After two decades of football, the New England Patriots will have a new quarterback under center. Jarrett Stidham is set to take the reins for New England, as they enter a new era of offense.
Stidham saw limited action last year. He appeared in four games last season, most notably against the New York Jets. He went two-of-three in that game, throwing for 14 yards and an interception. Now, Stidham will be thrown into the fire as the Patriots look to make him the starting quarterback in 2020. Stidham’s success at Auburn leaves hope that he is the quarterback of the future.
The fact that Stidham will be entering his first year as well as the bevy of young talent around him make him an intriguing fantasy football target for 2020.
ADP on Fantasy Pros: #278
Where think you should take him: Ninth round
ESPN’s projected stats: 3,554 yards, 19 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
Our projected stats: 3,230 yards 17 touchdowns, 13 interceptions’
Stidham will be able to put up decent numbers if he is named the starter in 2020. The real question is if New England will use him a lot in the passing game. There is a chance that they could focus on the running game a bit more, and allow him to get comfortable in the offense. He could be used in the role of game-manager more than a gun-slinging type of quarterback.
As is often the case with rookies, they will make mistakes. I expect Stidham to throw his fair share of interceptions as he learns the playbook and gets acclimated to the offense. Picking him as a starter would be risky, but he is certainly worth storing on your bench, especially if things click for him.
