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Which fantasy football quarterbacks have rushing upside in 2024? Joey looks at six QBs who could rush for a ton of yards in fantasy football this season.
The quarterback position has changed a lot over the years in fantasy. Fantasy managers used to solely target quarterbacks who could throw for over 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns. In 2018, Patrick Mahomes, Matt Ryan, and Ben Roethlisberger finished top-three in points scored in fantasy.
However, things have changed since then for the quarterback position. More and more running quarterbacks have entered the league, making them a cheat code for your fantasy team.
So, let's take a look at six quarterbacks who have rushing upside in 2024. All six of these quarterbacks could rush for at least 700 yards this season.
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Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
There's no doubt that Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is one of the best passers in the league. He has thrown over 4,300 passing yards with at least 29 passing touchdowns in four straight seasons while finishing as the overall QB1 in three of the last four years. But what makes Allen so appealing in fantasy is his legs.
The 28-year-old has rushed for 3,611 yards and 53 touchdowns since he entered the league in 2018. That averages out to 601.8 rush yards and 8.8 touchdowns per season. Last year, Allen rushed for 524 yards and 15 touchdowns to help him score a career-high 410.6 fantasy points.
Josh Allen is currently 2nd All-Time in QB Rushing Touchdowns!
Allen currently has 53 Career Rush TD in 94 games played
Cam Newton is the all-time leader with 75 Rush TD in 148 games played#BillsMafia | #GoBills pic.twitter.com/zasKfKfA11
— Peter DiBiasi (@DibiasiPeter) July 7, 2024
Allen has been one of the best running quarterbacks over the last few years and has rushed for over 700 yards in two of the past three seasons. He has also scored at least seven rushing touchdowns in five of his six years in the league. With Buffalo getting rid of Stefon Diggs this offseason, the Pro Bowler might have to do a little more with his legs to help his team in 2024. As a result, a 700-yard, 10-touchdown season on the ground seems attainable.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
No player has scored more rushing touchdowns than Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts since 2021. Hurts has scored a combined 38 rushing touchdowns over the past three years, including a career-high 15 touchdowns last year. His 2,149 rush yards during that span are also the third-most by a quarterback, trailing only Lamar Jackson's 2,352 yards and Justin Fields' 2,220 yards.
Hurts doesn't necessarily put up big passing numbers, as he has never thrown for more than 3,900 yards or 25 touchdowns in a season. However, the 25-year-old certainly makes up for it by using his legs.
He has rushed for double-digit touchdowns in three straight seasons while totaling at least 750 rush yards in two of the past three years. In 2023, Hurts totaled 605 yards and 15 touchdowns. With the tush push not banned yet, look for the Eagles quarterback to continue his high touchdown rate into 2024.
Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
It's hard to argue that Jackson isn't the best running quarterback in the NFL. He has rushed for over 750 yards in five straight seasons, including two 1,000-yard campaigns in 2019 and 2020. Back during that 2019 season, the two-time MVP ran for a career-high 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns.
Jackson won't score a ton of touchdowns on the ground like Hurts or Allen, but he will rush for more yards than both of them. Since 2019, the Ravens quarterback has rushed for 4,563 yards, which is the 11th most amongst all players over the past five years. During that span, he averages 912.6 rush yards and 4.8 touchdowns per season.
Lamar Jackson (15-yd rush TD) 📽️
🔹 Rush Yards Over Expected: +10
🔹 TD Probability: 3.9%Jackson led all quarterbacks in carries (63) and rushing yards (302) on designed runs during the regular season.#HOUvsBAL | #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/EVdDrzyEQr
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 20, 2024
The only reason Jackson doesn't go higher in drafts is because of his subpar passing numbers. He has thrown for over 3,500 yards just once in his NFL career (2023). However, he has such a high fantasy floor due to his insane rushing numbers. The 27-year-old will definitely rush for over 750 yards again in 2024, making him a nice pick at his QB4 ADP.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson only appeared in four games (two full games) in 2023, but fantasy managers could tell that big rushing seasons are in store for the former Florida product. In those two full games in Week 1 and Week 4, Richardson rushed at least 10 times in both contests for a combined 96 yards and two touchdowns.
Even in Week 2, when the young quarterback played a little over one quarter, he rushed for 35 yards and two touchdowns. So, heading into the 2024 season, it's safe to say that Richardson will be a major threat on the ground. In his final college season at Florida, the 22-year-old quarterback rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games.
With Richardson now fully past his season-ending shoulder injury, he should easily rush for at least 700 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024. That makes him a potential value pick at his current QB6 ADP.
Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
It has been a couple of seasons since fantasy managers have seen Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray really be a major threat on the ground. In 2022, he tore his ACL in Week 14, which obviously limited his rushing upside last year. He rushed for just 244 yards and three touchdowns in eight games in 2023.
However, with Murray now 19 months removed from that ACL injury, look for the 26-year-old quarterback to rush more in 2024, similar to how he did earlier in his career. In 2020, he rushed for 819 yards and 11 touchdowns while finishing as the QB3 in fantasy.
STOP SLEEPING ON KYLER MURRAY 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/K3MzWEnu40
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) July 12, 2024
While counting on Murray to rush for over 800 yards and double-digit touchdowns might be hard since he hasn't topped over 500 yards in any of the past three seasons, he can definitely provide solid numbers on the ground this season. Fantasy managers have seen it from him in the past, and now he is fully healthy heading into 2024.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Fantasy managers might not know a lot about Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels since he is a rookie. However, he is a quarterback who can run a lot and should easily top over 650 rushing yards in his first year in the league.
In his college career at both Arizona State and LSU, fans across the country certainly saw that. In 2021, he rushed for 710 yards and six touchdowns at Arizona State. Then he transferred to LSU, where he totaled 885 rush yards and 11 touchdowns in 2022. In his final college season in 2023, Daniels had his best rushing season, rushing for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns.
With the young quarterback still needing to develop his passing skills, look for the rookie to lean on his legs a lot in Year 1. That makes him a sneaky option at his QB15 ADP in drafts.
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