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Five fantasy football quarterback values and sleepers to target in the late rounds of 2023 drafts. Can these quarterbacks surpass their ADP expectations?
Welcome RotoBallers to our late-round quarterback draft values for 2023 fantasy football drafts. The later rounds of the fantasy draft are essential, and managers want to draft high-upside players who can provide a great return on value. Fantasy managers can afford to take some risks on various players, including forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even skilled players with potential playing time concerns.
In this article, we look at some late-round quarterbacks for you to consider drafting this season. Our editors have hand-picked these specific NFL players for your draft prep enjoyment. Usually only available to Premium subscribers, the outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2023 Draft Kit.
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Jordan Love, Packers, Fantasy Football Outlook
To quote Eminem, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love has been "patiently waiting to make it through all the hating and debating." It's finally time to see what the Packers have in their 2020 first-round pick. So far, we have only caught Love at a glance. His one start was in 2021, where he had the tall task of taking on the Chiefs in Arrowhead. The 24-year-old completed 19-of-34 pass attempts for 190 yards, a touchdown, and an interception while rushing for 23 yards on five attempts during his start versus Kansas City.
Although his stats weren't spectacular, this is a very solid opening performance. Two years later, Love takes control of Green Bay's historically proficient offense. There's plenty of reason to believe in Love, especially under the established head coach, Matt LaFleur. On this offense, he should be able to spread the Love to second-year receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs and rely on veterans Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon in the backfield. The Packers also selected tight ends Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and wide receiver Jayden Reed in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Fantasy managers should give Love a chance if they miss out on one of the elite QBs. Ideally, it would be best to pair him with a steady veteran if he shows fantasy potential early in the season. Love is mainly an option in Two-QB or Superflex formats heading into upcoming fantasy drafts.
Brock Purdy, 49ers, Fantasy Football Outlook
The San Francisco 49ers selected quarterback Brock Purdy (elbow) No. 262 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft. The 49ers found a quarterback who would lead the team on an eight-game win streak to end the season, including two playoff wins. That's a story NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell couldn't even have scripted. Unfortunately, right when Purdy was cementing himself as the future starter, he tore a ligament in his elbow during the NFC Championship game.
After the season, the 23-year-old underwent surgery to fix the right UCL in his throwing elbow. This left the door open for Trey Lance to regain the starting job in 2023. San Francisco also signed former first-round pick Sam Darnold to a one-year, $4.5 million contract this offseason. Thankfully, Purdy has progressed in his recovery from surgery and played a couple of series in the team's second preseason game. Purdy was recently named the team's starting quarterback, while Darnold will back him up, leaving Lance dropping all the way down to the third on the quarterback depth chart.
It is essential to acknowledge what Purdy can be for fantasy. From Week 13 on, Purdy was very steady and averaged the 12th most points per game at the position. Despite averaging more than Geno Smith and Justin Fields over that span, Purdy only scored more than 20 fantasy points once. Overall, he completed 114-of-170 pass attempts for 1,374 yards and a 13:4 TD: INT ratio across nine games in 2022. If Purdy manages to be the starter, he is a mid-QB2 for fantasy purposes with limited upside.
Sam Howell, Commanders, Fantasy Football Outlook
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell saw just one game of action as a rookie in 2022, but he's poised to be the team's starter in 2023. Howell posted 169 passing yards, one passing touchdown, one interception, and one rushing touchdown in the Week 18 win over the Dallas Cowboys, giving the organization a flash of upside heading into his sophomore season. Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is tasked with leading the offense, which quietly has solid weaponry.
Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel form an exciting WR trio, while Antonio Gibson and Brian Robinson Jr. are an adequate one-two punch in the Washington backfield. Ultimately, Howell has the pieces he needs to succeed, but knowing what to expect from the former fifth-round pick is difficult. Given his potential upside, his current ADP sits at the QB30 spot, so he's worth a late-round selection.
Even if he flops and is benched for Jacoby Brissett at some point, it won't cost fantasy managers a valuable draft pick. He has sneaky rushing upside and was a prolific college producer, so there are plenty of things to like about his overall fantasy profile, especially at the cost.
C.J. Stroud, Texans, Fantasy Football Outlook
Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, the third overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and won the starting role for the Texans over Davis Mills and Case Keenum, but that doesn't mean he'll be someone who makes an immediate impact in fantasy.
At Ohio State last year, Stroud completed 66.3% of his passes for 3,688 yards and 41 touchdowns. Still, he was also throwing to an elite receiving unit with Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, and the year before, in 2021, he had Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and a healthy Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He won't be surrounded by that kind of talent in Houston, which likely means a lot of early struggles as he adjusts to life in the NFL.
Stroud's long-term outlook is solid, but that long-term outlook assumes improvements in his supporting cast that won't come in 2023. While he should flash his potential, RotoBaller has Stroud ranked as its QB26 in fantasy.
While he should flash his potential, RotoBaller has Stroud ranked as its QB32 in fantasy. If you want to bet on his upside, he's an intriguing late pick in superflex leagues, but it's hard to see a path for Stroud to finish as a top-12 quarterback this season.
Mac Jones, Patriots, Fantasy Football Outlook
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had arguably the best rookie season of all the quarterbacks in the heralded 2021 NFL Draft class, leading the Patriots to the playoffs while throwing for 3,801 yards and 22 TDs. However, in 2022, Jones fell off and, to make matters worse, suffered a high-ankle sprain, which limited his play.
Now that Jones is free from the Joe Judge / Matt Patricia debacle that was the 2022 Pats' offense, he gets former Patriots OC Bill O'Brien back in the fold. Jones will likely end up as a better quarterback in real life than in fantasy, but he has the potential to be a great value late in drafts as a QB2 in superflex leagues.
The Patriots signed JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mike Gesicki, and Ezekiel Elliott to provide Jones with more offensive weapons this season. New England's offense in 2023 has nowhere to go but up, making Jones a solid pick in the later rounds, especially in superflex formats.
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