Sleeper Watch

Probable top-three picks Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger are getting the early attention, but don’t overlook North Carolina State’s Philip Rivers when evaluating rookie quarterbacks who might be able to make a fantasy impact down the road.

Rivers, a starter since his freshman season, has all the tools to succeed at the NFL level, including astonishing accuracy (71% completion percentage last year), a strong arm, and the ability to read defenses and improvise. The list of his college accomplishments is long: Rivers ranks second all-time in career NCAA passing yards (13,484) and fifth in touchdown passes (95, including 34 in 2003, when he was named the ACC’s Player of the Year). He began piling up awards in 2000 (ACC Rookie of the Year), and didn’t let up right through his final collegiate contest, when he was named Tangerine Bowl MVP after torching Kansas for five scoring strikes.

The one area of concern in Rivers’ well-rounded game is his somewhat unusual throwing mechanics, which fall somewhere between overhand and sidearm. So far, however, this motion hasn’t kept him from tearing opposing defenses apart.

Philip Rivers will most likely be drafted well behind Manning and Roethlisberger in this April’s NFL draft, but in terms of talent, the gap separating him from the top two may not be as large as many think. Clearly, the team he finds himself being drafted by will affect his future fantasy value, and even in the best-case scenario, he shouldn’t be expected to make an impact in 2004. In a dynasty or deep keeper league, however, he could be an intriguing pickup.