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Analysis of five fantasy football quarterbacks drafted in the later rounds. Are these QBs undervalued players and potential sleepers to target in deeper drafts?
Once you reach the late rounds of drafts, everyone wants to draft high-upside fliers that can provide a great return on value. You can afford to take risks on a variety of different players, including prospects, forgotten veterans, players returning from injuries, or even skilled players with potential playing time concerns.
It's essential to have at least a handful of sleeper targets at each position heading into your fantasy football drafts, no matter the format. Today, we're looking at some late-round quarterbacks for you to consider drafting this season.
Our editors have hand-picked these specific NFL players for your draft prep enjoyment. Normally only available to Premium subscribers, the outlooks below are meant to give you a taste of the in-depth analysis you receive with our industry-leading 2021 Draft Kit. Be sure to subscribe today and start reading all 300+ of our 2021 player outlooks, along with many other premium articles and tools available exclusively in our 2021 Draft Kit.
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Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team
Ryan Fitzpatrick will be inserted into a Washington Football Team offense that threw the ball 601 times in 2020. In nine games this past season, Fitzpatrick finished with 2,091 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns. The veteran quarterback will be surrounded by a formidable group of weapons, led by Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Antonio Gibson, and Logan Thomas in a Scott Turner offense that loves to throw the football. Fitzpatrick will have more deep-ball opportunities with McLaurin and the speedy Samuel at his disposal. In 2020, he completed 56.5% of his deep passes which was good for second in the NFL.
Fitzpatrick will not be relied on to carry the football much, but he still has the ability to add some rushing numbers to his stat-line. In his last full season (2019), Fitzpatrick had 243 rushing yards (10th among QBs) and added four rushing touchdowns (fourth among QBs). Unlike last year, Fitzpatrick will have season-long value, as he is in no danger of losing his starting job to a rookie quarterback. Fitzpatrick has appeal in the later rounds and should be considered a QB2 for the time being, but he can be started when facing weak opposing defenses or filling in for a bye-week.
-- Tommy Adamopoulos
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
2020 was a rollercoaster start to Tua Tagovailoa's NFL career. Despite suffering a dislocated hip and a fracture in his final season at Alabama, Tua was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Miami Dolphins in the NFL draft. After sitting the first five games of the season, Tua saw mop-up duty in Week 6 and took over the starting job in Week 7. Despite being the starter, the Dolphins would go on to replace Tua with Ryan Fitzpatrick in the fourth quarter of two games where they needed a big comeback drive. Tua would go on to complete 64% of his passes for 1,814 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions in an up and down season.
The second-year quarterback has the Miami starting job all to himself in 2021 and has several new weapons at his disposal. Aside from his top four receivers returning (DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Jakeem Grant, Myles Gaskin), Tua will get upgrades in the form of deep threat Will Fuller, top-10 draft pick (and former college teammate) Jaylen Waddle, and third-round tight end Hunter Long. With explosive weapons, a normal offseason of development, and another year of healing from the brutal hip injury under his belt, Tua has top-15 potential as a fantasy quarterback. The Dolphins' quarterback is currently being selected as QB22 in fantasy drafts, which allows fantasy players to snag a high-floor QB2 to stash away on their benches.
-- Dan Fornek
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
2021 is lining up to be the make-or-break year for third-year quarterback Daniel Jones. Jones regressed his second season thanks to a host of injuries around him and a lack of quality weapons, lowering his passing yardage (3,027 to 2,943) and touchdowns (24 to 11) from his rookie season. Jones did cut down on his interceptions (12 to 10) and improved his rushing totals (279 to 423), but he's extremely careless with the football, totaling 29 fumbles in his first 27 games.
The Giants committed considerable resources to improve the offense around Jones this past offseason, signing Kenny Golladay and John Ross in free agency while also drafting Kadarius Toney in the first round. Jones is being drafted as the QB19, which seems appropriate given his career thus far. The return of Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton, combined with the additions of Golladay and Toney, give him the best supporting cast of his career.
He also possesses a rushing ability that typically isn't seen in quarterbacks taken in the back half of fantasy drafts. A 3,500 passing yard season with over 500 rushing yards is very possible, and a reduction of turnovers (22 interceptions and fumbles in 2021) would make him a late-round value. Jones is an excellent value as a fantasy QB2 this upcoming season that can easily work his way into starting lineups if he develops or has an advantageous matchup
-- Dan Fornek
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers
Throw Sam Darnold's entire career with the New York Jets out the window. They did nothing to support him or put talent around him, and Adam Gase's offense has been and always will be a sieve for fantasy production. The best wide receivers that Darnold ever played with were Jamison Crowder and Robby Anderson, and the best running back he ever had behind him was Le'Veon Bell, but not really, since Bell has been a shell of himself since leaving Pittsburgh. In fact, Darnold's leading rusher has never had more than six rushing touchdowns. Bell had three in 2019.
Darnold has a chance to rejuvenate his career and he could not be in a better position to do so. He has D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson as his primary wide receivers, and talented rookie Terrace Marshall should be a nice red-zone target for him. He also has the most talented running back he has ever played with, some guy by the name of Christian McCaffrey. His offensive line is the best one he will have had to date, and his offensive coordinator Joe Brady is the next up-and-coming superstar play-caller in the NFL. Brady is responsible for transforming Joe Burrow from a mediocre NFL prospect to the number one overall pick and the greatest QB season in NCAA history. You also might not recognize that Darnold is younger than Burrow, so his career could also just be getting started.
Darnold is an accurate passer with the ability to extend plays with his legs and make plays down-field, and I am looking forward to seeing what the post-Gase era has in store for him. He is currently going as the QB28 so you probably don't even have to draft him in redraft leagues, but he is certainly a name to watch. I would stream him in Week 1 against the Jets where he probably goes off for 350 yards and four touchdowns.
-- Frank Dyevoich
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers
With the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers selected Trey Lance, who they hope is the answer at the quarterback position. Lance only played in one game this past season, but in 2019 he showed why the 49ers valued him so high. Lance threw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions. Yes, you heard that correctly. Zero interceptions. Lance showed off his mobility as well, putting up 1,100 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground. In 2021, Lance will be competing with Jimmy Garoppolo for the starting job in a San Francisco offense that features a talented group of pass-catchers including George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, and Deebo Samuel.
If Lance is able to win the starting job, he'd be in the low-end QB1 conversation as the 49ers have one of the easiest strength of schedules among QBs. In what projects to be a run-heavy offense, Lance can make up for the potential lack of passing volume with his own rushing ability. There will be more clarity after the preseason concludes, but it seems Lance being the starting QB is a matter of when - not if.
-- Tommy Adamopoulos
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