Elite NFL quarterbacks are typically drafted in the early to mid-rounds of fantasy football drafts. For the veteran fantasy player, that is normally too high to use on a quarterback, unless of course, it’s in a Superflex or 2-QB league. For fantasy football leagues that go with the standard one QB format, it is best to wait and use a late-round pick on a QB instead. Just last season, the top three fantasy QBs were drafted in the ninth round or later.
Drafting quarterbacks late has become the advised strategy from analysts. We want this information to get out there, so we’ve opened this article for everyone, even if you don’t have the PFN All-Access Pass. Soon, we will only limit these types of articles to those who hold the Pass. For just $30/year, you’ll receive expert advice like this where we tell you exactly what you need to do so you can spend less time worrying and more time winning.
Let’s take a look at some late-round options that will bring quality value to your fantasy football team and who you should be targeting this 2019 season.
Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is currently being drafted as the 17th QB off of the board, late into the 11th round. Our PFN experts have Prescott ranked? slightly higher at 13th. Prescott has historically out produced his average draft position and I fully expect for him to do it again.
The Cowboys have the 11th best strength of schedule for fantasy QBs this year, starting with the New York Giants. There is a false narrative that Prescott is not a top QB because of his touchdown and passing yards totals, even though each season he has finished as a top 12 fantasy football QB. Prescott is getting All-Pro Center Travis Frederick back healthy and he has received some upgrades to his wide receiving group. Prescott is a prime late-round QB target with an extremely high floor.
Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is currently being drafted as the 13th QB off of the board in the 10th round of fantasy football drafts. Last year, Winston was the number eight QB from Week 11 throughout rest of the season. Furthermore, if the stats of Winston and now former Buccaneer Ryan Fitzpatrick had been combined for the season, they would have finished as the number two QB overall.
This high scoring offense somehow got an upgrade this offseason by adding Bruce Arians as their head coach. Pairing Arians with Winston and all of the weapons in this offense is expected to be a recipe for massive fantasy football production.
The Buccaneers are in one of the highest-scoring divisions in football and they have one of the lowest-ranked defenses in football. This should all translate into a big 2019 for Jameis Winston when it comes to fantasy production.
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is currently being drafted as the 21st QB off of the board in the 13th round. Trubisky was one of the most improved players last year and was in one of the most improved offenses in 2018. Trubisky showed an upside that not many thought he had throwing 6 touchdowns in Week 4. He ran for 53 yards that game and had a stretch of four games where he rushed for no less than 47 yards.
Trubisky brings a very safe floor due to his rushing ability. Pro Football Focus rated Trubisky the number one rushing QB in 2018 and was fantasy QB8 through Week 11 last year. He would go on to finish the season as QB13 following an injury. Assuming he stays healthy, Trubisky has all of the tools to easily finish top 12 this season.
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bulls Quarterback Josh Allen is currently being drafted as the 22nd QB off of the board behind Trubisky in the 13th round. Allen was the number one fantasy quarterback overall in standard scoring over the last five weeks of the season in 2018. There is no one around him in ADP that has shown that kind of upside. The Buffalo Bills see that potential and gave Allen some new toys this offseason.
John Brown and Robert Foster are both speed demons that match up perfectly with Allen’s cannon of an arm. Cole Beasley will be his new safety blanket over the middle and they also made improvements to the offensive line. Allen carries a big risk, but the price and the upside make him worth drafting in 2019.
Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders Derek Carr is currently being drafted as the 23rd QB off of the board in the 14th round. Last year was a train wreck. But even as they tore the roster down, Carr still managed to throw for over 4,000 yards and had the best completion percentage of his career. Now, Carr is in one of the most improved situations in the entire league as they have upgraded the offensive line, the backfield, and the receiving group. Antonio Brown, Josh Jacobs, and Tyrell Williams are all major upgrades to an offense that was depleted of weapons.
Carr also benefits from one of the worst defenses in the league and should be able to easily throw for over 4,000 yards again in 2019. Another positive is that Carr was able to spend this offseason training instead of rehabbing as he has the last two years. Carr is the perfect parachute for you as you free fall into the end of your fantasy football draft without a QB.
Honorable Mention – Jimmy Garoppolo
The San Francisco 49ers have one of the most creative coaches in the league and have spent the last two seasons surrounding their signal caller with weapons, only for him to suffer a torn ACL three games into the 2018 season. In a division that will be high scoring, expect Garoppolo, who’s already a favorite for Comeback Player of the Year without even taking a snap, to finally break out in 2019.
Of course, there’s always risk when selecting a quarterback (or any player) coming off a serious injury. But you can’t ignore the the finish he had at the end of the 2017 season. Sure, he had some hiccups to begin 2018 before getting hurt, but Kyle Shanahan is too good of a coach for Garoppolo to regress a considerable amount.
Other QBs to consider late – Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins (Round 13), Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (round 12), Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford (Round 14)
David Heilman is a writer and Fantasy Football co-director for Pro Football Network. You can follow him @DynastyDorks on Twitter.
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