Below are three quarterbacks you should avoid and not bother with in fantasy football this season, regardless of their average draft position (ADP).
Overvalued Quarterbacks to Avoid
The quarterback position in fantasy football is one you can approach in numerous ways. You can aim to get the top guys like Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes, take a mid-tier player like Brock Purdy or wait until the double-digit rounds to take a chance on someone like Jayden Daniels. Either way, there are typically numerous quarterback options in 12-team 1-QB leagues.
Eliminating some of the potential choices could make your draft process that much easier, and that’s what I’ll aim to do here.
Kyler Murray is going as the QB10. While that’s a solid value for a quarterback with rushing upside, I’d prefer to stay away from this situation.
In 2023, Murray was the quarterback with the 10th-highest average points per game (19.1). He was injured at the start of the year and returned in Week 10.
From Week 10 to Week 17, he was the QB10.
The Cardinals added wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. in the draft this offseason but lost Marquise Brown. They still have Michael Wilson, but they also lost Rondale Moore. As for the backfield, they added Trey Benson in the third round to assist James Conner. He was a fantastic running back at Florida State, averaging 6.1 yards per carry across 316 carries.
While Harrison Jr. is a fantastic prospect, I’m not entirely sure how much better this passing game will be by adding him and losing Brown. However, adding Benson could eat into Murray’s potential rush attempts.
In Weeks 1-9 in 2022, Murray was the QB6. In that stretch, he averaged 6.5 rush attempts per game. In 2023, he averaged 5.5. He’s never thrown for more than 4,000 yards in a season and hasn’t thrown for 300 yards since Week 8 of 2022.
If Murray loses rushing production, he’ll lose fantasy value. I don’t hate Murray as a player, but I’d feel let down to walk away with him, so I’ll avoid him.
Going as the QB23, you can likely get away without even considering him, but Deshaun Watson is not a good quarterback anymore. Sure, the Browns added Jerry Jeudy, but he just hasn’t shown anything during this time with the Browns that provides any sense of potential.
He played in just six games in 2023 and averaged 15.1 points, which was 27th-most among quarterbacks. He had two 20+ game performances.
Since joining the Browns, he’s played in 12 games and has completed 59.8% of his passes for 2,217 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He’s also rushed 62 times for 317 yards and two touchdowns.
He threw an interception in four of the six games he played last season. If he had more rushing upside, I’d consider him more at this price point, but most performances are messy. I’m not going to bother with that at all on any of my teams.
Finishing as the QB17 in 2023, Lawrence is currently going as the QB17. Like many others, I have been waiting eagerly for Lawrence to break out; it just hasn’t happened yet. In 2023, he had only four games with 20+ points. Heading into this season, he lost Calvin Ridley but added Gabe Davis and Brian Thomas Jr. There will be a learning curve for Thomas Jr. to integrate into the league and Davis is a solid complimentary option.
He’s thrown for 4,000+ yards in the last two seasons, but the touchdown numbers aren’t there. He had 21 in 2023, 23 in 2022 and 12 as a rookie. He took a step back from his 2022 numbers, and he’s without a true No. 1 receiver like Ridley.
Despite the consistent 300 or so rushing yards and a few touchdowns, the upside isn’t here. I prefer to get a quarterback before this point or take a chance on Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins or even Geno Smith.
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