If you want a good tip about Fantasy Football Quarterback Pickups, remember this: never draft a rookie QB as your starter.  Do you remember how excited everyone was about Arizona QB Matt Leinart, Tennessee QB Vince Young, Oakland QB Jamarcus Russel, and even Cleveland QB Brady Quinn?  Fantasy football managers couldn’t wait to draft them into their line-ups.  Big mistake.

Typically, NFL coaches make rookies sit on the bench a few years to study the veteran QB before he’s ever able to start a game.  If rookies do get lucky enough to start, it’s usually as a fill-in for an injured veteran.  The great QBs of today like New England QB Tom Brady, Dallas QB Tony Romo, Denver QB Jay Cutler, San Diego QB Philip Rivers, and New Orleans QB Drew Brees, all watched, studied, and absorbed from the bench before they were able to start and finish a game with notable success.  In the last few years, it seems as if more coaches are taking their chances with rookie quarterbacks. Idiots.  Any team hoping to make it to the Superbowl needs a strong experienced leader to get them there.  The same is true with your own fantasy football team.  You need an strong, steady, and experienced QB with a good frontline to get you your fantasy football trophy and I’ll tell you why.

Other positions like RB or WR are very physical; athletes like RB Adrian Peterson or WR Calvin Johnson can step in and be a stud their rookie year.  However, it’s not the same for quarterbacks.  Being a good quarterback is more mental than physical.  For this reason, veteran quarterbacks like Arizona starting QB Kurt Warner and Tennessee starting QB Kerry Collins can out perform rookies like Arizona back-up QB Matt Leinart and Tennessee back-up QB Vince Young.  Young QBs become too emotional about the game and usually let the pressure get to them.  Professional defenses are much faster, bigger, and stronger than college defenses; this huge change wears on their confidence.  Veteran QBs rely on experience from past NFL games, which gives them the confidence they need to win a game.  The mistakes they made when they were young, have made them smarter and more confident.  Poor Tennessee back-up QB Vince Young.  Although he did okay his first season, word has leaked that the young quarterback has had emotional setbacks that have persuaded coaches to bench him for a more seasoned veteran like Tennessee starting QB Kerry Collins.

Now, I’m not saying that veterans are always better than rookies; there are always exceptions to any rule.  Veteran Dallas back-up QB Brad Johnson, who filled in for Dallas starting QB Tony Romo this year, was dreadful.  Also, the New York starting QB Eli Manning wasn’t a total loss his first year and he as since developed into a decent QB.  Nonetheless, it has taken a few years for him to develop into what he is today.  Of all the rookies that have been over-hyped in the last few years, he’s probably had the most success.  I still don’t think of him as a Tom Brady or Payton Manning, but he’s getting there, just like I think other rookies like Jamarcus Russel and Brady Quinn will get there; it just takes time.

At any rate, take it from me, don’t fall for rookie QB hype.  If you really want to take a chance and draft young QB, wait until they’ve been in the NFL for at least three years, and even then, make sure you have a seasoned starter or back-up just in case.  Hope this helps you with your fantasy football quarterback pickups.