Fantasy Football Rookie Quarterbacks You Must Have In 2024

May 16, 2024

Top 2024 fantasy football rookie quarterback draft targets. Alex dives into the fantasy football rookie quarterback sleepers you should try to have on your team.

It's already the middle of May, and aside from Justin Timberlake memes flooding your "for you feed," that could only mean one thing -- it's fantasy football draft season! It is an excellent time of the year to get in some best ball drafts or conduct a dynasty startup. You may even be amid some rookie drafts as you're reading this (hopefully Superflex).

Sure, it's still early in the offseason, but I love this part of the year so much because the ADP hasn't exactly lined up with some of the talent or player situations just yet. With the unpredictability of football evident, we fantasy gamers should be looking for any edge we can get over our competition. Now is a good time to pounce for the savvy fantasy manager. If you're here reading this, I already know this applies to you -- and I'm committed to giving you that edge, ensuring it is razor-sharp.

Below, I will offer a few must-have rookie quarterbacks to consider during your 2024 drafts. Instead of highlighting Caleb Williams on this list -- a must-have for everyone -- we'll look for other intriguing QB specimens. While this exercise applies most to Superflex drafts, those of you partaking in the 1QB format may want to take a shot on these athletes in the closing rounds where it applies -- particularly if you are inclined to follow the "late QB" strategy. In the words of the great Tony Stark: "Drop your socks and grab your crocs -- we're about to get wet on this ride."

Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders

After one of the most efficient collegiate quarterback seasons ever -- many expected Jayden Daniels to be the second pick off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft. That notion came to fruition, and Daniels found himself in a great situation for a rookie QB.

While Daniels doesn't tout the same elite offensive weaponry that his draft mate Caleb Williams does, the Commanders have some really solid options in their own right. Jahan Dotson and "Scary" Terry McLaurin are an excellent, dynamic wide receiver duo, and the Commanders spent a good amount of money to acquire Austin Ekeler, fitting Daniels with an elite pass-catching weapon out of the backfield.

Jayden Daniels dropping dimes pic.twitter.com/RFCCsBmzHn

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) May 11, 2024

Daniels sits at QB16 in our rankings, and he's currently QB17 off the board in Superflex ADP (No. 52 overall) -- 20 selections later than Caleb Williams. With our knowledge of how broken rushing quarterbacks can be in fantasy football, QB17 feels more like an indictment of his floor rather than what he could bring to the table regarding upside.

As a reminder, Daniels rushed for 1,134 yards, adding 10 TDs in his final season at LSU. For that reason, I prefer Daniels over Williams in drafts (at least for 2024), while the rookies almost assuredly suffer some growing pains at the outset of their careers.

There is fair concern about the overall passing touchdown upside for Daniels -- but if he's going to chip in 500 yards and five TDs rushing (not an unrealistic expectation), then we can expect him to have a fairly strong shot to crack the top 12 at his position. Fire him up as a high-end QB2, with massive QB1 upside if the pieces fall into place.

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

There was much speculation surrounding the Vikings and whether they would move up to the top five to grab their presumed "guy" in J.J. McCarthy during the draft. Luckily for Minnesota, that wasn't necessary, as it only had to move up one spot from No. 11.

In draft circles, McCarthy was scouted as comfortably a tier down from the big three in the class (Williams, Daniels, and Drake Maye) -- but this is another mobile quarterback who finds himself in an environment rich with playmakers. I still have concerns about McCarthy's collegiate profile, but at No. 93 overall in Superflex ADP, he's worth a shot as a QB2/3 with upside. When under duress, McCarthy can straight-up fly out of the pocket.

Aside from having arguably the best WR in football at his disposal in Justin Jefferson, McCarthy will be throwing to Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson (when he's healthy) -- giving him one of the better sets of offensive weaponry in the league. In addition to his pass-catchers, QB guru Kevin O'Connell stands out as one of the better head coach landing spots for a young, athletic quarterback with untapped potential. I love McCarthy at his current ADP and over the other QBs being selected in this range of drafts (Deshaun Watson / Geno Smith).

9️⃣ @jjmccarthy09 pic.twitter.com/4YlnFmdkIF

— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) May 11, 2024

Bo Nix, Denver Broncos

In the NFL and fantasy, one of the best metrics to predict future success is past success. With Bo Nix, we have plenty of that. Despite being the last quarterback selected in one of the most epic QB runs of all time, Nix was a five-year starter in college (three years at Arizona State / two at Oregon).

Nix improved each year, with his yards per attempt and completion percentage steadily climbing until culminating in an impressive super-senior season. In his final year at Oregon, Nix completed 77% of his passes for 4,508 yards and a stellar 45:3 TD:INT ratio. A knock on Nix is that many of his pass attempts were behind the line of scrimmage, but this is also a player who rushed for 510 yards and 14 TDs in 2022.

Bo Nix - Broncos
Adonai Mitchell - Colts

The best player/team fits from the NFL Drafthttps://t.co/lzCMQ7WsV0

— PFF (@PFF) May 14, 2024

Perhaps the most enticing thing about drafting Nix is his draft-day price. The QB is sitting at No. 131 in Superflex ADP -- selected a few picks after Daniel Jones and a few before presumed backups Justin Fields and Gardner Minshew II. That is a bottom-of-the-barrel price for an accurate QB teamed up with Sean Payton, and Payton will be looking to make some noise after a disappointing first season as Broncos head coach.

More Fantasy Football Analysis