Key Position of Quarter Back in 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers
Key Position of Quarter Back in 2023 Fantasy Football Draft Sleepers
At significant position of quarter back, Desmond Ridder of Atlanta Falcons, struggled with accuracy as a rookie but was an immediate upgrade over Marcus Mariota.
Quarter back, Ridder could improve in Year Two, thanks to the opportunity to play inside and to throw to rising pass catchers Drake London and Kyle Pitts.
Pitts is poised to erupt after London had one of the best seasons ever by a player his age. The Falcons also have a solid offensive line and recruited explosive receiver Bijan Robinson in the first round of the draft.
Ridder Targeting Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo
Anthony Richardson of the Indianapolis Colts
Richardson has fewer than 400 career college throw attempts, but his rushing ability provides immediate fantasy upside (and floor).
AR is a unique athlete in the quarterback position. Richardson, although being a raw quarterback, does not take sacks, has a good arm, and should prosper under Shane Steichen. He also gets to play indoors and with a strong pass-catching group (Michael Pittman Jr. is a future star whose stats don’t reflect his abilities).
Richardson’s ECR is simply unacceptably poor
Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Jones is an excellent runner who ranked fifth among quarterbacks in rushing yards (and fifth in designed carries) last season. He just had four fewer carries and 54 fewer yards than Josh Allen.
Jones also had an NFL-high adjusted completion rate of 81.1%. In Brian Daboll’s system, he could truly come out in Year Two, especially with the arrival of Darren Waller.
Jones has primarily passed to scrubs during his career, but the Giants have a much improved pass-catching squad entering 2023. Jalin Hyatt, a rookie speedster, has impressed early on, while Jones is an underrated deep thrower who has looked good in camp.
Kenny Pickett of the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pickett’s fate is still up in the air, but he’s in a terrific position to show significant improvement in Year 2. Pittsburgh disappointingly brought back OC Matt Canada, but the Steelers finished 2022 on a high note, ranking third in yards per drive following the team’s Week 9 bye.
Pickett will be able to throw to great route runner Diontae Johnson, while George Pickens appears to be on the verge of breaking out in 2023. Pat Freiermuth is another of the top young pass-catcher tight ends. Pickett also has some running ability, making him a Superflex target.
Jaylen Warren also emerging as a major fantasy sleeper
Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers
Purdy is in the top system in the world and has just achieved the best passer rating by a rookie in league history, leading the league in touchdown passes after taking over SF’s starting spot. He was dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” despite breaking out when future stars usually do.
Kyle Shanahan clearly believes in Purdy, and the results speak for themselves. Purdy appears to be in good shape following elbow surgery, and he’ll put up QB1 fantasy numbers thanks to his system and the opportunity to throw to Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey.
Sam Howell, Washington Commander
Howell had a collegiate profile that would generally have him taken much higher, and he appears to be poised to take over as Washington’s starting quarterback.
He’ll face one of the league’s shakiest offensive lines, but Howell will also get to throw to one of the league’s greatest WR tandems in Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
Howell can also run, with systems predicting 40 rushing yards a game, which is equivalent to a passing touchdown in fantasy scoring. He’s an ideal Superflex target.
