Ringo’s 2024 QB Busts

I know some fantasy analysts preach that it’s best to wait on drafting a QB (looking at you J.J. Zacharison). I’m just kidding. J.J. seems like a good dude. Just make sure you don’t wait too long and that you draft a good one. Remember, not every Brady is a future Hall of Fame QB with pinpoint accuracy haha! Tom’s long-lost cousin, Peter, overthrew his intended WR by a country mile haha! When it comes to Peter, I guess mom should have said don’t play ball in or out of the house haha!

Lamar Jackson (Current Expert Consensus Ranking on Fantasy Pros- QB 4 Ringo’s Ranking QB 11) This ranking is more about Lamar’s price than his talent. Anyone who watched him play, clearly saw how talented and athletic Lamar is. However, the Ravens used him less in 2023. They wisely saved him for the post season. Even though they fell short, he made it through the regular season unscathed. In 2022 he rushed for 764 yards in 12 games. But last year he rushed for 821 in 16 games. His best year was 2019 with 1,206 yards rushing. It wasn’t a typical Lamar season. Some of that can be attributed to the team learning a new offense under new offensive coordinator, Todd Monken. However, some of that could have been intentional, to save wear and tear on Lamar’s body. New addition Derrick Henry will open up some running lanes for Lamar, but conversely, could also steal TDs from him in the red zone. Bottom line- Lamar is too rich for me this year, especially given the declining rushing yardage under Todd Monken’s offense.

Joe Burrow (Current Expert Consensus Ranking on Fantasy Pros- QB 8 Ringo’s Ranking QB 21) I'm torn here because, on one hand, I love Joe Burrow's talent. He reminds me a little of Joe Montana. But on the other, he's coming off major wrist surgery. Orthopedic surgeon Jeffrey Kutsikovich told A to Z Sports’ John Sheeran that Burrow will have to be cautious with his surgically repaired wrist, saying: “Ultimately, the wrist kind of bears the brunt of a fall, and the question is, ‘How is his body going to respond to the first few hits?’" Dr. Kutsikovich explained that while orthopedic surgeries usually have a success rate in the 90-95% range, Burrow’s surgery, a scapholunate ligament repair surgery, only has a success rate of about 75-80%. “The big long-term problem with this specific injury is the results of the repair are not as consistent with the results of repairs in, let’s say, other joints,” said Dr. Kutsikovich. QB 8 seems a little rich given the injury risk Burrow is facing in 2024.

Jordan Love (Current Expert Consensus Ranking on Fantasy Pros- QB 10 Ringo’s Ranking QB 13) Jordan Love has shown flashes, but I’m still not ready to rank him as a top ten fantasy QB like many of my peers. Last year, the Packers’ offense was up and down. They lack star power at WR outside of perhaps Christian Watson who can’t seem to stay on the field. Yes, they added RB Josh Jacobs, but they’ve also lost offensive linemen to injuries and free agency. TE Luke Musgrave showed flashes, but was injured last year and in college. If they gave Love an elite playmaker: Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, JaMarr Chase, or a solid offensive line, etc. I could see the potential, but for now there are just too many question marks to rank Love as a starting fantasy QB in 2024, at least for me. Anyway, this is how it went down when I heard another fantasy analyst singing about Love’s 2024 fantasy outlook at a toga party this summer, haha! (see video below)

Justin Herbert (Current Expert Consensus Ranking on Fantasy Pros- QB 18 Ringo’s Ranking QB 19)

(8/10) UPDATE- Herbert injured his plantar fascia in his foot. The Chargers have shelved him for now. It sounds like he’ll be able to play, but this is a painful injury and something he’s going to have to deal with for a good part of the season. I was already dsown on his fantasy prospects in a heavy run focused offense. This injury doesn’t help matters. Despite Herbert’s immense talent, I bumped him down a few more slots.

Talent wise, few QBs are better than Justin Herbert imo. However, his situation is far from ideal from a fantasy perspective. New head coach, Jim Harbaugh, believes in running the ball. Just look at his last two stops: The University of Michigan and San Francisco 49’ers. Both were known for dominating in the trenches and establishing the run game. Heck, one of the reason J.J. McCarthy was considered a risk by scouts was because of his lack of passing attempts. He didn’t have many of them. This kind of reminds me when John Elway played for the late Dan Reeves. Elway’s numbers were suppressed because of Reeves’ run heavy offense. Herbert is an all-pro, but his fantasy outlook doesn’t look great with offensive coordinator Greg Romans (formerly of the run heavy Ravens) and Jim Harbaugh calling the plays. The only thing that could save him is the fact that the Chargers defense was so dreadful last year, he might have no choice but to pass in the 2nd half if L.A. is trailing.

That said, the history and philosophy of Jim Harbaugh and Greg Romans is enough to scare me off of Justin Herbert, even though I’m a huge fan of his talent. However, if you need professional advice on women, Herbert (aka Herb) is the guy.