By now, most fantasy football managers have heard of the term Konami Code. As it sounds, it’s become a cheat code of sorts. Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis coined the term as it relates to fantasy football. In his words from this 2013 article:
If you’ve never played Contra, it doesn’t matter (except we can never be friends). What’s important is that this is the most famous cheat code ever created. And I’m here to tell you that the Konami Code has been entered into our game of Fantasy Football, namely the rushing quarterbacks and how they affect standard scoring.
Since then, rushing quarterbacks have taken the league by storm. It’s important to know the strategy and identify potential Konami Code quarterbacks to target in fantasy football drafts. Here’s a look at some of 2024’s crop of Konami Code quarterbacks.
- 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 Fantasy Football Rankings
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Fantasy Football Mock Draft Simulator
Konami Code Rushing Quarterbacks
Pat Fitzmaurice breaks down Konami Code Rushing Quarterbacks to consider in upcoming fantasy football drafts.
A dangerous dual-threat quarterback, Kyler Murray will enter the 2024 season more than a year removed from the torn ACL that prematurely ended his 2022 season and delayed his first start of 2023 until Week 10. Since entering the NFL in 2019, Murray has averaged 20.9 fantasy points per game. We saw his ceiling in 2020, when Murray averaged 24.4 fantasy points per game and finished QB2 in fantasy scoring behind only Josh Allen. Murray is a decent passer, with a career completion percentage of 66.6% and a career average of 7.0 yards per pass attempt. But he is an exceptional runner who’s averaged 37.7 rushing yards per game over his career and has 26 touchdown runs in 65 games. The Cardinals bolstered a below-average WR corps by spending the No. 4 pick in the NFL Draft on Marvin Harrison Jr., and the 2023 emergence of TE Trey McBride as a pass catcher should help give Murray sufficient pass-catching firepower.
The Washington Commanders selected this dynamic run-pass threat with the No. 2 pick in the draft and are hoping they’ve found a long-term answer at quarterback. Daniels won the Heisman Trophy last year, throwing for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns at LSU, with only four interceptions. He also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. Daniels completed 72.2% of his throws in his final college season and averaged an outrageous 11.7 yards per pass attempt. Daniels probably won’t be able to replicate that sort of passing success in his first exposure to NFL defenses, but Daniels’ rushing ability should make him immediately playable in fantasy leagues.
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams figures to be a Day 1 starter for the Bears, who have given their rookie quarterback an embarrassment of pass-catching riches with the WR trio of D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen and No. 9 overall draft pick Rome Odunze. After transferring from Oklahoma to USC in 2022, Williams won the Heisman Trophy in his first season with the Trojans, throwing for 42 touchdowns and running for 10 more. Williams was slightly less spectacular in 2023 but still had a fine season for a defensively weak USC squad that asked its quarterback to carry the team all year. Williams has abundant arm talent and mobility. He’s a creative quarterback who excels at making plays out of structure. There’s always a steep learning curve for rookie quarterbacks, but C.J. Stroud just reminded us that a high-quality rookie QB can be fantasy-viable right away.
Fantasy Football Draft Rankings
Check out the consensus 2024 fantasy football draft rankings from our experts.
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