Fantasy Football draft prep: FFT's favorite sleeper quarterbacks you should target in every league
These quarterbacks are massive values at their current ADP
By
Dan Schneier
•
6 min read
Preseason football is here and that means it's crunch time for Fantasy Football draft prep. The quarterback position has undergone a lot of changes, and in 2020 we saw a clear Tier 1 of difference makers for the first time in a while. How will that impact a landscape that had shifted toward waiting to draft the position in one-quarterback leagues? We can't wait to find out, but for now, as always there will be value if you wait for it. We'll be tackling different position groups in the coming weeks, and this week we are focusing on the wide receiver position -- arguably the one group Fantasy managers spend the most time debating.
Today, we're tapping the Fantasy Football Today team to gauge their favorite quarterback sleepers for the 2021 season. Without further ado, let's dive into it.
Quarterback sleepers
Jamey Eisenberg's picks
Everyone loves Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and JuJu Smith-Schuster, to some degree. And we're all excited about Najee Harris. But Roethlisberger is just meh when it comes to Fantasy value, which makes sense since he's 39 and looked washed up at times in 2020. But he came into training camp in better shape, and hopefully his elbow injury from 2019 is well behind him. You're not going to draft Roethlisberger in one-quarterback leagues, but he's a viable option in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues. And he can be a streaming option by the end of the year in all formats. Last year, he actually finished as the No. 13 Fantasy quarterback, and he scored at least 22 Fantasy points in eight of 15 games. Could he regress this season? Sure. But I'll bet on him being slightly better given his supporting cast, and he's a quality sleeper quarterback this year.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Football Team
Remember when there was a report this offseason that Fitzpatrick was planning to retire? Thankfully, that didn't happen, and the 38-year-old signed with Washington in March. He has the chance to help Washington repeat as the NFC East champion, and he can help Fantasy managers win plenty of games as well if he can play like he did in Miami. In his past two seasons with the Dolphins, Fitzpatrick scored at least 20 Fantasy points in 12 of his past 14 starts. He has a quality receiving corps in Washington led by Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel and Logan Thomas, and Fitzpatrick isn't afraid to take chances, which is why we love him. You'll only draft Fitzpatrick as a No. 2 Fantasy quarterback with a late-round pick in the majority of leagues, but don't be surprised if you end up starting Fitzpatrick at some point this season. Fitzmagic is back, and we're glad he's still playing.
Dave Richard's picks
Lance wasn't perfect in his first preseason game -- in fact he probably has some work to do before becoming the 49ers' starter, but he showed plenty of signs that suggest he'll be great in the NFL. You've probably already seen the 80-yard heave to Trent Sherfield, but you might have missed the three money throws his receivers dropped (including one by Brandon Aiyuk). Lance made a lot of good reads but was a little late on some throws, a very correctable issue. He also didn't run at all, which may have played into why he was sacked four times. Remember, at North Dakota State he ran for 1,243 yards in what effectively was his entire 17-game career. Fitting him into the same offense that Robert Griffin III thrived in as a rookie should make for incredible Fantasy stats. It's just the matter of waiting for him to get his opportunity.
If we're going to hype Lance as a stash-worthy Fantasy option, we need to include Fields, too. We knew he was talented after playing in the spotlight at Ohio State, but his preseason debut was very encouraging. He never seemed rattled and tried some really dangerous throws, some with successful endings. But he also knew how to manipulate defenses with his legs, feigning like he was going to take off on the ground before pulling up and throwing to a receiver left open by a defender who was too focused on Fields. He was accurate, he was fearless, and best of all for Fantasy, he did actually run (33 yards and a touchdown). All of this is in line with his prospect profile that includes a career 68.4 completion rate and 1,133 rush yards over 34 games. While it feels like we may have to wait a little while for Lance, there's a chance Fields might force Matt Nagy's hand to make him the starter if he continues to impress like he did versus Miami. Until he struggles this preseason (and maybe even if he struggles), Fields is definitely worth one of your last three selections.
Heath Cummings' picks
Justin Fields, Bears
Fields' first NFL action got off to a rocky start, but he settled in after that and looked like the part of a first-round quarterback. Fields' biggest obstacle to being a league-winner is Matt Nagy's insistence that Andy Dalton is the starter, but it will be hard to stick to those guns if Fields continues to wow. Once he takes over, Fields has elite accuracy as a passer and he's one of the fastest quarterbacks to come into the NFL in recent years. He also has the build to run people over in the red zone, which should lead to plenty of Fantasy production on the ground. There's legitimate top-five upside once he becomes the Bears' starter.
Whoever wins the Saints starting job is probably the best sleeper available. I'm just not sure we'll have an answer to that before you draft. My money is on Hill because of his relationship with Sean Payton. And Hill definitely has the most upside because of his rushing ability. Hill averaged nearly 10 rush attempts per game in his four starts last year. That would seem to be a way to make the loss of Michael Thomas easier to cope with for the first month of the season.
Chris Towers' picks
Taylor is being mostly ignored in Fantasy, but if you're looking for someone who could be a useful starting option early on in the season, Taylor could be it. He has great matchups in Weeks 1 and 3, and even the matchup against the Browns in Week 2 could go OK for him thanks to his rushing ability. That's what it comes down to, ultimately. Taylor probably won't start all season for the Texans, but he had 103 yards and a touchdown on the ground in his two full games as the Browns starter back in 2018, averaging 21.0 Fantasy points per game in those starts. The Texans are going to need to manufacture offense, so figure Taylor running the ball will be part of the game plan. He's a perfect late-round option in two-QB leagues especially.
I'm not convinced Lock is a particularly good player -- strong endorsement, right? -- but I'm pretty intrigued by his potential if he wins the Broncos starting job. He's a plus athlete for the position and an aggressive passer, two good traits if you're looking for a QB sleeper. Of course, that aggression has gotten him in trouble more often than not so far in his NFL career, and with Teddy Bridgewater around, the leash will be short even if he does win the job. But if he can rein in the mistakes, the Broncos have the kind of playmakers around him who can make the most out of the easy throws and the big shots. Lock does need to improve from what we've seen at the NFL level, and one decent preseason performance doesn't mean much in that regard. But, if he wins the job over the steady-but-unspectacular Bridgewater, that would be some potential evidence that he's sanded down some of the rough edges. If that's the case, he could be a useful matchup-based option. And if he takes a big step forward, it's not out of the question he could be a top-15 player at the position with those weapons.
So which sleepers, breakouts and busts should you target and fade? And which QB shocks the NFL with a top-five performance? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy cheat sheets for every single position, all from the model that called Josh Allen's huge season, and find out.
