While most people view the Super Bowl as the last game of 2019, to us in dynasty, we see it a bit differently. It means it’s the official start of dynasty mock draft and startup season. For us, this season is invaluable. We work on our strategies and find out the best way for us to draft to end up with the desired team. Too many times, people go into a draft with no game plan or draft strategy only to draft and end up with a team they are unhappy with when it is all said and done. In a redraft league, you are bad for a year, lick your wounds, and move on. But in dynasty, a lousy draft puts you into rebuilding mode for years to come. This is even more paramount when it comes to quarterbacks in Superflex leagues.
As more and more people make the jump into the deep end with dynasty and the rise of Superflex popularity, having a game plan becomes essential to not only long-term success but general enjoyment. No one enjoys being in the back of the pack and unable to compete for a championship. As we get more and more drafts under our belt, we start to develop a feel of when to target certain guys or when to let some pass knowing that we can get another player we like later on. The same can be said for a QB in Superflex leagues.
Yes, I fully admit I love having guys like Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson on a roster. Knowing that you have an advantage against most players every week is a huge confidence booster. If you want a guy like them on your roster, it’s going to take a pretty penny to acquire them in your draft, especially in Superflex dynasty leagues, where starting quarterbacks are at an absolute premium. Where you can get an advantage at the quarterback position is knowing where to find value in the mid-tiers of your rankings. Finding the right guy here to either double up on or for your QB2 can be a great bit of balance to add to the skill position pieces you were able to draft due to them falling in drafts.
Here I want to go over some of my favorite mid-tier quarterbacks in Superflex leagues to help give you a few guys to keep in mind when you are making your early selections knowing they will be waiting later on.
Jared Goff – Los Angeles Rams
Jared Goff is one of those quarterbacks who, if I end up with as my QB2 in a Superflex league, I feel like I am in a good spot with my team. Of all quarterbacks in the NFL, Goff is one of only three quarterbacks to throw for more than 4,100 yards in both 2018 and 2019. The others are Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan. Goff, however, did it at an even higher level, surpassing 4,600 yards in both seasons, with 4,638 passing yards in 2019. Goff is on an offense that loves to keep the ball in the quarterbacks’ hands, which showed with the Rams throwing the ball with the third-highest percentage in the NFL last year.
I currently have Goff ranked as my #11 quarterback in dynasty rankings, but don’t be surprised if you see him go a bit lower than that on draft day. I don’t need a stud quarterback for my Superflex spot. I need a reliable QB who has talent around him with upside. That is precisely what Goff gives you.
He finished the year as QB13 on the season even though he tied for first in attempts (626) and was third in passing yards (4,638). What kept him from having another top-10 finish was the reduction in touchdowns from 2018, throwing just 22 last year. Some of the most talented players in the NFL surround Goff, and they are all under contract through the 2020 season. He is under contract through 2024, which takes away the risk of him seeing a new system and team anytime soon. Goff gives a solid QB2 floor with top-10 upside almost every week in dynasty.
Baker Mayfield – Cleveland Browns
It’s incredible how much the perspective of a player can change throughout one season. The Baker Mayfield people drafted in the first five quarterbacks is not who showed up in 2019, and his current ADP and rankings reflect that. Right now, Mayfield is my 13th ranked quarterback for Superflex dynasty leagues, and I believe in 2020, he will outperform that mid-tier ranking.
There is no getting around the fact that Mayfield had a regression in his sophomore season. Mayfield’s completion percentage (59.4, down from 63.8 in his rookie season), TD-to-INT ratio (22:21, down from 27:14), yards per attempt (7.2, down from 7.7), passing yards per game (239.2, down from 266.1) and passer rating (78.8, down from 93.7) all declined from his rookie year. However, it wasn’t just him.
The Cleveland Browns as a whole were a complete mess in 2019, which led to the sweeping changes we have seen in the offseason so far. Gone is Freddie Kitchens and in steps former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as the team’s new head coach. One of the least talked parts about this change, but maybe most significant, is his previous work as a quarterback’s coach with the Minnesota Vikings. Being able to come in and work on the footwork and fundamentals with Mayfield could prove to be a massive step in his development to being the franchise quarterback we think he could be.
Other than the questions surrounding Kareem Hunt, all of the primary weapons are coming back in 2020. Cleveland doesn’t need him to be a Top 5 quarterback; they need him to make the right reads and check downs. The same goes for fantasy. We don’t have to have Mayfield throw it deep every play to be successful. Just get the ball to his skill players and let them make the plays for him. If I can get Mayfield around the QB13 to QB15 range, I will take that all day long and bank on the upside he can bring. Not to mention the value a bounceback season can do for his trade value if the right offer comes along.
Kirk Cousins – Minnesota Vikings
It never fails that some players seem to get forgotten in dynasty leagues. Maybe they aren’t the flashiest, most athletic, or the new kid on the block, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a valuable asset worth acquiring. That is precisely what Kirk Cousins is. A 31-year old quarterback who had a down year in 2019. What people forget is he threw for over 4,000 yards in his previous four seasons. This was the first year in the last five seasons Cousins finished outside the QB1 threshold, only missing by 19 points.
When drafting, especially in a Superflex league, you like to find youth when you can, as they have the longest projected time left in their career. Unless you get a surprise like Andrew Luck, but that is a different story in itself. Even at 31, Cousins is still a very useful player to get at his given cost of ownership. He is my QB21 in dynasty rankings, but I do not expect that to be his production ranking at season end. If this were a redraft league, he would be much closer to the QB12 range for me as I think he is still a low-end QB1. But given the multi-year format that is a Superflex dynasty league, you can have that performance at a fraction of the price. I would be fine rolling out Cousins as my second quarterback, and he is one of my favorite mid-tier targets in 2020 drafts.
Notable Mentions:
- Drew Lock – Denver Broncos (QB19)
- Daniel Jones – New York Giants (QB15)
Be sure to follow us on Twitter: @PFN365 and @PFNDynasty to stay up to date with all things around the NFL and the 2020 fantasy football season. Also, continue to visit Pro Football Network for NFL news and in-depth analysis while also visiting our Fantasy Football section for more coverage. Make sure to regularly visit the Dynasty section, where I am continuously updating my 2020 1QB and Superflex Dynasty rankings.
Tommy Garrett is a writer for PFN covering Fantasy Football. You can follow him at @TommygarrettPFN on Twitter.