3 QB2s With Top-5 Potential (2024 Fantasy Football)

With fantasy football managers becoming sharper by the day, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to implement the popular late-round quarterback strategy in drafts. Talented high-upside quarterbacks simply don’t slip into the double-digit rounds how they used to.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t value to be found at the quarterback position, it just means we have to adjust our strategy a bit. If you miss out on the upper echelon of fantasy quarterbacks, you might have to implement a mid-round quarterback strategy to offset the rise in QB knowledge. Here are three QB2s with top-five potential.

Quarterbacks With Top-5 Potential

Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA): ECR 85 | QB13

After spending most of the offseason ranked as a QB1, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has recently dropped to QB2 territory in the latest FantasyPros expert consensus rankings (ECR). While he might not offer the same rushing upside as some of those above him, there’s reason to believe Tagovailoa could massively outproduce his QB13 ranking.

For one, Tagovailoa has shown QB1 upside multiple times since being paired with head coach Mike McDaniel. Tagovailoa has weekly finishes of QB5 or better on seven separate occasions over the past two seasons. There have been nearly as many QB3 finishes, but Tagovailoa has been a spike-week quarterback with week-winning upside. He just needs to eliminate the rock-bottom performances.

Another reason to believe in Tagovailoa is the offense around him. Not only is Tagovailoa paired with an offensive genius, but he also gets to spread the ball around to the likes of Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Odell Beckham Jr. and Jonnu Smith. The additions of Beckham Jr. and Smith might seem minor on paper, but they could help Tagovailoa as reliable secondary options.

Caleb Williams (QB – CHI): ECR 91 | QB15

Until recently, rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels have been viewed as QB2s in early fantasy drafts. That recently changed as Daniels jumped above Tagovailoa in ECR, but you can still get No. 1 overall pick Williams in the QB15 range of fantasy drafts.

Williams doesn’t offer the same rushing upside as Daniels, but the value is too good to pass up. Chicago has surrounded Williams with a plethora of weapons (DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, D’Andre Swift) to help him reach his full potential as early as Year 1. Investing in rookie quarterbacks is always risky, but the downside is already baked into his current average draft position (ADP) of 113 overall.

Will Levis (QB – TEN): ECR 140 | QB24

It would be easy to hype up Trevor Lawrence or Justin Herbert here, but let’s dig a little bit deeper. If you’re completely punting the position or looking for a cheap QB2 in Superflex leagues, Titans quarterback Will Levis is an intriguing late-round option.

Levis burst onto the scene with four touchdowns and 26.6 fantasy points in his first career start, but he struggled with consistency as a rookie. In seven full games, Levis scored 15+ fantasy points on three separate occasions. However, he also scored fewer than 10 fantasy points in three starts.

Despite that inconsistency, there’s reason for optimism heading into Year 2. Tennessee has pivoted to a more offensive-minded head coach after hiring Brian Callahan from the Cincinnati Bengals. With Callahan’s scheme paired with Tennesse’s offensive weapons (Calvin Ridley, Deandre Hopkins, Tyler Boyd, Tony Pollard, Tyjae Spears), Levis is a potential sleeper at the quarterback position.