Looking for some hidden value at the quarterback position in your 2024 fantasy football drafts? The team at Yahoo Fantasy highlights five of their favorite QB sleepers to consider in the late rounds.
Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Daniels might not feel like a sleeper at the end of draft season, as his draft price is gradually rising. Nonetheless, I still want you to target him. The stats Daniels posted in his Heisman Trophy season were almost too good to be true — 40 touchdown passes, just four interceptions and a ridiculous 1,134 yards rushing. And remember, stat rules are different in college — they count sack yardage as minus rushing yards.
Daniels isn't stepping into the luxury SUV the Bears have prepared for Caleb Williams, but the Washington skill talent isn't bad, especially veteran WR Terry McLaurin. And while Kliff Kingsbury drove fantasy managers crazy as a head coach, maybe he's one of those coaches who works better as a coordinator.
Bottom line, Daniels is an exciting dual-threat prospect. Every time I hear a fantasy pundit talk up Anthony Richardson as a breakout pick, I think to myself that Daniels offers a similar upside and is available about four rounds later. — Scott Pianowski
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers
Fields did some good things (5-for-6, 67 passing yards) and some bad things (two sacks, two fumbled snaps) in his Steelers debut. Overall, he didn’t gain ground on Russell Wilson, who is expected to return from a calf injury in time for the second preseason game. But before we crown the 35-year-old Wilson — who Denver couldn’t wait to release — as the starter, let’s see how he fares behind an unsettled offensive line.
Fields is rostered in just 14% of Yahoo! leagues, and if the Ohio State alum wins this job, he instantly becomes a top-10 fantasy QB on the strength of incredible rushing ability that led to 1,143 yards in 2022 and 657 yards in 13 games last year.
Do you really need to draft the likes of Rashod Bateman or Khalil Herbert in the last round? Instead, grab Fields, who will either be the best late-round pick in your draft or an easy player to cut before Week 1 if you need the roster space. — Fred Zinkie
Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Let the record show that Cousins was one of the right answers in fantasy football for the first eight weeks of the 2023 season before a torn Achilles abruptly ended a potential monster year. Had he played a full 17 games at his first-half pace, he would have finished with 4,953 passing yards and 38 scores. Both of those totals would have led the league, which of course would have forced his name into an already-weird MVP conversation.
After landing in Atlanta, the setup for Cousins isn't quite as ideal as it might have been had he re-signed with Minnesota, but it’s not a massive downgrade, either. He’ll have a few legit weapons at his disposal, including this 6-foot-4, third-year receiver who’s never experienced NFL life with a serious QB:
Dotted in the corner 🎯 @KirkCousins8 x @DrakeLondon_ pic.twitter.com/yngprJTQMJ
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) June 4, 2024
Offseason reports on Cousins’ recovery have been plenty encouraging, so we don’t have any significant worries on that front. He may not pick up precisely where he left off in 2023, but his new OC Zac Robinson is installing an offense that isn’t entirely unfamiliar to Kirk — it’s just a different branch of the Sean McVay tree. The floor for Cousins in a healthy season remains 4,000-plus yards and 25 TD passes. — Andy Behrens
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Am I allowed to call a former No. 1 overall pick a sleeper option at QB? This year, I think so, as Trevor Lawrence is currently coming off the board in Yahoo leagues as the QB19. Lawrence disappointed fantasy managers in a big way last year, but his 2023 campaign was riddled with several injuries, including a knee bruise, ankle sprain, concussion and an A/C joint separation — ouch.
This year, the freshly-paid (and healthy) Lawrence will be passing to a talented receiving corps, with the offseason additions of first-round WR Brian Thomas Jr. and free-agent signing Gabe Davis joining the ranks alongside Christian Kirk and Evan Engram. Expect some positive regression in the touchdown department, which was at a lowly 3.7% in 2023, in a year where Lawrence looks to notch his third consecutive season of 4,000+ receiving yards. — Kate Magdziuk
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith’s stats took a big step back last year, but he was quietly top 10 in success rate from a clean pocket and under pressure. He also led the league in Big Time Throw% on deep passes for the second straight year while recording the fourth-best pressure-to-sack ratio behind a horrific offensive line. The Seahawks produced the fewest plays in the league thanks to unsustainably poor success on third downs (on both sides of the ball) which should regress in 2024.
Seattle’s o-line should also improve this season, and new OC Ryan Grubb will use more motion and was extremely aggressive in college. Smith gets to throw to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and a healthy Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Year 2 in a division featuring shootouts and is one season removed from leading the NFC in passing touchdowns. Considering he isn’t being drafted in 94% of Yahoo leagues, he’s a sleeper. — Dalton Del Don
