5 Late-Round Quarterbacks to Target on Draft Day

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Houston Texans

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Ryan Fitzpatrick was better than you think last year. After Jake Locker went down for the season early in their Week 10 game against Jacksonville last year, Fitz stepped in and performed as the seventh-best fantasy passer through the end of the season. You read that correctly – from Week 10 through Week 17, only six quarterbacks scored more fantasy points than Ryan Fitzpatrick. And if you remove Week 17 from that data set, which is essentially worthless in fantasy football, Fitz actually ranked fifth.

The Titans schedule was admittedly pretty favorable, but Fitzpatrick’s arm isn’t the only reason he was relevant in fantasy football. Like Alex Smith, Fitzpatrick can actually get you some points with his legs.

He had a solid 225 rushing yards and three ground touchdowns last year, posting a 21.56 Rushing NEP score. That was just a half point lower than Russell Wilson’s total, and Fitzpatrick accomplished it with 45 fewer rushing attempts.

There’s a little more upside from a passing perspective for Fitzpatrick this season for his new Texans team, with wideouts Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins lining up on either side of him. If you’re in a deep league, or perhaps a two-quarterback one, don’t sleep on Ryan Fitzpatrick.