Issue #216: Bumps and Bruises
By Derrick Ernst
October 05, 2025
Backup QB
It feels like I’m good for an injury-related issues a few times a season. Most of the time they’re about QBs and this time is no different. One of my “favorite” things to keep tabs on throughout the season is the IR/Other and Season Ending columns of our Status Sheet, especially the latter. Every year the sheer level of big names that find there way into that section is pretty astonishing. Where starting to see that even now through four weeks this season. These two columns really reinforce what I say all the time in that at least 1/3 of the team you draft won’t be on your team by the end of the season. Injuries are a reason why.
There are 32 people in the world that lead an NFL team at QB each week. Roughly half of them are really worth anything. Imagine not having one of those 16 on your fantasy team. It’s a reality for myself and if you’re one who drafted Lamar or Burrow or Daniels, you’ve fallen into this camp as well. Let’s just say it how it is, it stinks. While I don’t have any of these three in my primary league, I do have B. Purdy and JJ McCarthy who are both out this week. Not a great position to be in. While I’ve been a proponent of only drafting one QB and leaving your bench to be filled with RBs and WRs, I’m starting to grow open to the idea of making it a priority to draft a second. I’d argue over the length of the season, more and more teams in a league pick up another QB and don’t ditch them. This further limits your optionality for the most important position in fantasy provided that your find yourself in need.
Let’s highlight a few reasons as to why having a backup QB might be valuable:
A QB on your bench means nobody else gets their points, no matter how good of outing that might have had
Some leagues have bench points as being a matchup’s tiebreaker. Having a QB on the bench should evaluate your bench’s total
A good bench QB could mean you have good trade bait for a team in need
Lastly, and most importantly, it’s piece of mind. Having a QB that you know you can trust and count on in the event your primary QB goes down, especially in a must-win matchup or in the playoffs
My usual caveat applies: there’s likely more.
This is even more topical by today being our first Sunday Scramble of the season and the “cutoffs” I’ve outlined in the first section. Take a look at the QBs. In order for someone to be considered a top-24 fantasy QB, they’ll have needed to average 13.9 PPG so far this season. That’s almost 12 points less than QB1 J. Allen and 5 points less than those considered top-12. No matter how you look at it, 5-12 PPG is like having an extra player on your starting roster working for you.
As each season passes and the more injuries to QBs become commonplace, the more I think consideration towards drafting two QBs makes sense. If it’s common for the majority of fantasy managers to draft one QB, then the odds you can snag two difference-making QBs is quite high. If part of what TDF is is to go against the grain, this certainly fits the bill. Food for thought.
Bad Bunny
Source: Facebook (NFL Memes)
This gave me a good laugh. It’s true though, what is a Bad Bunny? Never in my life have I heard a song of his. It’s to my understanding that the majority of his songs are in Spanish? Since the announcement was made that he’ll headline the Super Bowl, I’ve been seeing a lot of pushback about how un-American it is to have one of the most American things be overshadowed by someone who wasn’t born in America. Let me just say this, I believe this selection is driven by the NFL’s desire to expand the game globally. This, in my opinion, is the next wave of the NFL. I haven’t always been a fan of international games, but what I could get onboard with is if each division had a hub city that they all traveled to together, played against each other in, and had the same bye when they returned. Equal playing grounds and equal exposure for that region and for the fans the NFL would be gaining.
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