Sleeper Watch

Eli Manning. Ben Roethlisberger. Philip Rivers. It’s no wonder that as we approach the NFL draft, much of the spotlight is on quarterbacks. But amid all the excitement and speculation about the top names, keeper and dynasty leaguers shouldn’t forget about those QBs who won’t be picked in the opening round, yet could make a fantasy impact down the road.

Strong-armed JP Losman is a perfect example of a signal-caller who presumably won’t be a factor this season, but might be worth stashing away for the future. Although he might sneak into the end of round one, Losman projects to be a second-rounder following a strong senior campaign at Tulane in which he threw for 3077 yards (33 TD, 14 INT, 59.5 completion percentage).

Among the teams expected to be interested in his services are Buffalo, Tennessee, Green Bay, and Oakland. Notice a theme here? All four have an established starter who no longer fits into the spring chicken category, and wouldn’t mind adding a potential successor. If one of these franchises drafts Losman, he’ll almost certainly – barring injury to Messrs. Bledsoe, McNair, Favre, or Gannon – spend his rookie season holding a clipboard, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. A period of learning from a crafty veteran can only help his development, and smooth the transition from the college to the pro game once he’s asked to step in and take over the reins.