Outlook: Fitzpatrick’s 2011 season mirrored that of the Bills as he started the season on a hot streak before cooling off considerably over the season’s second half. He topped 25 fantasy points in each of his first three starts, throwing for 841 yards and 9 touchdowns in wins over the Chiefs, Raiders and Patriots. From that point on, it was mostly downhill with Fitzpatrick displaying the inconsistency that has plagued his career as he finished the season with a career-high and league-leading 24 interceptions. Rewarded with a $59-million, six-year contract extension after Week 6, his production plummeted with five games under 210 yards passing over his final ten weeks – a period in which he threw for 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. While injuries to running back Fred Jackson and at the wide receiver position were part of the problem, a substantial portion of the blame goes to Fitzpatrick whose accuracy got worse as the season progressed. While his season ended badly, Fitzpatrick still finished as the 11th ranked fantasy quarterback which was generally higher than predicted. Consider him an upper tier backup once again in 2012 (the Bills threw it 58% of the time in 2011) and move him down in leagues that penalize for turnovers given his propensity for throwing interceptions. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: After a career year in 2010 with 3,622 passing yards and 25 touchdowns, Flacco was considered a solid candidate to have a breakout fantasy season in 2011. However, with Anquan Boldin in decline and Ray Rice having a career-year running the ball, Flacco never emerged as a consistent fantasy option as he failed to build on his solid 2010 campaign. Despite increasing his passing attempts by 53, his yardage total dropped to 3,610, his number of touchdown passes declined to 20 and he threw two more interceptions (12 in total). Let’s just say that Flacco’s offseason assertion that he is the best quarterback in the league may be off a tad (as in not even in the top 10). After another season of mostly dink and dunk passes (23rd in the league in yards per attempt) despite having dynamic rookie wide receiver Torrey Smith in the lineup, there is little reason to suggest that Flacco’s breakout season will arrive a year late. Consider Flacco a mid-tier backup. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: While I was philosophizing recently on the perceived fantasy football value of a number of quarterbacks, it dawned on me that similar to Robert Griffin III having his fantasy value increased due to the performance last season of Cam Newton, Flynn’s fantasy value is taking a hit due to the poor performance of Kevin Kolb. Is that fair? What does it mean? And what does it say about us fantasy football enthusiasts in civilization? These waters don’t run very deep my friends, and I got scared so I grabbed some beers and read up on Flynn. What’s not to like about his performance in Green Bay last year (480 yards and six touchdowns in his lone start)? It also says a lot when your former team considers placing the franchise tag on you since they felt they could reap a bountiful of picks and players in a trade. The critics have called him a game manager who lacks a big arm and may not be athletic enough to be a solid starter. A 480-yard performance and you are a game manager? As Key would say, C’mon man! While Flynn isn’t going to be mentioned alongside the most athletic quarterbacks, he has enough talent to succeed. The biggest impediments to his fantasy success in 2012 are the Seahawks group of receivers and the team’s preference to pound the ball in the running game. Their top wide receiver is the injury-prone Sidney Rice and although they have several other talented receivers, none is a proven second starter. The situation is a little rosier at tight end but Flynn has nowhere near the talent that existed in Green Bay. Flynn is worth adding as low-end QB2 provided he holds off Tarvaris Jackson and Russell Wilson to open the season under center. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: There weren’t many worries with Freeman entering last season after he had an outstanding year in 2010 with 3,451 yards and 26 touchdowns with just six interceptions. Unfortunately for Freeman owners he slumped badly in 2011 – his interceptions skyrocketing to 22 as he was victimized by his own poor decision-making and the sophomore slump that wide receiver Mike Williams experienced. Not helping matters was the team’s other sophomore receiver, Arrelious Benn, failed to develop. While Freeman clearly slumped on the field, his fantasy production actually went up 0.1 PPG to 19.4, padded by his four rushing touchdowns. There appears to be bright skies ahead for Freeman with the arrival of former Charger Vincent Jackson. Jackson’s presence will allow Williams to slide into more of a secondary role and provide Freeman with his first true established deep threat at wide receiver. Freeman ranks as a mid-tier fantasy backup with considerable upside in 2012. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: Sometimes the scouting reports on college players hit the nail on the head – that was certainly the case with Gabbert. The book on him coming out of college was he had the necessary athleticism to succeed but he struggled under pressure. Thrust into a starting role before he was ready, due to the release of David Garrard and Luke McCown’s ineptitude, Gabbert frequently misread plays, forced passes into coverage and threw off his back foot often when he wasn’t pressured. The Jaguars will give him every opportunity to be their starter in 2012 but they signed Chad Henne as insurance in case Gabbert continues to struggle. With Laurent Robinson, rookie 1st round pick Justin Blackmon and Mike Thomas as his lead wide receivers and Marcedes Lewis at tight end, Gabbert doesn’t possess great options in the passing game. He is waiver wire material in redraft leagues and a middling dynasty prospect. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan spent big in order to move up in the draft to select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III and provide Washington with a franchise quarterback to match up against the other talented signal callers in the division. RGIII’s unique talents match up well with Shanahan’s version of the west coast offense, which requires quarterbacks to spend plenty of time outside of the pocket, throwing on the run and scrambling for yards on the ground. At Baylor, Griffin was a monster operating out of the shotgun, throwing for 77 touchdowns and rushing for 32 more, but he will need to adapt his game in the NFL. He possesses an outstanding arm and blazing speed but the odds of him duplicating the season Carolina’s Cam Newton put together as a rookie seem slim. Griffin doesn’t have Newton’s size and strength meaning he won’t be his team’s goal line back like Newton. The Redskins also don’t have a true number one wideout like Newton had in Steve Smith but they do have a deep rotation of receivers that could be productive. If only the team had that type of depth along the offensive line, which has been a major concern and remains so heading into 2012. RGIII is an outstanding dynasty league prospect with a huge upside but fantasy owners are likely best served having him as a bench option in 2012. ~ Dave Stringer

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Outlook: Hasselbeck was quietly efficient in his first year in Tennessee, remaining healthy for an entire season for the first time in four years and having his most productive year since the 2007 campaign. By season’s end, he had accumulated 3,571 passing yards to go along with 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, good enough to finish the season as the 18th ranked fantasy quarterback. While that was reasonably impressive and he exceeded expectations, a closer look reveals that Hasselbeck’s play began to decline starting in Week 5. He threw for 1,152 yards, eight touchdowns and three picks in the first four weeks but just 2,419 yards, ten touchdowns and 11 interceptions over the final 12 weeks of the year. In 2012, Hasselbeck will need to hold off 2011 first-round pick Jake Locker, who was impressive in limited playing time as a rookie, in order to retain his hold on the starting quarterback job. In essence, drafting Hassselbeck as your fantasy backup is a major risk given the uncertainty as to whether he will beat out Locker and retain it for the entire season. Couple that with his lack of upside and it seems clear that Hasselbeck is waiver wire material in 2012, despite the potential explosiveness of the Titans offense. ~ Dave Stringer

Comment: Hassebleck has lost the starting QB job to Jake Locker. ~ Mike Krueger

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Outlook: Heading into 2011, Henne was entering his 3rd year as the Dolphins starter and looking to solidify his hold on the team’s starting quarterback position. He played well in two of his first three games before an injury to his non-throwing shoulder not only ended his season but also his career in Miami. He landed in Jacksonville in what could be described as the league’s best backup quarterback job in terms of opportunity. Blaine Gabbert struggled mightily as a rookie and we have no idea how long new head coach Mike Mularkey will stick with him if his struggles continue. ~ Dave Stringer

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