Bust to Lust – QB Edition

 

The second Bust to Lust series finishes with the Quarterback position.

As the title suggests it’s all about players that had a bust season in 2020 that have the potential for us to lust for in 2021. 

So to finish off the series here are my three Quarterbacks to keep an eye on this season.

 

Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams

This is a bust to Lust 2.0 for Stafford. 2020 wasn’t quite the show a few people were expecting but we can close the Lions chapter as the Los Angeles Rams traded for Stafford this off-season sending Goff packing. 

Last year in a Lions offence, Stafford still managed to get over 4000 yards. Picking up 339 completions for 26 TD’s and 10 Interceptions. Now that he’s in a Rams offence that not only is an upgrade, he now has a fantastic offensive minded coach in Sean McVay. 

If what they say is true about Stafford being an upgrade on Goff then we need to look at Goff’s numbers in a McVay offence and just see how far Stafford can go. 2020 saw Goff have 370 completions for 3952 yards, 20 TD’s and 13 Interceptions. 

Goff was given the opportunity to have 552 passing attempts in McVays offence whilst Stafford was able to get more yards from 528 attempts at the Lions. Stafford now has a Coach that is all about him and his ability. Pair that with two fantastic Wide Receivers in Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp and all I see is business booming in LA. 

2021 ADP

At the moment Stafford is coming off the board as the 11th Quarterback and as the 89th overall pick which puts him in the 8th round. In years gone by there was a lot of talk about late round Quarterbacks being the key. However recently things have started to change and players are now drafting good solid Quarterbacks that little earlier to make sure they don’t lose out. 

The 8th round might sound early for the likes of Stafford but if we are talking about a Quarterback that will have good volume and the potential to be getting 4500 yards and a high amount of TD’s to go with it then I’m ok with taking a Quarterback with that potential at this price. 

 

Carson Wentz – Indianapolis Colts

Another Quarterback that has moved in the off-season and heading into an upgraded offence. Wentz hasn’t shown us that potential since he’s been back from injury but that Eagles O-line and offensive set up wasn’t going to be a place to get out of the funk. 

Step up Indianapolis and that solid O-line and now we get to see if that MVP potential Wentz turns up. 

2017 Wentz

The year of the Eagles Super Bowl and Wentz on a crazy Sophomore run that was pushing everyone to mention Wentz in the MVP debate. As we all know that season was cut short for Wentz at 13 games.

In those 13 games, Wentz had 440 attempts with 265 completions. Those completions went for 3296 yards which wasn’t as high as could have been but it was the TD’s that got people talking. 33 TD’s in 13 games and only 7 Interceptions. 

When given the opportunity to throw over 600 attempts, Wentz was up around the 4000 yards mark. Moving into a balanced offence in Indianapolis the ability to throw should be there with time behind the O-line a lot more available than it was in Philadelphia.

Philip Rivers had 543 attempts and managed 4169 yards in the Colts offence. What you need to remember is Rivers was also a statue compared to Wentz so the fact that Wentz will now have more time in the pocket but also has the ability to move, we could see Wentz produce with high volume. 

2021 ADP

Wentz is further back down the rounds compared to Stafford. Right now Wentz is coming off the board as the 17th Quarterback which is around the 134th overall pick. That means if you are still willing to wait until the later rounds, you could be looking at a steal in the 12th round for Wentz. 

At this point in the draft you might have already picked up a QB1 and are looking for a solid backup for bye weeks or you have left it very late to get a Quarterback after filling your roster with depth at the RB and WR roles.

To be able to get a Quarterback with a lot of potential in these rounds either as your QB2 or a late round flyer is fantastic value and one I’m looking forward to use when Wentz comes back with a bang. 

 

Joe Burrow – Cincinnati Bengals

As I said in the Bust to Lust Running Back edition for Mixon, The Bengals had the rug pulled from under them last season. A fair few injuries that did not help their new face of the franchise. 

They picked up boy wonder Joe Burrow 1st overall in the draft and he was looking like he had the potential to be the player everyone hoped he would be. Unfortunately we all then saw what happened in week 11 when Burrow messed his knee up in a bad way. 

Tale of the tape

In 10 and a half games, Burrow had 404 attempts for 264 completions. He threw for 2688 yards and 13 TD’s whilst only being intercepted 5 times. Burrow also picked up 3 rushing TD’s to go along with his Rookie season stats. 

For a rookie season that was cut short in week 11, finishing as the 25th best Quarterback is quite something. There are 32 starting Quarterbacks in this league and Burrow managed to beat out 7 starters even without paying in 6 games. 

Moving onwards and upwards

The Bengals will have a lot to answer for If their wonder kid gets injured again. They had the chance to take the best O-Line talent in this season’s draft but decided to take the best Wide Receiver prospect in the draft instead. 

Burrow now has his partner in crime from college and the connection could be exactly what the Bengals needed to get that out of the depths of the AFC. That Wide Receiver core now looks deadly and add a healthy Mixon to the fray and you could have a fun Bengals team to watch this season. 

The Burrow – Chase connection

In 2019, the season before Burrow was drafted by the Bengals, LSU were having a ball. Burrow had 402 completions for 5671 yards and a ridiculous 60 TD’s to top it all off. Of the 402 completions, Chase caught 84 and went for 1780 of Burrow’s 5671  yards. Chase also grabbed 20 of the 60 TD’s that Burrow threw. 

If this connection carries on where it left off then the Bengals are going to be one happy Organisation. This is as long as Burrow stays upright and able to throw the ball. Just to add to the excitement, the Bengals also have Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd to keep Defences guessing as to who the ball is going to. 

This also feeds in nicely as to why Joe Mixon was part of my Bust to Lust Running Back edition as this offence is now full of talent and as long as everyone stays healthy, this could be a very exciting year for the Bengals offence. 

2021 ADP

Right now Burrow finds himself hanging around with Stafford in the 8th round. 3 places behind Stafford overall to be precise. He’s coming off the board as the 92nd player overall and as the 12th Quarterback. 

Like with Stafford, the 8th round for Burrow may sound early but the upside of this offence if they get cooking is something not to miss out on. 

That’s it Rush Nation, my Bust to Lust at the QuarterBack position and the last of this year’s Bust to Lust series.

Until next time, keep Rushing. 

Pittsy – @PittsyNFL