Fantasy Football 2014: Five Insane Quarterback ADP’s

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Philip Rivers (San Diego Chargers) Round 9 ADP

Rivers might be the only logical ridiculous ADP value on this list, simply because he went from awful to good and many may doubt he can stay on that upper echelon level at age 32. I think he can, but again, the skepticism is real and fairly warranted.

However, Rivers’ jump wasn’t all that unexpected when you think about it. He developed into a shaky turnover machine in the final two years under Norv Turner, but that had everything to do with a weak offensive line, regressing weapons and only so-so arm strength. Turner’s vertical system kept the ball in his hands longer, had him rely on inconsistent down field targets too much and asked him to carry the team when he simply couldn’t.

Insert rookie head coach Mike McCoy in 2013, who brought in a dink and dunk passing system, which took advantage of Rivers’ underrated accuracy. The Chargers also got Rivers more suitable weapons for the passing game (notably Danny Woodhead and Keenan Allen) and built their offense around short, quick passes and running the football. That translated into over 4,400 passing yards and 32 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions.

It also equated to a leap from being borderline undrafted in most leagues to dominating as fantasy’s sixth best passer. The numbers should tell us it wasn’t a fluke. Rivers completed a career high 69.5% of his passes because his accuracy, weapons and system all came together. For the first time in three years, it all made sense in San Diego and we saw the promise realized. Rivers shouldn’t demand a top-five ADP value, but if you’re getting him at his current value (13th quarterback off the board) you know you’re getting one of the best steals of the draft.