Extracting value from your selections in dynasty startup drafts is one of the keys to winning your league’s championship in the early seasons. Each startup draft is its own unique case study because different fantasy managers approach their teams in different ways. You’ll see managers strictly prioritize youth over aging veterans, despite some veterans being able to still contribute to your team in the short term.
No one strategy is correct, but there is plenty of value to be had across all positions later in drafts. It’s important to remember that players selected well after the first few rounds will still be relied on reasonably heavily at times, and we’re here to help you find those values. Today we’re diving into who the value targets are at the quarterback position in startup drafts.
- 2024 NFL Draft Prospects to Watch: QB | RB | WR | TE | OT
- Dynasty Startup Draft Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Dynasty Rookie Primers: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
Dynasty Startup Value Draft Targets: QB (2023 Fantasy Football)
All ADP referenced is provided courtesy of DLF.
Jared Goff (QB – DET): QB20
Jared Goff is the quintessential boring fantasy football selection. Ahead of the 2022 season, he was also a value, and he proceeded to pass for over 4,000 yards and nearly 30 touchdowns with only seven interceptions. He finished as a top-12 option at quarterback and couldn’t have disappointed anyone who selected him in startups.
Now ahead of the 2023 season, he’s being selected as the QB20 in both single quarterback and superflex formats, poised to outperform his ADP again. Understandably, some of the youth at the quarterback position (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson) from this season alone help push him down, but Goff is an excellent target for those waiting on quarterbacks in single-quarterback formats. In superflex, you can sleep peacefully with Goff as your QB2, as he will likely flirt with another top-12 finish in 2023.
Ryan Tannehill (QB – TEN): QB33
The Tennessee Titans suffered a largely disappointing season in 2022, but we may be in a window to find some value on their roster now. After appearing in only 12 games, Ryan Tannehill finished outside the top-24 options at quarterback. Still, in the two years prior, he finished as a QB1 in consecutive seasons, thanks partly to seven rushing touchdowns in each campaign.
Tannehill needs to keep Will Levis and Malik Willis at bay to maintain fantasy value, but that is a probable outcome for the 2023 season. This will likely be his last season as a member of the Titans organization barring anything unforeseen (his contract has void years in 2024 and 2025). Still, in the short term, he could be a playable option at quarterback. He’s currently coming off the board as QB33 in superflex drafts, so even if the chance at a top-12 finish isn’t highly likely, he still has a solid chance at outperforming his current ADP.
Aaron Rodgers (QB – NYJ): QB24
In what was considered a down year for Aaron Rodgers, he still threw 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and just under 3,700 passing yards. Those numbers were with a relatively inexperienced wide receiver corps while battling a thumb injury.
Since then, Rodgers has been traded to the New York Jets, where he reunites with Nathaniel Hackett, his offensive coordinator from his back-to-back MVP seasons in 2020 and 2021. He also has some familiar weapons, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, to accompany the premier pass-catching option and reigning offensive rookie of the year, Garrett Wilson.
If you draft Rodgers in a startup, you’re playing the short game, but with a tantalizing upside. It seems likely he will play at least two seasons in New York at this point, and if he does, he is easily worth his current price tag. Currently being drafted as the QB24 in both superflex and single quarterback formats, a reinvigorated Rodgers has a chance to go scorched earth for the Jets in 2023.
Sam Howell (QB – WAS): QB29
The Washington Commanders seem set on giving Sam Howell every opportunity to stake his claim to the starting quarterback job now and in the future. The team also brought in Jacoby Brissett to compete, but if Howell can hold him off, he could be a massive value for fantasy managers.
Howell is an underrated athlete who is more of a dual-threat option than he’s ever been given credit for. In his lone start in 2022, he had five rushing attempts for 35 yards and a touchdown. In his junior season at North Carolina, he racked up 828 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.
He will have solid receiving options in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson and capable running backs to lean on in Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson. Howell is currently being drafted as the QB30 in single quarterback formats and the QB29 in superflex. The upside alone that he possesses if he does hit is worth those prices. If it all comes together for him this season, we could see a scenario where he’s treated like a high-end QB2 in 2024.
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