NFL QB Power Rankings - Fantasy Football Draft Studs, Sleepers, And Busts

Mike Fanelli's provides two quarterback studs, two sleepers, and two bust candidates that fantasy players should draft or avoid in 2024 fantasy football drafts.

The 2024 NFL season is nearly here. That means fantasy football drafts are happening by the thousands.

Fantasy players know the way to build a league-winning roster is to draft studs, find sleepers, and avoid bust candidates.

Let’s look at two quarterback studs fantasy players should draft, two sleepers they want to target, and two bust candidates to avoid in 2024 fantasy football drafts.

Quarterback Studs to Draft

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

I’m a believer in waiting to draft a quarterback in a 1QB league this season, with several excellent late-round options for fantasy players. However, the one exception I will make is for Mahomes. The superstar had the worst season of his career as the starter, averaging 17.5 fantasy points per game.

It was the first time he averaged fewer than 20.5 fantasy points as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. However, Mahomes set career bests in rushing attempts (75) and yards (389) last year. More importantly, Kansas City made massive changes to his receiving core in the offseason, giving Mahomes arguably the best set of weapons of his career.

Travis Kelce is healthy after dealing with injuries last year. Rashee Rice likely won’t get suspended for his off-the-field issues until the 2025 season. Meanwhile, Marquise Brown and Xavier Worthy give Mahomes reliable downfield weapons for the first time since Kansas City traded away Tyreek Hill in 2021. Don’t be surprised if the superstar has a career year.

Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts

Unfortunately, the fantasy football community only got a glance at Richardson’s upside as a rookie. The second-year quarterback is an injury risk but offers league-winning and overall QB1 upside if he can stay healthy. Last year, Richardson was the QB11 on a points-per-game basis, averaging 18.2 fantasy points per contest.

However, he left two games early with injuries. Richardson averaged 25.3 fantasy points, 211.5 passing yards, 1.5 touchdowns, 48 rushing yards, and a touchdown in the two games he finished as a rookie. Furthermore, the dynamic quarterback scored 17.7 fantasy points in Week 2 on only 10 passes and three rushing attempts before leaving with a concussion.

The No. 4 overall pick says I'll do it myself 😤 @GVOaant

📺: #INDvsHOU on FOX⁰📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/FhXtx7w3wW pic.twitter.com/Q51VXDYcry

— NFL (@NFL) September 17, 2023

The former Florida star has Lamar Jackson-like rushing upside. Richardson was on pace for 816 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 17 games as a rookie based on his two healthy performances. The Colts improved his receiving core and offensive line in the offseason. While Jonathan Taylor might limit his goal-line rushing production, Richardson is a sophomore-year breakout candidate.

Quarterback Sleepers to Target

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

Quarterbacks who can make plays with their legs are worth their weight in gold to fantasy players. Therefore, Daniels could be a league winner, especially if fantasy players can draft him as a low-end QB1 or a high-end QB2. He had over 2,000 rushing yards and 21 scores during his two seasons at LSU, breaking off several explosive long runs for touchdowns.

Despite ranking 122nd in the FBS in rushing attempts (120), the talented rookie finished 12th in yards (1,250) last year. Furthermore, Daniels is an excellent passer, unlike many rushing quarterbacks coming out of college. The former LSU star had a 40-4 touchdown to interception ratio in 2023. Daniels ranked 47th in pass attempts last season (332).

TOUCHDOWN LSU!

Jayden Daniels with a DIME to Brian Thomas for a 70-yard touchdown! LSU leads 28-14 2:26 2Q

JD5 is up to three passing TDs and one rushing TD in the first half. pic.twitter.com/YGqCMbNUNS

— Matthew Brune (@MatthewBrune_) November 19, 2023

Yet, Daniels had the fourth-most big-time throws (29) last year while ranking 134th in turnover-worthy plays (seven), according to PFF. While the Commanders won’t be trading for Brandon Aiyuk, they have a solid receiving core led by Terry McLaurin. Furthermore, Washington will be chasing points for much of the season, giving Daniels plenty of opportunities to rack up fantasy points.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

While Watson’s time with the Browns has been a disaster for the team and fantasy players, the veteran quarterback was once one of the best players in the NFL. He averaged 20.7 or more fantasy points per game in each of his first four seasons before trade demands, off-the-field issues, and injuries limited Watson to only 12 games over the past three years.

However, fantasy players playing in superflex leagues should make the former superstar one of their QB2 targets. Watson averaged 17.7 fantasy points per game in the five contests he played at least half of the snaps last season. That average would have made him the QB13 on a points-per-game basis.

More importantly, the veteran will have his best receiving core since joining the Browns after the team added Jerry Jeudy in the offseason. Don’t be surprised if Watson has a career year with the team having a limited running game until Nick Chubb is 100% healthy.

Quarterback Busts to Avoid

Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Allen was the QB1 in 2023, averaging 23.1 fantasy points per game. The superstar has finished as the QB1 in three of the past four seasons, with 2022 being the lone exception, ending the year as the QB2. While he has averaged 23 or more fantasy points per game in four consecutive seasons, Allen had Stefon Diggs at his disposal for every top-two finish of his career.

Many are concerned that the veteran won’t have the wide receiver core needed to put up QB1 numbers. Keon Coleman has had some positive moments during training camp but has also struggled during the offseason. Meanwhile, Curtis Samuel has been a fantasy afterthought most of his career and is dealing with a toe injury. Lastly, Khalil Shakir has only 772 receiving yards in 31 career games.

More importantly, the superstar quarterback’s rushing touchdown total should regress after totaling 15 last year. Allen had averaged 7.6 rushing touchdowns per season in his career before 2023. While his rushing production gives him a safe floor, the superstar shouldn’t get drafted ahead of Patrick Mahomes.

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

Miami gave Tagovailoa a long-term extension earlier this offseason, making him one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the NFL. While keeping him around as the team’s quarterback for the foreseeable future was the correct move for the Dolphins, Tagovailoa isn’t an ideal fantasy quarterback. The former Alabama star is on my do-not-draft list in 2024.

Tua Tagovailoa is signing a four-year, $212.4 million extension, per @AthletesFirst. pic.twitter.com/bVgj0q3gsO

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 26, 2024

Tagovailoa started last year on fire, averaging 2.7 passing touchdowns and 22.6 fantasy points per game over the first three weeks. Unfortunately, his production fell off a cliff in the second half of the season. The veteran averaged 12.4 fantasy points per game over the final seven regular season contests.

Unfortunately, the former Alabama star also struggled in the cold, completing 63.2% of his pass attempts in games 50 degrees or colder compared to 70.9% in games above 50 degrees last year (per Fantasy Points Data). Despite having Tyreek Hill at his disposal, Tagovailoa (15.9) averaged fewer fantasy points per game than Russell Wilson (17.1) and Jake Browning (16).

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