Dark Horse Candidates To Be QB1 Overall In 2024 Fantasy Football
Dark Horse Candidates For QB1 In 2024 Fantasy Football
Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes are the obvious candidates to be the QB1 overall in 2024 fantasy football. But there are three “dark horse” candidates who have the upside to get there. Their situation, skill set, and weapons make them intriguing options to be the top scoring quarterback. You’ll notice they all have one thing in common.
Related: The Only Quarterbacks You Need To Draft In 2024
Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray might be the most underrated quarterback in all of fantasy football. He is incredibly consistent year-over-year and now he’s a full year removed from the ACL injury that cost him the end of the 2022 season and the first half of 2023. Even coming off the injury, Murray performed well down the stretch. He scored as a top-12 quarterback five times, completed 66% of his passes, and ranked top-10 among quarterbacks in fantasy points per dropback. Murray’s legs looked healthy, too. He ran five or more times in seven-of-eight games and totaled 244 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. He had the offense rolling, too, averaging 22.4 points per game in his eight starts. That would have slotted between the Texans at 22.7 and the Chiefs at 22.2 (FantasyAlarm).
We forget how good Kyler Murray has been in fantasy football during his career. It didn’t always look pretty in the dreadful Kliff Kingsbury offense, but Murray seemed to always get there for fantasy purposes. In his career, Murray has scored as the QB11 (rookie season), QB3, QB4, and QB7. Then upon his return from the ACL, he was the QB9 in fantasy points per game. Injury recovery aside, Murray was still playing in a brand new offense that he never practiced with prior to his return. He was rehabbing during the offseason installs and training camp.
Now, Murray has a full offseason and preseason to work with his teammates and coaches. He will also get to enjoy new weapons and a bolstered offensive line. Rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. will be a major difference maker on top of last year’s breakout star tight end Trey McBride.
Kyler Murray could break fantasy football in 2024. He has legitimate QB1 overall upside. He’s got his health, great weapons, an improved offensive line, and a bad defense on the other side that should keep him throwing (and running). The konami code factor could have him scoring among the elite players at the position. Yet, you can get him at a multi-round discount compared to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Patrick Mahomes. Even Anthony Richardson, CJ Stroud, and Joe Burrow often go ahead of him in drafts. Kyler Murray will be one of my most drafted quarterbacks in 2024. I urge you to follow suit.
Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson’s rookie season seemed to end about as fast as it began. But, man, when he was on the field, he was electric. He started four games but only made it through two healthy. In those two games, he averaged more than 25 fantasy points and scored as the QB2 and QB4. A lot of that was due to his legs. He ran for 136 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in three of his four games. It was an extremely small sample, but Richardson ranked No. 5 among quarterbacks in rush attempts per game and No. 3 in red zone carries per game. That all culminated in 0.81 fantasy points per dropback which would have ranked best among all quarterbacks.
Now healthy heading into the 2024 season, Anthony Richardson holds as much upside as any quarterback in fantasy football. He will pair his incredible rushing ability with improved weaponry around him. Remember, Richardson only played about half a game with Jonathan Taylor in the backfield last season. It will be fun to see those two pair up for a lethal rushing attack. The team also brought back wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr who had a breakout campaign in 2023. They added Adonai Mitchell in the second round of the draft and are returning Josh Downs for his second season after an impressive first year.
That sets up the Colts as potentially one of the best offenses in the NFL. Led by rookie head coach Shane Steichen, the Indy offense impressed even with Gardner Minshew under center. Richardson’s skill set compared to Minshew’s opens up so many more possibilities down the field, in the red zone, and in the run game. Richardson will also benefit from the fast pace of Steichen’s play calling. In fact, the Colts were top-3 in pace of play in 2023. The faster an offense plays, the more plays they run, and the more opportunities to score fantasy points there are.
There is no reason why a healthy Anthony Richardson can’t be a top-5 quarterback in fantasy football. He has the skill set, the supporting cast, and a sharp offensive play caller putting him in position to succeed. He will challenge the likes of Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes, and Josh Allen to be the top scoring quarterback in all of fantasy football. Yet, you can draft him multiple rounds after those guys come off the board. Anthony Richardson is the league-winning quarterback of 2024.
More: The Worst Pick In Every Round of 2024 Fantasy Football Drafts
Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels is officially the Week 1 starter for the Washington Commanders. He’s also officially the most underrated quarterback in fantasy football. Daniels is coming off a heisman trophy winning season after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards and scoring 50 total touchdowns at LSU. He also ran for over 1,100 yards. And that’s where his value for us as fantasy gamers comes in. We all know the impact rushing yards and rushing touchdowns have for quarterbacks in fantasy football. I mean, just look at the top quarterbacks by ADP right now. It’s Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Patrick Mahomes. All four—especially Hurts, Allen, and Lamar—are high level rushers. Even beyond them, we have Kyler Murray and Anthony Richardson. The only reason Jayden Daniels isn’t with that group is because he is a rookie.
And that’s fair. I’m not asking anyone to rank or draft Jayden Daniels among the elite quarterbacks in fantasy. However, Daniels could absolutely have a similar impact. He has the arm to make all the throws and he will utilize his legs a ton as he adapts to the NFL game. Think about it. He’s a rookie quarterback who isn’t yet fully acclimated to the speed and complexity of NFL defenses. So what’s he going to do when he gets in trouble? He’s going to lean on his instincts and athleticism and pull the ball down and run. That immediately gives him a high floor for fantasy purposes. So even if he experiences some rookie growing pains, he will still be a quality fantasy asset.
Where the ceiling comes in, though, is if he hits as a passer. And that’s totally possible. He certainly has the arm talent and the weapons to make it happen. So if everything hits, Jayden Daniels could have an RGIII-like rookie season and set the fantasy world on fire.
Which quarterback do you think has the best chance to finish QB1 overall n 2024 fantasy football? Join us on Discord and let’s discuss!
RANKINGS | REDRAFT | DYNASTY |
Fantasy Football Season Is NOW At Underdog. Sign up and draft now! Use Promo-Code: YARDSPER to claim your Special Pick + First Time Deposit offer up to $1,000 in bonus cash!
