Few players offer the league-winning ceiling play that Anthony Richardson can for fantasy football.
Richardson’s fantasy outlook has multiple layers to help you win your league. He has a cannon of an arm, talented players around him, a tremendous offensive scheme, and can provide a Konami Code level of mobility from the quarterback position.
Richardson looks like he was built in a lab. He stands 6’4″ and weighs 230 pounds. His game has shades of Cam Newton, plus some of his own. But we have not seen much of him due to an injury that shortened his rookie season.
So, how should we approach the Indianapolis Colts quarterback in drafts this season? Let’s break down Richardson’s fantasy outlook for 2024.
Anthony Richardson’s Fantasy Profile for the 2024 Season
Let’s break down the first five weeks of the 2023 NFL season since those are the weeks that Richardson played before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Colts protected Richardson by only allowing him to attempt 84 passes, which ranked him 32nd in the NFL. TruMedia ranks Richardson’s accuracy as the 32nd-best in the NFL, as he only produced a 59.5% completion percentage. No matter how you slice it, Richardson didn’t reach his pinnacle in the passing game.
Now, let’s discuss his rushing ability during that same time frame. Richardson had 25 rushing attempts, which was the seventh-best in the NFL for quarterbacks. In those 25 attempts, he created the seventh-best total yardage with 136 yards while running for the 12th-highest yards per rush. Richardson also produced four rushing touchdowns, which led all quarterbacks in that time frame.
What do all these stats teach us? They show that we have yet to see Richardson’s ceiling.
We know his legs can provide us with QB1 stats every week, but once Richardson gets in rhythm with his passing skills, watch out, because his cannon arm can raise him to 1.01-level discussions.
Is Richardson a Good Fantasy Pick?
At his average draft position of 52, Richardson is one of the must-draft fantasy football players this season.
Richardson faces the sixth-easiest strength of schedule for quarterbacks this season, and the Colts have loaded up the talent around their young quarterback.
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Richardson will get to throw to veteran Michael Pittman, second-year talent Josh Downs, and rookie Adonai Mitchell.
Richardson also faces the Denver Broncos, Tennessee Titans, and New York Giants in the fantasy football playoffs, which only helps to sweeten the pot and make you want to draft him.
It’s rare to find a quarterback like Richardson, who broke 39 tackles on 97 carries in his last college season. Richardson is the definition of explosive.
You’ll have to deal with the higher rate of uncatchable passes he creates, but thankfully, those stats don’t ruin a fantasy outlook.
The biggest issue with drafting Richardson is that the Colts’ bye lands in Week 14, making a crucial week in the fantasy season difficult for you. You’ll have to be shrewd with your waiver wire decisions and possibly find your Week 14 quarterback early in the season to circumvent the bye week issue.
Don’t let the bye scare you away from this league-winning talent in 2024.