Bridgewater makes for an exciting option if he can put it all together

Brian Tesch is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Brian, check out his archive and follow him @TheRealTesch.

While drafting rookie QBs is typically a fools pursuit, the lucky fantasy owner who stumbled upon Cam Newton in 2011 and Robert Griffin III in 2012 begs to differ. However, 2014 is shaping up to be much like 2013, a year without a rookie QB rising to QB1 status. Unlike 2013, there are multiple prospects who look like they could be fantasy spot-starts for 2014, and low-end QB1s in the near future.

Head of the Class

Derek Carr (Raiders)
Most had zero expectations regarding Carr entering the season, as he was drafted as a backup in 2QB leagues. While he’s meeting those expectations (currently ranked 31st in fantasy points per game), the way he’s doing it is astounding. Carr has retained an impressive measure of calm while his team immolates around him. While being surrounded by talented yet raw receivers, a patchwork line, and a feeble running game, Carr currently has the highest QBR of all the QBs from the class of ’14. He’s made chicken salad out of chicken sh…gizzards, and has an extremely bright future if Oakland’s front office can surround him with competent talent.

2nd Half Outlook: Carr looks to simply survive and advance on to 2015. He has an absolutely brutal remaining schedule (DEN x 2-SD-KC x 2-SF-BUF) which hopefully won’t crush his confidence going forward. There is some DFS silver lining, as Carr is poised to become a garbage time king, as evidenced by his 54 passing attempts in a Week 8 loss to Cleveland.

The Future Is: Brighter than the past. Carr has largely proved his doubters wrong, and has been able to adjust to the NFL from a spread college system. He’s got plenty of arm talent, above average athleticism, and is the piece Oakland should build around going forward. With some upgrades around him, Carr will be a fantasy relevant QB in short order.

C Students, with Potential

Blake Bortles (Jaguars)
An afterthought in redraft leagues based on a bizarre decision to start Chad Henne, Bortles didn’t get rolling as the full time starter until Week 4. After 2 very promising weeks, he went into free-fall, posting single digit (i.e. really, really bad) QBR scores in two of his last three starts. He rebounded to an extent in Week 9, but still has a wicked turnover problem, as he’s thrown an interception in each of his outings. He’s on pace for  24 interceptions on the season, and is making a run at Peyton Manning‘s rookie record of 28.

2nd Half Outlook: Potential garbage time hero, most likely 2014 zero. Bortles’ best weapon is fellow rookie Allen Robinson, and there isn’t much in the way of proven talent on offense. Compared to Ben Roethlisberger pre-draft, Bortles’ best chance of posting a fantasy relevant week is by emulating his draft comp and shredding Indianapolis in Week 12. Bortles most likely will continue to be a QB to target when choosing a fantasy defense for the rest of the year.

The Future Is: Cautiously optimistic. It’s going to be interesting to see if Bortles can rebound from this rough patch. A mid-major QB with ideal size, above average mobility and functional arm strength, Bortles also has an emerging #1 WR in Allen Robinson. However, Bortles is playing like a bust right now, and it remains to be seen if he will ever reach his upside of a low-end fantasy QB1, or end up awakening the ghosts of Rob Johnson and Byron Leftwich in Jacksonville.

Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings)
A buzzy mid-season add, Bridgewater was magic right out of the gate, posting his best game in Week 4 against Atlanta. He then missed a short week with an ankle injury and followed up with a complete face-plant against Detroit in Week 6. After another dud against Buffalo, Bridgewater led a game-tying drive in Week 8 in a good, but not great game. He followed that performance looking downright surgical at times against Washington in Week 9.

2nd Half Outlook: Bridgewater has a few weeks remaining that look DFS gamble worthy. The schedule looks soft as he draws Washington, a bye week, @Chicago, Green Bay, Carolina, and the Jets until a rematch with the Lions in Week 15. There’s a very real shot that Bridgewater can use this stretch to get some wind in his sails.

The Future Is: Now. A 3 year starter at Louisville, Bridgewater is by no means a project, and was thought to be the most pro-ready QB of the class of ’14. An opportunity for a mini-emergence is upon us as Bridgewater has a soft upcoming schedule, a noted offensive coordinator (Norv Turner), nice core of emerging skill players (Jerick McKinnon, Cordarrelle Patterson, Kyle Rudolph), and a functional offensive line around him. He’s in an ideal position to take the step from “rookie QB” to “QB of the future”. Despite a barrage of negative pre-draft reports, Bridgewater has proven to have functional arm-strength, and has the city of Minneapolis behind him. While he will never be a slam-dunk fantasy starter, he has the potential to become a low-end QB1. If you’ve noticed a pattern here, most of the QBs of the class of 14 are good, not great.

Grade Incomplete

Johnny Manziel (Browns)
The Cleveland Browns commissioned an extensive statistical analysis of the quarterback position, which led them to the belief that Teddy Bridgewater was the best QB in the class of 2014. They later disregarded this study, and followed the advice of a local vagrant. Oh Cleveland, please never change. The most hyped QB of 2014, Manziel was drafted as a high-end QB2 in some early fantasy drafts, but as the hype train slowed down, Manziel’s draft position came back down to earth. He’s been seen more in the commercial breaks, than actually on the field, as he’s only attempted one pass in 2014.

2nd Half Outlook: Watch-list worthy. With the Browns seemingly responding to Brian Hoyer as the starter, Manziel can only hope for Hoyer to flounder, which is a very real possibility. The hope is that Manziel won’t become a hard-partying malcontent as he waits his turn, but the possibility exists that he may become a distraction. The return of Josh Gordon, a solid o-line/running game, and his own innate ability to create in the open field makes him a must own should he get a shot at the starting job, no matter the matchup or his likely “average” passing statistics.

The Future Is: Anybody’s guess. Manziel could easily follow the trail blazed by Russell Wilson and ride his legs and efficient passing to QB1 numbers. The alternative is simple, he could be out of the league in a couple years. Lesser scrambling QBs (Tim Tebow, Terrelle Pryor) have had moments of fantasy relevance due to their legs, giving Manziel a surprisingly high floor should he get an opportunity. If Josh Gordon can stay on the straight and narrow, and Jordan Cameron can recover from concussions, Manziel has the tools around him to ignite Manziel Mania. His willingness to run puts him in the QB1 conversation right off the bat, but there is tremendous risk involved with Manziel, as he compares quite closely to other Texas college stars that didn’t make it in the pros (Case Keenum, Colt McCoy).

Quick Outs

Austin Davis (Rams)
Davis took a curious route to being a starting QB, as he was an undrafted free-agent in 2012, was cut by St Louis in 2013, and ended up on the Miami practice squad for a brief period, and then was later re-signed by the Rams after Sam Bradford’s 2013 season-ending injury. While not a traditional rookie, Davis hadn’t seen regular season playing time until this year.The scouting reports on Davis coming into the league were not exactly glowing, and neither was his college stat-line at a low level of competition. His success this year has been surprising to say the least. We keep on waiting for the bottom to fall out on Davis, but it looks like he’ll stay afloat as a low-end QB2 for the rest of 2014, and then settle in for a long career as a backup.

Zach Mettenberger (Titans)
For a QB known for selfies, it’s ironic that Mettenberger plays like a QB from a bygone age. A true pocket passer with a cannon arm and lead feet, Mettenberger quietly had a very impressive college career at LSU, and followed it up by leading the NFL in preseason passing yards. He’s earned the Tennessee starting QB job by default after Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst performed, unsurprisingly, like they’ve performed their whole careers. In his first start, he performed pretty terribly against a tough Texans defense, but has the potential to make a nice, maybe brief fantasy relevant NFL career. Mettenberger will most likely be backing up either Marcus Mariota, Jameis Winston, or Connor Cook in 2015, as the Titans will likely draft a QB in the 1st round.

Jimmy Garoppolo (Patriots)
Garoppolo played decently in the preseason, has gone 9-10 with a TD in garbage time action during the 2014 season, and is next in line to inherit the Patriots starting QB job. One issue, outside of Rob Gronkowski, what exactly is there to be excited about inheriting?

Logan Thomas (Cardinals)
Thomas went 1-8 with a TD as an emergency fill in during Week 5 and that is the most Logan Thomas stat-line ever. When you hear Thomas, just think Cam Newton, but a worse passer. He has the most impressive tools (size/speed/arm) in the class, but his up-and-down college stats and film, indicate that his skills may not be there yet. He is being tutored by noted QB guru Bruce Arians, and could be the QB of the distant future in Arizona.