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Dan Fornek's top fantasy football best ball targets at quarterback for 2025 drafts. His undervalued NFL quarterback (QBs) and best ball sleepers.
Best ball drafts are starting to heat up as we approach the summer months. Fantasy football managers and football enthusiasts are firing up drafts on platforms like Underdog and Drafters to increase their exposure during the early ADP months.
One position that can make or break fantasy drafts is the quarterback position. Having a strong starter who can produce ceiling-level performances is critical to winning big field tournaments. Even more important is having late-round quarterbacks to target so that the early rounds can be used to add premium talent to skill positions.
This article contains some early best ball draft values and targets at the quarterback position. Check out who to target as your favorite sleepers below.
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Drake Maye, New England Patriots
ADP: 116.9, QB16
It wouldn’t have been shocking if Drake Maye struggled mightily in his rookie season. The Patriots offensive line was a mess, and the receiving talent was well below average. However, Maye took over as New England’s full-time starter in Week 6 and showed flashes of high-level play.
The rookie’s final stat line wasn’t overly impressive (2,276 yards for 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions plus 34 carries for 220 yards and two rushing scores), but Maye was still able to have relevance as a fantasy quarterback.
Little Drake Maye highlights to start the week pic.twitter.com/GlZ60IiUvw
— NE Patriots Loyalist (@PatsAddict6) May 27, 2025
Maye produced four QB1 (top 12) finishes in his 12 games started, averaging 20.3 fantasy points per game during that stretch. The rookie had had five games with at least four rushing attempts and six games where he had 30 or more rushing yards.
New England spent the offseason upgrading the talent around Maye to try and maximize his talent. The Patriots used free agency to improve their offensive line (Garrett Bradbury, Morgan Moses, and Wes Schweitzer) and wide receiver group (Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins).
The Patriots also used their early draft picks to bolster the offense, selecting Will Campbell (left tackle) in the first round, TreVeyon Henderson (running back) in the second round, and Kyle Williams (wide receiver) and Jared Wilson (center) in the third round.
Maye is poised to improve and has enough functional rushing upside to provide boom weeks in fantasy. Not only will the talent on offense be better, but the Patriots worked to bring in a coaching staff (Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels) to maximize the production of their team.
Trusting a second-year quarterback can be a dangerous game, but Maye’s price isn’t out of control despite the excitement about his performance in 2024. He is one of the few quarterbacks in this ADP range who can produce on the ground as well.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
ADP: 131.6, QB19
It feels like we have been perpetually waiting for Trevor Lawrence to take the next step as a quarterback after his strong 2022 season (4,113 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions). Unfortunately, it just hasn’t happened yet.
Over the last two seasons, Lawrence has completed 63.9% of his passes for 6,061 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions in 26 games. He has struggled with both consistency and injuries during that time.
Trevor Lawrence the last 4 Weeks:
87/121 (71.9%)
1106 YDS (277 YPG)
7 TDs, 3 INT
109.0 NFL
pic.twitter.com/Wjt1F9w7mB— Daniel Griffis (@DanDGriffis) October 27, 2024
There is reason to believe that 2025 could be Lawrence’s best season yet if he’s healthy.
Jacksonville added key veterans to the offensive line (Patrick Mekari and Robert Hainsey) and exciting players to the wide receiver room (Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown). That, combined with 2024 rookie sensation Brian Thomas Jr. (87 receptions for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns), makes for an interesting offense. But the real reason for optimism may be the new head coach.
The Jaguars were able to sign Liam Coen after a successful stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. Not only did Coen create a run game that was able to generate explosiveness, but he also helped to engineer an offense that led to a career-best season from Baker Mayfield (71.4% completion rate with 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns with 16 interceptions).
Now, Coen will be in Jacksonville with a quarterback who is more physically gifted than Mayfield and intriguing young weapons (Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter) capable of adding dynamism to the offense.
Lawrence is being drafted as the QB19 in early best ball drafts, which seems like his absolute floor if he can stay healthy. If Coen can work his magic with younger, more dynamic weapons, a top-10 season isn’t out of the question for Lawrence in 2025.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
ADP: 157.3, QB23
Bryce Young was on track to be one of the biggest busts in recent memory through his first 20 starts. The 2023 first overall pick completed just 59.5% of his passes for 3,176 yards and 11 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
Hiring Dave Canales was supposed to fix some of his issues heading into 2024, but he had just 245 passing yards and zero touchdowns with three interceptions in two games before being benched for Andy Dalton.
Young eventually got another chance to start when Dalton was injured in a car accident. During that time, he was much improved and didn’t give up the job. From Weeks 8 to 18, Young completed 61.8% of his passes for 2,104 yards with 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. 612 of those yards and seven touchdowns came in the final three weeks of the season.
Bryce Young with a hole shot to the field on 1st & 25 this fired me up pic.twitter.com/sDgw9uBW4k
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) January 5, 2025
From Weeks 16 to 18, Young was the QB2 in fantasy football, averaging 26.8 points per game. He looked more confident on the field and was finally playing comfortably. This stretch is especially impressive considering his receiving group consisted of Adam Thielen, David Moore, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette.
Fantasy managers are still skeptical over Young’s mini-breakout, drafting him as the QB23 in early best ball drafts. Not only will Young return six of his top seven receivers, but he will also get 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan added to the team. McMillan gives Young a player he can trust to go up and catch the ball thanks to his impressive catch radius.
Young likely saved his career with strong play down the stretch. Now, he heads into his third season with more confidence, an offensive staff that understands his strengths, and a new WR1 to target in the offense. He’s a worthwhile target in the later rounds of best ball drafts as a floor play with a QB1 ceiling.
Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
ADP: 153.6, QB25
Cam Ward was the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. In most seasons, that would be enough to elevate him much higher in fantasy drafts. However, the perception of this draft class was how weak it was at quarterback (and in general), so fantasy managers have not been super aggressive in drafting him.
However, that line of thinking could be faulty. While the class was regarded as weak, Ward had all the talent needed for a quarterback taken first overall. He has the athleticism to extend plays and the arm talent to push the ball down the field or adjust his arm angles to complete passes.
Ward completed 67% of his passes during his lone season at Miami for 4,314 yards and 39 touchdowns with seven interceptions. That came after a two-year stint at Washington State, where he completed 65.5% of his passes for 6,968 yards and 48 touchdowns with 16 interceptions with lesser talent.
Cam Ward slinging it. pic.twitter.com/IyPe1zkln5
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) March 17, 2025
Now, Ward will operate in an NFL offense that features an upgraded offensive line, respectable receiving weapons (Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett, Van Jefferson, and Treylon Burks), and a head coach who has a history working with quarterbacks like Peyton Manning and Joe Burrow.
Don’t be surprised if Ward is able to put together a top-20 season as a rookie, which will make him a value given his current QB25 price tag in best ball drafts.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders
ADP: 161.7, QB26
Geno Smith was surprisingly traded from the Seahawks to the Raiders this offseason. It was especially shocking coming off his most efficient passing season, where he set career-highs in completion percentage (70.4%) and yards (4,320). The fact that he had his most single-season interceptions (15) since his rookie season certainly didn’t help.
Chip Kelly is world famous for his ability to keep his passing game staples like y-cross, 989 varieties, and weakside flood fresh and current given the cyclical nature of football.
His new QB Geno Smith happens to excel in these concepts as well. pic.twitter.com/1vjDEs42vD
— under zone x (@cmikesspinmove) May 19, 2025
Now, Smith reunites with former head coach Pete Carroll with some interesting weapons at his disposal. The Raiders return rookie sensation Brock Bowers (112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns), a steady veteran receiver in Jakobi Meyers (87 receptions for 1,027 yards and four touchdowns), and drafted dynamic running back Ashton Jeanty.
More importantly, Smith will be able to operate behind an offensive line that is significantly better than what he was working with in Seattle. Smith put up respectable numbers despite the group from 2024. Now, he will be behind a unit that is solid at worst.
Smith was the QB7 in 2022 and the QB18 in 2023 (minimum 12 games played), operating within a Pete Carroll offense. He is currently a value relative to those finishes with arguably worse talent surrounding him.
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