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We are less than one month away from the NFL season kicking off between the Kansas Chiefs and Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 7. With the regular season quickly approaching, the best time of the year is almost here. And no, it’s not Christmas. It's fantasy football drafts.
Some fantasy managers have already drafted their star-studded teams earlier this month, while others will draft later in August or early in September. If you haven’t prepped for your league at all this offseason, don’t worry because RotoBaller will have you covered all year long.
This article will tackle four quarterbacks you must target in the later rounds of your fantasy drafts. The four players on this list are either great ADP values or are deep sleepers at the position. If you aren’t able to grab Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, or Josh Allen in the first three rounds, this list could be helpful. These four quarterbacks are all going later than the 10th round in single quarterback leagues.
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Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
What more does Jared Goff have to do to gain some fantasy respect? Goff is coming a solid season in Detroit, throwing for 4,438 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was also a consistent fantasy quarterback in 2022. The 28-year-old veteran finished as the QB10 and averaged 17.1 fantasy points per game.
Yet this season, Goff is the 17th or 18th quarterback off the board in drafts. His ADP is 131.4 on Sleeper and 155.4 on ESPN, which seems too low for a player that was in the QB1 tier last season. He won’t wow you with his numbers, but he’ll get the job done in fantasy.
Of course, Goff is no Mahomes or Allen. However, if you wait for a QB, the Lions' signal caller will give you great value in the 11th round of drafts. With the team also adding Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round, Detroit has plenty of weapons for the quarterback to succeed again this year. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson also expects a “huge step forward” for the offense in 2023, which could help Goff finish even better than he did in fantasy last season.
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers have yet to name a Week 1 starter. But all signs point to the 23-year-old quarterback being the guy. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area said just a couple of weeks ago that Brock Purdy remains on track to start against the Pittsburgh Steelers to open the season.
Whether it’s the uncertainty of the 49ers' quarterback room or Purdy himself, the 2022 seventh-round pick is going too late in fantasy drafts this season. When the team names him the official starter before Week 1, his ADP will likely rise a bit. If you’re drafting soon, he should be a target for you in the later rounds. His current ADP is 187.5 on Sleeper and 164.5 on ESPN. That puts him around the 14th to 15th round in most 10-12 non-Superflex leagues.
Like Goff, Purdy won’t wow you with his numbers. But he was extremely consistent in a small sample size last season. In six regular-season games, the former Iowa State product had 15-plus fantasy points in every contest. He also finished as a top-10 QB in three of those weeks. The 49ers quarterback is a great value in the later rounds, especially on a great offense led by offensive mastermind Kyle Shanahan.
Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
There’s no denying that Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos offense was abysmal last year. They averaged 16.9 points per game (the fewest in the NFL), and Wilson finished as the QB16 in fantasy. The nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback had just four games above 20 fantasy points.
However, things can’t be as bad as they were last season. With new head coach Sean Payton now in Denver, things can only go up for the team. Wilson’s disappointing season still saw the quarterback finish top-16 at the position while throwing for 3,524 yards and 16 touchdowns. Payton’s arrival should help the Broncos' offense be much better in 2023.
Wilson’s ADP is 140.3 on Sleeper and 135.9 on ESPN. In 10-12 non-Superflex leagues, he’s currently going in the 11th to 12th round. That seems like great value for a player who finished as a top-10 fantasy QB in eight straight seasons from 2013-2020. There’s a strong chance the 34-year-old veteran will get back inside the top-10 in 2023.
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is the final signal caller to make this list. He remains one of the best deep sleeper options in fantasy drafts this year. Love practically enters 2023 as a rookie with just one start over his first three NFL seasons. The Packers selected the former Utah State product with the 26th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Love will finally get his chance to shine in Green Bay after backing up future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers from 2020 to 2022. In one career start against the Chiefs in 2021, the young quarterback threw for just 190 yards and one touchdown while also running five times for 23 yards. Last year, he didn't see much game action but did sub in for Rodgers in a blowout loss in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The former 2020 first-round pick threw for 113 yards and one touchdown in two drives during that game.
Many fantasy managers might be staying away from Love this season due to his inexperience. But he has plenty of young talent around him in Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and rookie Jayden Reed to have a solid season. The quarterback's current ADP is 177.8 on Sleeper and 167.5 on ESPN. The 24-year-old is going so late that he's worth a shot in the 13th to 14th round of fantasy drafts. Sitting behind Rodgers for three years could help Love break out in 2023.
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