5 high-upside quarterbacks to target late in fantasy drafts

Fantasy analyst JJ Zachariason popularized the late-round quarterback strategy back in 2012, and ever since we have been looking for gems in the late rounds of our fantasy drafts. If you can find a consistent quarterback late in your drafts, you can gain a massive advantage over someone who drafts one in the early rounds because that means they passed up on a good running back or wide receiver.

Last year, if you drafted Brock Purdy, CJ Stroud, or Jordan Love who were being drafted as the QB19 or later, you probably ended up in the fantasy playoffs as they all ended as top-12 options.

These are some of the most likely players who are being drafted outside the top-12 quarterbacks who can jump into the QB1 conversation. To find the late-round quarterbacks to consider, we need to look for talent and situation, meaning they can distribute the ball and who have the pass-catchers to take advantage of that.

Here are five quarterbacks currently being drafted outside the top 12 at their position who could make the leap and become top-tier producers.

Jayden Daniels - 107 overall, QB13

The 2023 Heisman winner was picked second overall in the NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders. They have an entirely new organization from the top down, with a new owner, coach, coordinators, and a new quarterback in Daniels.

He is a dual-threat quarterback who does not only rely on his rushing; this past season at LSU he ran for over a thousand yards and passed for nearly 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns. These are the type of numbers that can win fantasy championships, and right now his ADP is right around the round eight to nine turn in a standard 12-team league.

Daniels immediately gets to work with Terry McLaurin — who has four consecutive seasons of 75 catches and over a thousand yards — plus talented pass catchers in Jahan Dotson, Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, and fellow rookies Ben Sinnott and Luke McCaffrey. There is a lot to like about his situation, and Daniels is talented enough to take advantage, so we could quickly see him become a top-10 option for the position. 

Justin Herbert - 116 overall, QB16

This one feels like an overcorrection after a poor year in 2023. Herbert is immensely talented and while it has not led to much playoff success, it has led to fantasy success. He has been a top-12 option each of his first three years and was well on his way before being injured last season.

Through the first 11 weeks of last season, Herbert was behind only Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen in fantasy points per game. While we are unsure of who his top receiving option will be with Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler gone, we do know that Herbert has one of the biggest arms in the league and is likely to throw the ball over 500 times, and can rush the ball around the goal line which can lead to easy fantasy points.

Aaron Rodgers - 137 overall, QB18

He is entering his age-40 season and coming off a torn Achilles, but it is hard to count out a guy who has 4 MVPs on his resume. Rodgers can take care of the ball and throw lots of touchdowns, which will be the way he can make it as a top-12 quarterback even though he’s valued as the 18th QB being taken in ADP. He will be working with a greatly improved offensive line compared to the previous year, and he has some of the top weapons in the NFL.

Breece Hall may be the top running back in all of football, and Garrett Wilson has been incredible despite having a horrible quarterback play his first two years. In addition, Rodgers will have Mike Williams and third-round rookie Malachi Corley as complementary pieces. There is a chance that Rodgers is done and will never be relevant for fantasy again, but he has the opportunity this year to outpace his ADP and vault back into the top tier.

Will Levis - 165 overall, QB24

In his rookie season, Levis showed flashes of being a solid NFL quarterback. He had one game with four touchdowns and another with over 300 yards with a rushing touchdown. If he can bring some more consistency in year two, Levis will have the ability to vastly outproduce his current ADP.

DeAndre Hopkins is currently injured and may miss the beginning of the season, but the team also signed Calvin Ridley to a large contract to be a key piece of this offense. When they are healthy the duo should provide a solid base for Levis, and both Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears can catch passes out of the backfield and should help inflate some of Levis’ numbers. The Titans also have Chig Okonkwo and Treylon Burks who were disappointing in year two, but we should be open to the possibility they can be contributors in year three even if they aren’t the fantasy superstars we wanted them to be.

With new coach Brian Callahan who helped oversee the development of Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, plus all these weapons, Levis has the opportunity to beat out his current ADP and be a consistent option as the QB 10-15 in the same range as Kirk Cousins or Jared Goff. 

Geno Smith - 171 overall, QB26

We are just one year removed from a QB5 overall season from Geno, and while we expected a regression back to the mean for him, it hit hard. He ended 2023 as the QB19 and threw only 20 touchdowns while battling injuries and poor offensive line play.

The good news is that Geno still gets to throw to DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, plus Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet out of the backfield. While 2023 was not great, he still showed flashes of the 2022 version from Weeks 10 to 18 Smith was QB12 in fantasy points per game. Geno should easily be able to beat his QB26 ADP and is one of the few quarterbacks going this late that can jump into the top-five fantasy option.