Undervalued Players: 7 Quarterbacks to Target

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A fantasy draft is all about obtaining the most value with each selection. Value is available throughout a draft; grabbing it is one of the most important keys to a successful fantasy team. To point out this value, we asked our staff to identify players available in the top half of your draft who should outperform their draft position.

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Here are the players who received the most votes:

• Jayden Daniels, Washington
• Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville
• Jared Goff, Detroit
• Dak Prescott, Dallas

And here are all of the players with multiple mentions and the reasons why.

Undervalued Players Receiving 4 Votes

Jayden Daniels, Washington

Phil Alexander: Daniels strikes me as the Dollar Store version of Anthony Richardson. We know he's going to run. Last year, Daniels led all quarterbacks with a school record of 1,134 rushing yards. He's also a five-year college starter whose most lauded trait is command of the pocket, which suggests he may already be further along in his development as a passer than Richardson. In Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Austin Ekeler, and rookie tight end Ben Sinnott, Washington has surrounded Daniels with enough weapons to succeed in year one. Much like Richardson, however, he'll have to make it through the year healthy to pay off in fantasy. At least you can get Daniels 40-50 picks after Richardson.

Bob Harris: Daniels threw 40 TD passes and four interceptions at LSU in his 2023 Heisman Trophy-winning season. He also rushed for 1,184 yards and 10 TDs. Yes, there are concerns about his slight (6-4, 210-pound) frame. But the positives are obvious, and, as USA Today's Doug Farrar contends, based on the 103 explosive plays the QB delivered last season, there isn't a book on how to stop Daniels. Also worth noting, Kyler Murray delivered top-10 production in his first two seasons in Arizona under incoming Commanders play-caller Kliff Kingsbury, including a QB2 finish in his second season in 2020. Last year, Anthony Richardson was a player I considered a reasonably-priced fantasy lottery ticket with a million-dollar upside. With Richardson's price rising, Daniels, currently going late in Round 8 or early in Round 9, is now my favorite low-price/high-upside option.

Jeff Haseley: Jayden Daniels' dual-threat skill set suggests that he has a lot of potential in his first year as a rookie. However, he needs to stay healthy to reach an impressive level of performance. What worked for him in college may not necessarily work in the NFL, especially considering his 6'3, 210-pound frame. If he can avoid injuries and quickly adjust to the speed of the game, he could have an excellent first year and finish in the top 10 for fantasy football.

Sam Wagman: It's impossible not to look at the past history of rookie quarters that run and see fantasy success. Numerous QBs have come into the league as rookies and had immediate success on that front. Daniels looks to join that group, coming into the league after notching over 1,100 rushing yards. The Commanders have given Daniels plenty of targets to throw to as well, so he should be able to elevate this offense. There is a lot of room for Daniels to finish as a top-ten fantasy QB this season.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville

Gary Davenport: Yes, the Jaguars fell apart down the stretch last year, and a banged-up Lawrence was part of that collapse. But despite those struggles and two missed games. Lawrence still topped 4,000 passing yards and was a top-10 fantasy quarterback. Calvin Ridley's gone, but the additions of Gabe Davis and rookie Brian Thomas Jr. should compensate for that loss at wide receiver. With quarterbacks like Lawrence and Jared Goff coming off the board well outside the top 12, this analyst will likely be playing a lot of “QB Chicken” in drafts this summer.

James Brimacombe: Lawrence and the Jaguars were very up and down last season, but despite that, Lawrence still finished as the QB10 in 16 games, posting 21 passing touchdowns and 4 rushing touchdowns. It's the same story we see every year in fantasy when it comes to finding ADP value. If a player had a down year the year before, you will likely see a discounted ADP price on that player the next year. Lawrence is too talented and plays in too good of an offense to be going this late off the board.

Jeff Bell: The 2023 season was full of regression talk for Lawrence. Perhaps it was driven by the expectations of taking another leap into the Generational Prospect we were all promised. Based on his numbers, the dip was not much. His QBR finished exactly the same. His fantasy points dipped from 17.9 to 17.3. There is talk about a limited upside, but I am unconvinced we have actually seen his true upside. Weeks 11-13 he was overall QB1 at 27.6 per game. That seems like upside. Looking at QBs 14 through 20, only Lawrence and potentially Justin Herbert possess the athleticism to crack 500 rushing yards and push up into the consistent tier of QB1 finishers. 

Matt Montgomery: Another Quarterback who I believe we are forgetting just how talented they are. The issue Lawrence is having is that his growth was stunted early, and he had to overcome what has been a not-so-well-managed organization. Now that Doug Pederson is even more established in this organization, I believe that the offense as a whole will continue to improve, and with key draft and free agency additions, the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence could surprise some people this year. Lawrence is too talented of a player not to notice. Don't be fooled by the naysayers. Many coaches would trade their current Quarterback for Lawrence, and that's enough for me to keep betting on Lawrence. 

Undervalued Players Receiving 3 Votes

Jared Goff, Detroit

Andy Hicks: Jared Goff is being taken among the backup fantasy quarterbacks. Again. But for two years in a row, he has finished inside the top 10 quarterbacks. Last year, Goff ranked seventh. People focus on shiny new toys and players with high upsides but just as awful downsides. Goff has a fresh contract, and despite the lack of rushing success, he still manages to record 30 touchdowns and 4500 yards. Take the easy money rather than the gamble, or at the current price, do both.

Sigmund Bloom: We all know the drill with Goff. Play him when he's indoors; sit him when he's outdoors. Indoor Goff would have been a mid QB1 last year. Here's the fun part: Goff doesn't play outdoors until Week 9 (at Green Bay), and only plays two more outdoor games through Week 17 (Week 16 at Chicago, Week 17 at San Francisco). You can use the schedule in Week 16/17 to pick your QB2 and update as necessary during the season.

Gary Davenport: Jared Goff is something of the Rodney Dangerfield of NFL quarterbacks, and that lack of respect appears to extend to fantasy football as well. Last year, Goff threw for 4,575 yards (most in the NFC), tossed 30 touchdown passes (fourth in the NFL), and finished seventh among signal-callers in fantasy points. Despite that production in 2023 (and an offense loaded with skill position talent and one of the best O-lines in the game), Goff is barely being drafted inside the top 15 at his position. At that spot, he's a bargain.

Dak Prescott, Dallas

Jason Wood: Prescott is the most discounted per ADP against my own projections; I have him QB5 currently. Last year represented a watershed season for both Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy, as the head coach jettisoned incumbent OC Kellen Moore despite plenty of success. We now know it was a defensible position, as McCarthy elevated the Cowboys offense from a top-5 outfit to the league's No. 1 offense. Prescott was a massive part of the equation, throwing for 4,516 yards, 36 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions. He completed nearly 70% of his passes and accomplished all this despite the Dallas running game no longer providing a defensive counterbalance. This offseason did nothing to change the construct of the Cowboys offense, for better or worse. And Prescott is playing on the final year of his deal, perhaps setting him up to be the most sought after quarterback in free agency we've seen since Tom Brady left the Patriots. 

Sigmund Bloom: The Cowboys' offensive brain trust of Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer actually made the most significant bye week adjustments of any coaching staff. Prescott was QB2 after the Week 7 bye behind only Josh Allen. For some reason, Prescott's ADP reflects a belief that his scoring level will regress to the average of his pre and post bye weeks. With the Cowboys relying on Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle to carry the running game, that's unlikely to happen.

Ryan Weisse: Prescott was the second-best quarterback in fantasy last season, and there is a good chance the Cowboys will lean on him and the passing game even more in 2024. Ezekiel Elliott will be the lead back, and he hasn't averaged over four yards per carry in either of the last two seasons. It's safe to this isn't prime Ezekiel Elliott. Prescott was Top 5 in almost every passing category and threw more touchdowns than any other quarterback in 2023. Expect a repeat in 2024.