Ask the Experts

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them:

Which lightly regarded young quarterback (if any) do you believe will have a breakout season?

SCOTT PIANOWSKI

I'm most curious about the San Francisco winner (hello, Mike Martz) and Matt Leinart, if he can keep his eyes more on the playbook and less on the coeds. Then again, didn't Kenny Stabler study the game plan by the light of the jukebox? I also think Tarvaris Jackson will be sneaky-useful in two-QB leagues, but I wouldn't suggest him in a traditional format.

Pianowski is a fantasy expert for Yahoo! Sports. His work regularly appears on Yahoo's Roto Arcade Blog (rotoarcade.com), and you can also email him at pianowski31@yahoo.com.

LOUIS TRANQUILLI

Matt Schaub, Houston Texans. The Texans QB position produced 24 TD passes in 2007 and 3,900-plus passing yards. All this with Andre Johnson missing 7 full games. Schaub is loaded with weapons at WR but missing a running game. The Texans will go with their strength and get the ball in the air. BFDfantasyfootball.com has named Matt Schaub our 2008 Mid Round QB Gem.

Louis Tranquilli is the founder and the primary "brains" (if you stretch it) of BFDFANTASYfootball.com. BFD is about giving advice to players from a player. Lou's been a highly successful owner in many high stakes contests. BFD is giving away 50 fantasy football teams in 2008.

JEFFREY KAMYS

No question the No. 1 young QB that everyone will be watching is Aaron Rodgers. What the Packers know about their team, is that, it's more than Brett Favre. Rodgers has plenty of talent surrounding him and a very good offensive line. At the WR position Jennings, Driver and Jones are a formidable trio, who have the deadly combo of good hands and deep ball talent. The TE position is solid and they are set at RB. Rodgers really just has to manage the offense and he should easily post TDs in the mid-20s this year.

Kamys is president of Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports. His company, via the web, offers player news, injury reports, cheat sheets, projections, weekly matchups, statistics, and a customized team tracker. Dr. Stats Fantasy Sports also e-mails preseason newsletters and reports throughout the season. For more info visit www.docstats.com or send email to webmaster@docstats.com.

MIKE NAZAREK

Aaron Rodgers could surprise a lot of people this season. He certainly has the talent around him to succeed. This doesn't mean I'd wait in a fantasy draft to take him as a starter, but I'd give him serious consideration as a fantasy backup QB.

Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. His company offers an online rookie draft kit, preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, fantasy auction & regular drafting programs, weekly in-season fantasy newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its web site. He is the reigning four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a columnist for SI.com. For more info go to www.ffmastermind.com. Nazarek can be reached at 702-568-7118 or miken@ffmastermind.com.

SCOTT ENDSLEY

Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are both quality rookie talents. Count on some growing pains this year, but they have the skill set to be quality starters with some NFL experience. If you look at who is ready to be a fantasy starting QB of the young guns, 3rd year player T. Jackson in Minnesota has plenty of talent around him to produce.

Endsley is co-owner and a senior fantasy football consultant for FantasyDraftEdge.com offering customizable fantasy football cheat sheets and professional VIP advice all season long. For more info, go to www.fantasydraftedge.com.

IAN ALLAN

I like Jay Cutler; I see him stepping up his game this year. I expect he’ll be the starting quarterback on some of my fantasy teams. And I like Aaron Rodgers. He’s entering his fourth year, but he’s never started a game. I also think that he’ll be good, but I have concerns about his ability to stay healthy, so I see him as more of a high-upside No. 2 guy.

Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He’s also one of the main content contributors for that company’s website, www.fantasyindex.com. His IAN ALLAN’S MAILBAG column is posted on Fridays.

SAM HENDRICKS

Define breakout. My definition for QBs is 20 TDs and 3,200 yards, which is about a top-15 finish. At this point, I do not see any of the young new starters breaking out. So do not bet the ranch on Matt Ryan, Rex Grossman, Troy Smith, Joe Flacco or Aaron Rodgers. Two relatively young QBs who could be in the top 15 are Matt Schaub and Jason Campbell. Both have legitimate shots at those kinds of numbers (20 TDs/3200 yards).

Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook and the recently released Fantasy Football Almanac 2008 which are both available at his website, www.ffguidebook.com, at all major bookstores, and at www.amazon.com. He is an 18-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) and will participate this year in the inaugural season of the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

BOB HECK

There is all of 59 career NFL pass attempts in three years as data points, but we think Aaron Rodgers is a prime candidate to break out. Mentally speaking Rodgers should be prepared. He’s been on the bench learning for three seasons under Brett Favre. Rodgers showed a lot of fantasy potential last year against Dallas, completing 18 passes for 201 yards, 0 INTs, and threw his first TD. Rodgers will arguably have the best WR-foursome in the NFL today in Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones and Jordy Nelson. While not at the same level of sleeper, Trent Edwards is also a QB we believe will outperform his draft position. With a new weapon in 6-foot-6 James Hardy the red zone offense will certainly improve. Edwards will have more options more quickly in Turk Schonert's west coast offense where they'll be sure to get Marshawn Lynch more involved in the passing game. Trent has also now had an entire training camp as the starter working with Lee Evans, which should do wonders for both. Edwards is a bright QB with a nice skill set; we think he is going to absorb the playbook and game lessons quickly and outperform in 2008.

Heck is a founding partner at Dynasty Rogues, a fantasy football website filled with football enthusiasts, run by football enthusiasts. The company provides year-round dynasty and redraft fantasy football coverage and analysis, including Dynasty Rogues Radio and the Rogues Forum. The site can be reached at www.dynastyrogues.com.

GREGG ROSENTHAL

Depends on who you consider lightly regarded. Fantasy Nation is down on Vince Young, but his legs are healthier this season and he can put up enough passing yards in Mike Heimerdinger's system to be a solid value in fantasy leagues. Further down the list, Trent Edwards won't be a fantasy star yet, but he'll make a nice jump into a dependable quarterback, making him a fine late-round pick.

Rosenthal is the managing editor of Rotoworld.com, the highest trafficked fantasy news website on the web. He also writes a blog, contributes to NBCSports.com's NFL coverage and appears in the NBC Fantasy Fix three times a week, including a live show every Sunday morning at 11AM.

ANDY RICHARDSON

Personally, I’m more likely to pursue an injury-prone veteran like Marc Bulger or Donovan McNabb than any of the unestablished youngsters. But forced to choose, I have some hope for Matt Schaub. The Texans might be pretty good this year, they have some excellent receiving talent, and their running back corps looks like a mess. Schaub could be busy, and he should be productive, too.

Richardson has been a columnist and contributor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and web site for the past seven years. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections, as well as various site features. He has run the magazine's annual draft and auction leagues since their inception. His A DAY OF FOOTBALL wrap-up column appears Mondays during the NFL season. For more information go to www.fantasyindex.com.

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