The 5 Best Bets in the Late Rounds of Your Fantasy Football Draft

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Houston Texans

Ryan Fitzpatrick is all but free in most leagues this year, not appearing in the 23 quarterbacks whose ADP is listed on FantasyFootballCalculator.com, and going as the 32nd quarterback according to MyFantasyLeague.com.

After years of mediocrity, Fitzpatrick’s limited 2013 campaign – filling in for the injured Jake Locker – was surprisingly impressive. Fitzpatrick finished 17th in Passing NEP and 7th in Rushing NEP among quarterbacks (keep in mind these are cumulative stats – typically the more games you play, the higher your score). Fitzpatrick put up 166.7 fantasy points in his nine starts, averaging an impressive 18.52 fantasy points per start. Extrapolated over a 16-game season, and he would have produced 296 fantasy points, a total that would have been fifth among quarterbacks last year.

While I’m not suggesting Fitzpatrick plays his way into the top-five again this year, his 2013 success is very promising. Moving to Houston, who finished 2013 with a higher pass-to-run ratio than the Titans (1.63 for the Texans versus 1. 23 for the Titans), and being the full-time starter will give Fitzpatrick ample opportunity to showcase his talent. And with such a low price tag, if he even comes close to matching his performance from last year he'll be an excellent value pick in deeper leagues.