Superflex Fantasy Football Draft Rankings - The King's Analysis and Strategies

August 3, 2023

2023 fantasy football superflex rankings for drafts. Scott Engel's fantasy football analysis and outlooks on featured NFL players for superflex leagues.

Superflex leagues have significantly increased in popularity among experienced fantasy football players in recent years. While some “mainstream” players I speak to have still not dived into the format yet, I expect the number of participants to continue to rise notably every year.

Quarterback continues to be a deep position overall, as there are approximately 15 starters that you can be reasonably comfortable with as your top QB. In an environment where the quarterback is in higher demand than any other, you will have to make your QB move very early in the draft, as savvy superflex players already know.

My superflex overall ranks, powered by FantasyPros.com, appear here following my player rankings analysis, which is based on when the article was originally published. The ranks are subject to change in the widget and QB-only ranks are also available here. For access to my full rankings and our staff rankings, sign up for the RotoBaller Fantasy Football Season Pass and enter promo code KING at checkout for an additional discount.

Fantasy Football Superflex Rankings - The King’s Insights

Draft position will heavily impact whether I will draft a QB in the first round or not. Ideally, I want to come away with one of my top seven-ranked QBs as my first starter at the position. In many superflex drafts, you may see between seven and nine QBs taken in the first round. If I am drafting in the top half of the first round, I will certainly aim for a QB.

The usual expectation is that Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen will be the consensus top three picks in most superflex drafts, yet the order in which they are taken can vary by draft. I prefer Allen, because he is the best pure combination of running and passing, and he has finished in the top two at the position in each of the past three seasons. He has placed in the top 3 in average points per game in each of the past three seasons, too.

The flow of every draft is different, so you may still have a shot at one of the three if you are drafting in the top 5 overall. In the Scott Fish Bowl, Allen fell to me at fourth overall. In tight end premium formats, such as the FFPC, there is an even better chance to land one of the preferred three prime QBs with a top-five pick, as Travis Kelce can always be taken in the top three to four slots.

Once the top three QBs are off the board, most drafters will have their eyes on Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Justin Herbert. Those are all solid selections in the first six to eight picks of the first round. My fourth-overall ranked QB gets pushed up the board by me over those guys when I am in a position to grab him.

You might be able to get Justin Fields late in the first round of many superflex drafts, but I want him when the “Big Three” are no longer available. Fields finished as QB5 in average points per game last season and no other player at the position came close to his 1,143 rushing yards in 2022. The Bears reportedly won’t rein him in as a runner and the receiving crew gets a significant improvement with D.J. Moore as a proven WR1. Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet can now operate in more comfortable secondary roles, improving the outlook of Fields’ receiving crew.

I will be taking Fields earlier than most drafters, but when “my guy” is available I don’t care about Average Draft Positions or where others value him. Jackson will be a popular fourth-overall pick at the position, and I am certainly not against it, but he has played in 12 games in each of the last two seasons, so durability is a minor concern for me. Burrow was my number five until his calf injury, yet I would still not argue with anyone who wanted to take him as a top 6 pick.

Of course, you do not have to follow my map in the top half of the first round if drafting a prime wide receiver such as Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase, or other number one players at their positions like Christian McCaffrey or Kelce. However, I see a drop-off after the top 7 QBs are off the board, and would rather take one of the previously recommended guys in the first six to seven picks rather than getting Dak Prescott or Tua Tagovailoa after the first round. Those QBs are not bad choices at all, but I prefer a clear top-shelf pick at the position when I can get one in a superflex draft.

Those who draft in the back half of the first round can aim for a prime wide receiver or running back in the first round and consider a QB in the second. Or, the reverse approach can be considered, taking the best QB available in the back half of the first round, and nabbing a top WR or RB in the first half of the second round.

Some drafters will open by taking two QBs in the first two rounds, which provides an obvious potential advantage at the position, but weakens other possible anchor targets at RB and WR. Depending on the flow of any draft, I generally shoot for two QBs in the first four rounds. You should still be able to get one of the top 15 or so in my ranks in the first four rounds.

I am also higher on Daniel Jones than many others, as he was a top 10 QB in total points and points per game last year, and his receiving crew has been respectably upgraded for the 2023 season. I will be quite satisfied to land Jones as a QB2 in the fourth round or so of many drafts.

Of course, you will want to stack a top QB with a top WR whenever you can, so using your first two picks on a QB/WR combination if possible is certainly advisable.

In the Scott Fish Bowl, I opted for Allen and Diggs in the first two rounds, and obviously, the Hurts/A.J. Brown and Burrow/ Ja’Marr Chase stacks should be strongly considered. Yet you can also aim for later stacks to always be aware of, such as drafting Moore to pair with Fields later, or Trevor Lawrence/Calvin Ridley.

I do view Tagovailoa as a possible league-winning upside play if he can start most or all of the season, and Deshaun Watson was a top 5 QB when he last played a full season in 2020. Anthony Richardson is obviously such a huge potential upside play when targeting QB2 types, and Geno Smith may have the best receiving trio in the game this year.

When moving to deeper QB2 targets, we could see a good rebound year from Russell Wilson under Sean Payton, and Jordan Love is an intriguing pick when we consider that the Green Bay front office has fully cleared the way for him to start with no true competition. A healthy Matthew Stafford can be a respectable fantasy QB2, and I prefer to draft within my top 20 players at the position for the second starting QB slot. Brock Purdy at No. 22 represents my final decent target for a second starting QB.

Scott Engel’s Fantasy Football Superflex Rankings

Scott Engel's fantasy and betting analysis is also featured at The Game Day.

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