The definition of “fantasy football sleepers” has evolved with time. Years ago, they were players who the general public had never heard of, let alone considered as a legitimate fantasy asset.
There are only 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL, meaning managers need a consistent option no matter how the rest of their fantasy drafts turn out. Here are quarterbacks that could be worth taking in later rounds.
Fantasy Football Sleepers | Quarterbacks
Cleveland Browns: Deshaun Watson, QB
Is it possible that Deshaun Watson simply was never right last season?
It’s seemingly been forever since he mattered on a consistent basis for us, but Watson is still under 30 years of age, carries rushing upside, and has a clear-cut WR1 to lean on.
Next to Amari Cooper is Jerry Jeudy in his attempt to revive his career and David Njoku coming off of a career year (albeit largely without Watson throwing him the ball). An athletic QB with at least three viable pass catchers and an uncertain running game until Nick Chubb returns — that’s the exact profile we dream of.
Watson comes with plenty of downside, but with an ADP well outside of the top 15 at the position, your expectations are measured. His name no longer drives his ADP to a point where all of the upside is sucked out — a healthy Watson could return top 100 players.
At the very least, Cleveland’s opening schedule should allow Watson to get you through the first half of the season.
- Week 1 vs. Cowboys
- Week 2 at Jaguars
- Week 3 vs. Giants
- Week 4 at Raiders
- Week 5 at Commanders
- Week 6 at Eagles
- Week 7 vs. Bengals
If you’re streaming the position, Watson should be able to get you through the start of the season while you keep an eye on other options. Remember — early-season wins are just as valuable as late-season ones.
Tennessee Titans: Will Levis, QB
We in the fantasy community spend a lot of time and energy trying to predict what it is that teams want to do. So it’s awfully nice when a team makes numerous moves pointing in the same direction to eliminate the guesswork we need to do.
Will Levis = Stud pic.twitter.com/1n4qi7Ln83
— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) November 3, 2023
This offseason, the Titans moved on from a one-dimensional running back with over 2,000 carries to a versatile one with under 1,000. They inked a former WR1 to a four-year deal and made him the 10th-highest-paid player at the position in terms of average annual dollars. Tennessee also reunited a veteran slot receiver with his former offensive coordinator to give this pass game balance.
Whether you think Will Levis is destined to be a good real-life quarterback or not, Tennessee is going about the evaluation process in a smart way — load up the skill positions around him and give him a chance to succeed.
The Titans’ commitment to increased aggression in an offense led by a second-round quarterback checks a few boxes that have proven advantageous.
Since 2000, eight times has a quarterback not drafted in the first round thrown 250+ passes in each of his first two seasons. As a collective, they saw their fantasy production increase by 11.9% in their second season (average: 15.8 ppg).
Teams that have committed to this profile have been rewarded with better play, and the odds of that happening only increase if you believe that these offseason acquisitions are complemented by a shift in play-calling.
Over the past two seasons, 10 times has a team seen its pass rate over expectation ranking increase by 8+ spots, a level of growth that is certainly in play here (Tennessee ranked 28th last season). In those 10 instances, they got 11.1% more fantasy points per game from the QB position than they did the year prior (average: 17.9 ppg).
That 17.9 number is on the optimistic side of outcomes and would have ranked as QB11 last season (between Justin Herbert and Justin Fields), less than one point away from QB5 honors. If you split the difference between those two averages listed above, we’re talking about QB15, a valuable finish for a quarterback who is free at the end of your draft.
Draft Levis as a backup if you aren’t comfortable with him as your starter. He has an early bye (Week 5) that won’t impact what you’re doing and could develop into a trade asset as the season progresses.
The Titans don’t have a single negative matchup after hosting the New England Patriots in Week 9, a finishing kick that could make him a highly valuable commodity to the right fantasy team.
New Orleans Saints: Derek Carr, QB
If you want to win a bar bet, simply ask someone to name the two quarterbacks who, since 2020, have seen over 40% of their passing fantasy points come via the deep pass.
Jalen Hurts is one of the answers and that tracks. He threatens defenses in a variety of ways and has a pair of elite playmakers.
Based on the heading, you know that Derek Carr is the other. Of course, part of that is that he isn’t a high-volume passer, but the soft touch on those long throws is something that largely goes unnoticed.
Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are known quantities when it comes to home-run hitting — both of whom return and could be set for career years. But this is the part that has me interested in Superflex situations …
- 6’2” Cedrick Wilson Jr.
- 6’2” Marquez Callaway
- 6’5” A.T. Perry
Those are the next three receivers in my 2024 target projection for the Saints, and they’re all on the right side of 30 years old. Carr doesn’t go about accumulating fantasy points in the most exciting of fashions, but there is more potential than the public assumes. Sharp fantasy managers will take advantage of it.
Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young, QB
The Year 2 bump is clearly something you’re banking on if you’re going down this route in a Superflex setting. And when you combine that promise with the QB whispering capabilities of Dave Canales, things could get interesting as Carolina is routinely playing catch-up.
Canales was the quarterbacks coach in Seattle in 2022 and took over the offensive coordinator duties in Tampa Bay last season. You could, rather easily, argue that the quarterback who outperformed expectations by the most in each of those seasons came under the guiding hand of Canales.
Geno Smith had yet to develop consistency pre-Canales and was 15.3% worse in terms of fantasy points per game the year after he left.
Baker Mayfield, meanwhile, saw his fantasy production increase by 22.9% in Year 1 under Canales when compared to his three seasons prior.
The Panthers added a proven target earner in Diontae Johnson this offseason, giving Young a path to more consistency. He’s not going to be a starter in 1QB leagues, but outright dismissing him in deeper formats isn’t wise.