rounders have the best chance to be breakout stars, or more importantly consistent providers, is the key to rounding out your roster. How many times have you seen owners with top heavy teams get hit by the injury bug and a season go down the tube? It's the owners that have consistently producing backups that win.
Also, you'll need players that complement your starters; that have great matchups during weeks that you might consider benching your guy because they play tough opponents. Which late-round quarterback can you get to fill in for Tony Romo during his bye week?
As you know by now, you should feel pretty comfortable waiting until the late fourth, fifth and possibly the sixth round to draft Tony Romo. His ADP is currently around 80 (I will always speak of rounds and projections in terms of 12 team PPR leagues).
Focusing on Tony Romo this late should allow you to put together a pretty dynamic stable of skill position players.
Follow the jump for more...
QB: Tony Romo, Bye Week 5, Toughest Matchups Weeks 2, 6, 10,13
You aren't going to bench Romo in Week 2, no matter how interesting the Seattle secondary has become. The Week 6 match against Baltimore might be a different story. The two games against Philly? Those are questionable bench situations too. If you have a quality bench player, though, you shouldn't be afraid to shuffle things up when the matchups present themselves. All QBs have iffy weeks; it's all about playing them correctly.
Handcuff: Kyle Orton (ADP: Not Drafted)
Orton isn't being drafted, nor should he. Even though Romo has been injured every other season, there is no reason to waste a draft pick on Orton. This despite the fact that he'd move into a potent offense should he grab the reigns. You'll be depending on the luck of the waiver order however.
Mid-Late Round Backup: Jay Cutler (ADP: 119 - 10th, 11th round)
For me, Cutler is a steal. I think he'll be doing big things now that he has been reunited with Brandon Marshall and is rid of Mike Martz "protection be damned" offensive philosophy. Yes, this was originally penned before they clowned the Redskins secondary last night. In fact, I even like Cutler as a starter if you want to be a risk-taker and go all skill positions with your first nine picks. As a backup, he's who I'll be targeting.
He doesn't have the best matchups during Romo's tough weeks, but he has a jewel during TR's bye. Here's his list of opponents when Romo's foes are daunting: Jaguars (wk 5), Bye (wk 6), Texans (wk 10), Seattle (wk 13)
Mid-Late Round Backup: Andrew Luck (ADP: 116 - 10th, 11th round)
Can't help but be impressed with the command Luck showed in PS Game One; there's tons of upside to this pick. Luck could easily follow the recent trend Luck has shootout potential when Romo is on the shelf. He plays at home, vs the Packers in Week 5 and GB was one of the worst teams against the pass in 2011. They were however a great unit in '10 and '09 so last year might have been an aberration; but their high powered offense should lead to a lot of second half passing stats for their opponents.
Here's his list of opponents when Romo's foes are daunting: Vikings (wk 2), Jets (wk 6), Jaguars (wk 10), Lions (wk 13). Not bad.
Late Round Depth: Joe Flacco, Ravens ADP 164 (faces KC Week 5 and B'More talking of opening up offense), Andy Dalton, Bengals ADP 171 (faces MIA Week 5)
As for the BTB "Fear The Star" leagues, we're all set to go. All owners have checked in and control has been passed over to the commissioners. Get ready for a great season, ladies and gents.
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