X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

How to Approach Superflex Fantasy Football Drafts in 2022

Aaron Rodgers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Targets, NFL Injury News

Kyle Lindeman reviews the 2021 FLEX expert league draft to give Superflex draft strategies for fantasy football.

Superflex is becoming a much more common format all across the fantasy football landscape and for good reason. When you think about it, the default 1QB format in fantasy football is the complete opposite of real life. In the real-life NFL, half of the league is beyond desperate for a quarterback upgrade and General Managers everywhere treat running backs like they are Vegas hotel rooms over a Bachelor Party Weekend.

As we saw with how the Deshaun Watson trade went down this offseason, almost a dozen teams were interested in giving up three first-round picks for a player accused of doing some bad things and expected to miss at least half of the season. That's how much having a quarterback matters!

One could argue that Quarterback is the most important position in all sports, yet it's mostly devalued in fantasyland. That shouldn't be the case. If you are new to the format or want to try it out for the first time, Superflex allows one additional all-flex position where you can start an additional QB, RB, WR, or TE. The math generally favors starting a QB in all formats at the Superflex spot, but we will get into that more later.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

What Really Makes A Superflex Draft Different

There is added emphasis on QBs in Superflex and generally a handful of them if not more will go in the 1st Round of your draft, a large contrast to the norm in fantasy. What makes it enjoyable is that every Superflex draft is completely different as some people will prioritize QBs and others will not, often to their detriment.

While the WR position has been pushed up the board more than usual at the beginning of 1QB drafts this year, in years past most drafts started with RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB, RB before another position even went. Talk about boring! In the paragraphs below we will dive into Superflex leagues and what strategy might work best for you on draft day.

 

Takeaways from a Superflex Draft

Over the summer there was a 12-team SF Draft among some prominent members of the industry and their draft board is below.

As we can see, six quarterbacks went in the first round and thirteen in the first two rounds with 11 of the 12 drafters taking a QB in the first two rounds.

There isn't a right or wrong way to do a Superflex draft, but the key is to remain flexible throughout. Like Shermar Moore on an episode of S.W.A.T. telling his squad to "stay liquid" before heading out on a mission. Since quarterbacks are a limited resource in SF leagues, we have to almost un-train our brain to how it is normally wired to think when it comes to fantasy drafts.

In regular 1QB leagues, only half the league rosters 2 QBs at any given time and starting QBs can often be streamed weekly on waivers and there are QBs to pick up at any time. In Superflex this will not be a reality as most teams in your league will be rostering 3-4 QBs.

The hardest part about a Superflex draft is figuring out when to time the QB run and to use a tier-based drafting system for QBs, which I will outline in the next paragraph. There are times when you can start your draft QB-QB and have the position sewn up so you can attack the rest of your draft carefree, but that strategy can backfire if the rest of your league mates are punting on QB as the skill players available in the middle rounds will not be what they normally are in a Superflex draft. Typically when we draft a QB we want to see plenty of them go off the board before our next pick, which leaves more good skill players for us to draft.

In my Scott Fish Bowl 12 live draft that took place in early July in the Canton-3 Division, I picked at the 1.09. By the time it was my turn, seven QBs were already off the board! Seeing the run and knowing I had Lamar Jackson ranked higher than the other quarterbacks selected, I sprinted to the podium to turn in my draft card. However, once it was my next turn to draft at the 2.04, all of the QBs I was comfortable with were off the board except for Matthew Stafford. Seeing the opportunity to stack Lamar with Mark Andrews in a Tight End-premium format I opted not to take another QB and play the board instead. Here was how the draft shook out trying out a Bully TE build in a Superflex TE Premium format.

Personally, only four skill players should be in consideration in the 1st Round of Superflex Drafts besides Quarterback. These players are Jonathan Taylor, Christian McCaffrey, Justin Jefferson, and Cooper Kupp since the reality is all four of them are light years ahead of the other players at their positions. If you want to add Ja'Marr Chase to this list that is fine as well, but tier-wise there isn't much of a difference between Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley or Stefon Diggs and Davante Adams to warrant waiting too long on a QB.

2022 QB Rankings

Here are my QB tiers and rankings for 2022. Feel free to use this as a roadmap of sorts to help with your draft strategy.

Rank Tier Player Team
1 Tier 1 Josh Allen BUF
2 Tier 2 Lamar Jackson BAL
3 Tier 2 Jalen Hurts PHI
4 Tier 2 Justin Herbert LAC
5 Tier 2 Patrick Mahomes KC
6 Tier 2 Kyler Murray ARI
7 Tier 3 Joe Burrow CIN
8 Tier 3 Russell Wilson DEN
9 Tier 3 Trey Lance SF
10 Tier 3 Dak Prescott DAL
11 Tier 4 Tom Brady TB
12 Tier 4 Matthew Stafford LAR
13 Tier 4 Derek Carr LV
14 Tier 4 Aaron Rodgers GB
15 Tier 5 Kirk Cousins MIN
16 Tier 5 Trevor Lawrence JAX
17 Tier 5 Justin Fields CHI
18 Tier 5 Tua Tagovailoa MIA
19 Tier 6 Jameis Winston NO
20 Tier 6 Daniel Jones NYG
21 Tier 6 Matt Ryan IND
22 Tier 6 Ryan Tannehill TEN
23 Tier 6 Mac Jones NE
24 Tier 6 Baker Mayfield CAR
25 Tier 7 Marcus Mariota ATL
26 Tier 7 Zach Wilson NYJ
27 Tier 7 Carson Wentz WAS
28 Tier 7 Jared Goff DET
29 Tier 7 Davis Mills HOU

Waiting on a quarterback always sounds good in theory, but if you wait too long you will be fighting an uphill battle for much of the season due to the massive drop-off that usually happens at the position. Josh Allen finished as the QB1 in all of fantasy last season by averaging 24.56 points per game.  When you go down the list, the QB18 for 2021, Mac Jones, only averaged 14 points per game!

While Mac doesn't go anywhere near as high as Allen does, the disparity between grabbing an elite QB early versus taking one later can be a recipe for disaster as there was over a 10-point per game difference. Below are the point totals and weekly averages among QBs in the 2021 season.

In 2021, eleven of the top seventeen overall scorers in full PPR formats were quarterbacks and four of the top five were QBs as well. By having two elite, high-scoring signal callers in the fold we can essentially stick it to the rest of our league even if we aren't taking a skill player until Round 3.

Rank Player Team Points Games Avg
1 Josh Allen BUF 417.58 17 24.56
2 Justin Herbert LAC 395.76 17 23.28
3 Tom Brady TB 386.74 17 22.75
4 Patrick Mahomes II KC 374.22 17 22.01
5 Matthew Stafford LAR 346.74 17 20.4
6 Aaron Rodgers GB 336.3 16 21.02
7 Dak Prescott DAL 330.56 16 20.66
8 Joe Burrow CIN 328.24 16 20.52
9 Jalen Hurts PHI 321.16 15 21.41
10 Kyler Murray ARI 310.48 14 22.18
11 Kirk Cousins MIN 307.34 16 19.21
12 Ryan Tannehill TEN 282.36 17 16.61
13 Derek Carr LV 270.96 17 15.94
14 Carson Wentz IND 265.02 17 15.59
15 Lamar Jackson BAL 252.98 12 21.08
16 Russell Wilson SEA 248.82 14 17.77
17 Jimmy Garoppolo SF 239.5 15 15.97
18 Mac Jones NE 237.94 17 14.0
19 Taylor Heinicke WAS 236.86 16 14.8
20 Matt Ryan ATL 234.92 17 13.82
21 Ben Roethlisberger PIT 228.1 16 14.26
22 Trevor Lawrence JAC 216.04 17 12.71
23 Teddy Bridgewater DEN 209.68 14 14.98
24 Jared Goff DET 202.5 14 14.46

 

Know your League's Format

This cannot be stressed enough! Your strategy can vary considerably if you are in a full PPR, 3WR, or TE Premium league. In a full PPR, 3WR format with multiple flexes you can load up on QBs and WRs early on and make up for it later by drafting RBs who are pass catchers. If you are in a Superflex league that has 6-point passing touchdowns then you will undoubtedly want to get 2 elite signal callers early and put your league mates on the defensive!

In a half PPR league where only 2 WRs start, then it is not as beneficial to take a robust approach at the WR position as plenty of adequate wide receivers can be found in the middle rounds. In TE premium leagues where TE receptions are often worth 1.5x or even double normal receptions, players like Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, Kyle Pitts, Darren Waller, and George Kittle can be a huge advantage due to the reality there are very few volume hogs at tight end currently. We may be able to include Dalton Schultz on this list, but he is just outside the elite TE window for now.

Personally, my approach to drafting running backs is not as robust as others in the industry. I mostly subscribe to a Hero-RB approach (as long as the format warrants it of course) which means that I will take one RB early in the first 3-4 rounds of a Superflex Draft to shore up the position and then wait even until Round 10 (depending on the league) to draft another one.

This approach is not for the faint of heart and will require experience to pull off, but generally, the belief in this approach is that RB2 can be sorted out during the season by drafting everyone else's backups, late-round RBs on good teams who are pass catchers, and with FAAB. As we have seen in recent years, traditional bell-cow RBs are becoming fewer and farther between, and running back is the most injury-prone position.

By taking plenty of WRs early you can also stack your QBs with 1-2 of their pass catchers and increase your weekly upside even more! While this approach is optimal in Best Ball formats, it is still valuable to do in Superflex as long as you aren't reaching for the WRs just to get the stacks.

If you are in a league with 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1 Superflex, and 2 Flex then RB only makes up 2 spots. When you are in a 1QB or even Superflex league with 2WR, and 0-1 Flex, running back is more important because it makes up a larger chunk of your starting lineup. In a full PPR format where you start 10 offensive players per week, you can punt on your RB2 and load up your roster elsewhere while everyone is drafting RBs in the dead zone that generally should be avoided.

If you are going to target later RBs in your drafts, here is who you should be targeting especially in full PPR:

 

The QB2 Conundrum

One of the most difficult aspects of playing Superflex is knowing when you should be taking your second QB. Generally, I prefer to pick in the middle at 1.06 or 1.07 in Superflex drafts due to the reality that I am less prone to position runs. When you are picking at the 1.01 or the 1.12 you have to be more pre-emptive in your draft strategy as there is a longer wait between your next pick. Waiting on a QB can be detrimental to your hopes if there is a giant run on the position and you are stuck helplessly watching it all happen.

When you are picking in the middle, often values at RB, WR, or TE will fall to you when there at QB runs. By having one to two elite QBs locked up early, we can sit back and play the board at the other spots and build a great team.

Some of your strategy on draft day will come from your own beliefs and rankings on quarterbacks. If you see a possibility that Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, or even Davis Mills has a breakout season then you don't need to possibly start with a QB-QB approach. If you are terrified at the thought of having Daniel Jones or Baker Mayfield as your QB1 and QB2 then it's best to just get two signal-callers you like early on and not have to stress over it.

If you take an elite signal caller early, but then wait until much later to draft your second QB often you can negate the early advantage that you had by selecting Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, Justin Herbert, or Jalen Hurts. As you can see from the chart in the prior paragraphs that showed the QB scoring from 2021 if you have two QBs who are scoring 20+ PPG each week in Superflex you have a big advantage on your league mates since QB is the highest scoring position.

Looking back at some data from 2021, 31 QBs averaged 16+ points per game. Only 10 RBs, 13 WRs, and 2 TEs did so, which means you are 99% of the time going to want to start a QB in your Superflex spot!

Another tip is to not ignore your QB3. In a 12-team SF League, 4 teams will leave their draft without a starting QB and their seasons can quickly go sideways if there is an injury to one of their signal-callers. By grabbing a third QB that you feel comfortable with, you have a solid starting option for two different bye weeks, and some important depth. This is not insinuating to start your draft with QB-QB-QB, but to keep a watchful eye on the board after you draft your second QB and to grab your third just before the position finally dries up.

 

Conclusion

Superflex can take some getting used to but it's without a doubt my favorite format. Why? Because every draft is a unique experience and if you are a seasoned player who knows how to navigate the choppy waters of a Superflex draft, you can steer your ship into the harbor much easier than other players.

It is a format that new players will have to get used to and you won't become a maestro overnight. If you are going to try and play in a tournament like the Scott Fish Bowl or Warrior Bowl next season, just know that both of them are Superflex.

By having a sound strategy ahead of time, you can be better prepared for your league's draft. One of the hardest things about doing automated mock drafts for Superflex is that they often remove the human element that involves players panicking and taking a QB just to stop the bleeding. It's a relative phenomenon that takes place in SF drafts and many experienced players have often been on the winning and losing ends of it.

Best of luck with your drafts! Once you take the plunge playing Superflex you won't be able to go back.

If you enjoyed this article make sure to follow Kyle on Twitter, @LuckIsMadeFF



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Paolo Banchero

Signs Historic Five-Year Extension with Magic
Anthony Santander

Hoping to Hit Soon
Luis Robert Jr.

Returning in Short Order
Alex Bregman

Could Return Later This Week
Ketel Marte

Day-to-Day with Groin Tightness
Ty Gibbs

Finishes Second at Chicago and Advances in In-Season Challenge
Alex Bowman

Defeats Bubba Wallace in In-Season Challenge, but Not Without Controversy
Alex Bowman

Bubba Wallace Wrecked by Alex Bowman Again, Putting Playoffs in Doubt
Michael McDowell

Throttle Failure Ends Michael McDowell's Chances to Win at Chicago
Austin Hill

Earns First NASCAR Cup Series Top Ten at Chicago
Tyler Reddick

Scores a Strong Third-Place Run at Chicago
Kyle Busch

Matches his Best Career Finish At Chicago on Sunday
Denny Hamlin

Fights his Way to a Top-5 Finish at Chicago
William Byron

has his Worst Weekend of the Season at Chicago
Hunter Greene

Suffers Setback on Monday
Philadelphia 76ers

Kyle Lowry Staying With 76ers
Kyle Anderson

Lands in Utah
Kevin Love

Traded to Jazz in 3-Team Swap
Norman Powell

Traded to Miami
John Collins

Dealt to Clippers
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Tied For 14 at Travelers Championship
Xander Schauffele

Finishes Tied For 61 at Travelers Championship
Collin Morikawa

Finishes Tied For Eighth at Rocket Mortgage Classic
Robert MacIntyre

Finishes Tied For 17 at Travelers Championship
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied For 11 at John Deere Classic
Viktor Hovland

Withdraws From Travelers Championship
Tommy Fleetwood

Finishes Tied For Second at Travelers Championship
Brian Campbell

Wins John Deere Classic
Bronny James Jr.

Scores 10 Points
Harrison Ingram

Limited on Sunday
Golden State Warriors

Isaiah Mobley Drops 16 Points
Ryan Rollins

Staying with Bucks
T.J. Watt

Pittsburgh Still Not Close on New Contract
Terry McLaurin

Still Not Pleased with Contract Situation
Sonny Milano

on Track to Be Ready for Training Camp
Yu Darvish

to Make Season Debut on Monday
MLB

Nationals Fire Dave Martinez, Mike Rizzo
Jakub Dobes

Signs Two-Year Deal with Canadiens
KaVontae Turpin

Arrested on Two Charges
Cole Ragans

to Begin Throwing on Monday
Theo Johnson

Prioritizing his Health this Offseason
Andrés Giménez

Andres Gimenez Hits 10-Day Injured List
Jermaine Burton

Continues to Show Growth
NHL

Hendrix Lapierre Signs One-Year Deal with Capitals
Carson Hocevar

Should DFS Players Consider Carson Hocevar for Chicago Lineups?
Tye Kartye

Kraken Re-Sign Tye Kartye for Two Years
Ross Chastain

May be A Decent DFS Option for Chicago Lineups
Dmitri Voronkov

Signs Two-Year, $8.35 Million Extension with Blue Jackets
Ryan Preece

Should DFS Players Roster Ryan Preece at Chicago?
Austin Dillon

Is Too Great of A Risk to Add to Chicago Lineups
Zane Smith

Is A Value Play Worth Rostering At Chicago
Austin Hill

is A Favorable Value Option for Chicago DFS Lineups
Ty Dillon

Is Ty Dillon A Decent Driver to Add For NASCAR DFS At Chicago?
William Byron

Qualifying Crash Makes William Byron a Likely DFS Must-Have
Alex Bowman

Should Finish Well, but Probably Costs Too Much for Serious DFS Consideration
Joey Logano

Has Been Relatively Mediocre on Road Courses Lately
Ryan Blaney

Doesn't Really Fit Neatly into Optimal DFS Lineups
Austin Cindric

Remains an Overrated Road Racer
Cam Ward

"Not Expecting" to be handed Starting Job
Chase Claypool

Eager to Get Back on the Field
Wyatt Langford

Activated, Playing on Saturday
Jay Huff

on the Move to Indiana
Cam Whitmore

Wizards Acquire Cam Whitmore from the Rockets
LaJohntay Wester

Stands out on Special Teams
Clarke Schmidt

Likely to Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nolan Arenado

Scratched from Saturday's Lineup
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Starting on Saturday
Corbin Carroll

Activated from 10-Day Injured List
Cincinnati Bengals

Shemar Stewart, Bengals Continue Contract Talks, No Progress Made
Giannis Antetokounmpo

Potential Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade may not Happen Until "August, September"
Ha-Seong Kim

Removed Early During Season Debut
ARI

Christian Fischer Retires From NHL at 28
NHL

Spencer Martin Moves to Russia
WAS

Anthony Beauvillier Re-Signs With Capitals for Two Years
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Sitting Out With Foot Issue
Isaiah Neyor

Impresses at Minicamp
Jock Landale

Waived by Rockets
Bo Bichette

Back in Blue Jays Lineup
Jonas Valančiūnas

Jonas Valanciunas Considering Returning to Europe
Miles Sanders

Works With Starters During Mandatory Minicamp
Jabari Walker

Signs Two-Way Deal With Sixers
Chimere Dike

Titans Could Move Chimere Dike Inside
Keandre Lambert-Smith

KeAndre Lambert-Smith not Guaranteed Roster Spot
Anthony Bradford

Working Hard to Win Back Starting Job
Byron Young

Still Improving?
Cody Simon

Jonathan Gannon has Been Impressed With Cody Simon
SirVocea Dennis

has Impressive Offseason
Trevor Penning

Could Still Have a Role in New Orleans
Jonathan Kuminga

Warriors Decline Recent Offer for Jonathan Kuminga
Moritz Wagner

Magic Agree to One-Year Deal
Clarke Schmidt

Placed on Injured List
José Soriano

Jose Soriano Throws Gem Against Braves
Robbie Ray

Earns Ninth Win in Complete Game
T.J. Watt

Likely to Reset the Edge-Rush Market
George Springer

Blasts Two Homers, Drives in Four
Bradley Beal

Suns Discussing Potential Buyout
Jaxson Hayes

Staying with the Lakers
NBA

Damian Lillard "Open" to Signing With a Team This Offseason
Pittsburgh Steelers

Omar Khan, Steelers Agree to Three-Year Contract
SJ

Sharks Claim Nick Leddy Off Waivers
SJ

Sharks Sign Dmitry Orlov to Two-Year, $13 Million Contract
CAR

Nikolaj Ehlers Joins Hurricanes on Six-Year Contract
Chau Smith-Wade

Having Stellar Offseason
COL

Brent Burns Inks One-Year Deal with Avalanche
STL

Blues Land Pius Suter on Two-Year Deal
Morgan Frost

Agrees to Two-Year Extension with Flames
WPG

Gustav Nyquist Moves to Winnipeg
Cody Glass

Devils Re-Sign Cody Glass to Two-Year Deal
PIT

Anthony Mantha Joins Penguins
Emil Heineman

Signs Two-Year Deal with Islanders
Simon Holmstrom

Re-Signs with Islanders for Two Years
UTA

Nate Schmidt Signs Three-Year Deal with Mammoth
UTA

Brandon Tanev Moves to Utah on Three-Year Contract
Bud Cauley

in Great Form Ahead of John Deere Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

a Player to Avoid at John Deere Classic
Jake Knapp

Riding Momentum Ahead of John Deere Classic
PGA

Sungjae Im Looking for Consistency at John Deere Classic
Ryan Gerard

a Solid Option at John Deere Classic
Rickie Fowler

Looking to Rebound at John Deere Classic
Cameron Champ

a Volatile Option at John Deere Classic
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF