subject: Take Me To The Promised Land! [print this page] Take Me To The Promised Land! Take Me To The Promised Land!
Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, Troy Aikman. These guys were all clutch performers. They had ice in their veins. Balls of steel. Whatever you wanna call it, these guys led their teams to multiple Super Bowl victories. When the stakes were highest, they got the job done.
So that got me thinking: are there QBs playing now that tend to come up big during the fantasy playoffs?
I went back and looked at the top-7 QBs from Weeks 14 to 16 over the past 5 seasons to find out.
The usual suspects lead the way. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning are the only QBs with 4 top-7 finishes over the past 5 seasons.
Manning has been especially impressive. He's been a top-4 QB during the fantasy playoffs in 4 straight years. Some people want to devalue him every August because they think he's always resting down the stretch with the Colts' playoff spot secured. But that simply hasn't been the case. Unless your league still uses the archaic tradition of holding its championship game in Week 17, Peyton Manning is money in the fantasy playoffs.
Behind Manning and Brees, there was just 1 guy with 3 top-7 finishes during the fantasy playoffs over the past 5 seasons. It isn't Tom Brady. Not Philip Rivers.
It's David Garrard.
In 2005, 2007, and 2008, Garrard was a stud during the all-important Weeks 14 through 16.
In 05, he totaled 758 passing yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs in the fantasy playoffs. Solid. But he also added 86 yards and 2 more scores on the ground. It was good enough for a 4th-place finish over that 3-game stretch.
2007 saw Garrard toss 7 TDs compared to just 2 INTs in Weeks 14 through 16. He tallied 626 passing yards, 35 rushing yards, and scored another TD on the ground. He ranked 3rd among QBs during the fantasy playoffs that year.
Finally, in 2008, Garrard compiled 745 passing yards with 4 TDs and 2 INTs. He added 51 yards and a score rushing. That placed him 6th at his position.
So can he pull the trick again in 2010? It's definitely possible.
Garrard has had an up-and-down campaign, but he's caught fire of late. After torching the Cowboys for 260 and 4 back in Week 8, Garrard came off his bye week and dominated the Texans to the tune of 342 yards and 2 scores this past Sunday.
He's a streaky player, and it looks like he's getting hot at the right time again.
Adding to the intrigue is Garrard's schedule the rest of the way. His final 7 opponents have an average ranking of 20th in fantasy points allowed to QBs. Only 2 teams the Giants and Titans have an easier schedule against QBs for the balance of the season.
Garrard still faces 3 teams in the bottom-7 against QBs although one of those is the Texans in Week 17 and only has 1 more game against a top-12 unit.
His opponents during the fantasy playoffs? Oakland (13th), Indianapolis (15th), and Washington (32nd). Not too shabby.
It wouldn't be shocking to see Garrard once again post top-5 numbers over that all-important 3-game stretch.
Unless you own one of the 5 or 6 matchup-proof QBs, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add Garrard to your QB-by-committee and potentially ride him to a fantasy championship.
