2024 NFL Draft: Quarterback Landing Spots (Fantasy Football)
The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the books. Dynasty rookie draft season is in full swing right now and we need to start analyzing where all these young players landed. In this article, we’ll cover the 11 quarterbacks that were drafted this past week. Don’t forget to check the rest of this series: Running Back Landing Spots by Marvin Elequin and Wide Receiver Landing Spots by Joe Beldner.
Six QBs were drafted in the first round and three of them went in the first three picks as we all expected. It’s a special season for rookie QB talent. Or at least that’s what many people expect. But let’s not forget that infamous 2021 draft class in which Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance were the first three players off the board. The jury is still out on T-Law’s case, but it has been a disappointing generation so far.
Many of us have been getting our hands on these QBs in our dynasty rookie drafts, but let’s keep in mind that redraft leagues are a whole different world. As Sam DiSorbo explained in this article, rookie QBs tend to be very risky and they rarely exceed expectations to the point of high reward. Only three have finished inside the top 10 over the last four seasons.
Having said that, let’s take a look at this draft class’ QB landing spots and their fantasy outlook for 2024.
Caleb Williams – Chicago Bears
Round 1, Pick 1
Caleb Williams landed in an ideal spot for succeeding in fantasy. The Chicago Bears have been setting the table for Caleb the whole offseason. He has DJ Moore, who was a YAC monster last season. They brought in Keenan Allen, who helped Justin Herbert have a 4,336-yard rookie season. They also signed expert pass-catching RB D’Andre Swift to make things easier for him. And if that wasn’t enough, they drafted Rome Odunze, one of the top WR prospects from this class. The Bears were 27th in passing attempts last year, but they have made improvements to the offensive line, which will help Williams make the most out of his weapons. He might not make as many spectacular plays as he’d like, especially as a rookie, but he might have the necessary chops and the ideal landing spot to scratch the top 12 in fantasy.
Jayden Daniels – Washington Commanders
Round 1, Pick 2
Now let’s talk about the QB who arrived at the offense with the most pass attempts. The Washington Commanders drafted the Heisman winner and he will have a very good cast of offensive weapons at his disposal. Yes, Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson were far from great last season and Eric Bieniemy never found a way to take advantage of Sam Howell’s rushing ability. But the whole scheme should have significant adjustments now that they have a new GM, a new head coach, and a new offensive coordinator who have all been planning the offense around Daniels’ talents. A good deal of his Heisman season production came through the ground, so he might be worth a late-round dart throw in case Dan Quinn and Kliff Kingsbury can unlock his rushing prowess from the get-go.
Drake Maye – New England Patriots
Round 1, Pick 3
Under new head coach Jerod Mayo, the Patriots are trying to erase the past three seasons and start anew with Drake Maye as their QB of the future. Despite his high draft capital, it’s still too early to know if he will start the season. The Patriots signed Jacoby Brissett and it would make sense to put him in charge while Maye gets accustomed to the NFL. And even if he sees some action early in the season, his current weapons aren’t very exciting. Right now, his most interesting wide receiver might be second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk, and he will also go through a natural development period. The Patriots are still in rebuild mode and they don’t need to rush things. They have even hinted that they might use a Cleveland-style run-heavy scheme for this season. So Drake Maye might become a good fantasy quarterback eventually, but I wouldn’t expect him to have an impactful rookie season.
Michael Penix Jr. – Atlanta Falcons
Round 1, Pick 8
We all agree that this pick didn’t make a lot of sense. The Falcons signed Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract and then drafted the second-oldest QB from this class. The way I see it, the Falcons are trying to prepare for the moment Cousins retires, which might be before the end of his contract, since he is already 36 and coming back from a torn Achilles injury. And since they expect to be a winning team during the next few seasons, they might not be able to draft another top QB anytime soon. So they took one of the Heisman trophy contenders. If everything goes according to plan, Michael Penix Jr. shouldn’t see a lot of action this year. But if Cousins is forced to miss some time at any point of the season, Penix might become an intriguing waiver add.
J.J. McCarthy – Minnesota Vikings
Round 1, Pick 10
The Vikings tried to trade up even higher to get Drake Maye, but they ended up trading with the Jets to draft who they expect to be their next franchise quarterback. Since Kevin O’Connell arrived in Minnesota as head coach, the Vikings have turned into a very pass-happy offense. Last season they finished first in passing yards and fourth in pass attempts. In his last college season, J.J. McCarthy had an amazing 72% completion rate when playing under pressure. That’s the second-highest in this draft class. But he still has a lot to prove, since he only had 370 dropbacks in his final season, averaging no more than 22.6 pass attempts per game. In short, McCarthy will be good enough to maintain Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson’s fantasy value, but he will be a high-risk fantasy QB during his rookie year.
Bo Nix – Denver Broncos
Round 1, Pick 12
Bo Nix might not have the best arm in the class but his quick release and athleticism are traits that fit the offensive scheme Sean Payton used to run in New Orleans. At 24 years of age, you could say he is NFL-ready, so he should be able to earn the starting job considering his competitors are Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson. The Broncos also drafted Nix’s Oregon teammate Troy Franklin as the newest addition to a complicated WR corps: Courtland Sutton is still unhappy about his contract situation, Tim Patrick is coming back from injury (again), and Marvin Mims still has a lot to prove. Nix already has a good rapport with Franklin, but he will need more than that to succeed in his first year. His fantasy value will come down to how he is used because he can also run the ball. He ran for 1,613 yards and 38 touchdowns during his college career. If he gets enough designed runs mixed with a good amount of scrambles, he might be able to be somewhat relevant for fantasy this year.
Spencer Rattler – New Orleans Saints
Round 5, Pick 15
Considered one of the steals of the draft, Spencer Rattler fell all the way to the fifth round mainly because of how his college career played out. After losing the starting job at Oklahoma to Caleb Williams, he went to South Carolina where he had two very solid seasons with over 3,000 passing yards. Rattler has what it takes to develop into a good QB and he should immediately become the Saints’ backup. But he has very little chance of seeing any significant action in 2024.
Jordan Travis – New York Jets
Round 5, Pick 36
Jordan Travis could have been an earlier draft pick if he hadn’t fractured his left ankle in November. He will now finish his rehab as a third-stringer for the New York Jets, behind Aaron Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor. We can forget about him in fantasy for the time being.
Joe Milton III – New England Patriots
Round 6, Pick 17
The Patriots decided to add some QB depth in the sixth round and got themselves a solid deep thrower with special arm talent. But with Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett, and Bailey Zappe around, a lot of things would need to happen for Joe Milton III to see any action.
Devin Leary – Baltimore Ravens
Round 6, Pick 42
Devin Leary was the third-hardest thrower at the NFL combine, throwing a 60 mph bullet. He has decent arm talent but he still has a lot to learn. He is expected to be the Ravens QB3 and will have a chance to compete and take the backup job from Josh Johnson. Until that happens, there’s not much to expect from him fantasy-wise.
Michael Pratt – Green Bay Packers
Round 7, Pick 25
The Green Bay Packers sure know how to draft quarterbacks. Michael Pratt might have been the last QB off the board, but he was projected as a fourth or fifth-round prospect. The Packers got him at a discounted price and he will definitely be competing for the QB2 job. He is a disciplined pocket passer with a strong arm. If Jordan Love ever has to miss some time this season, we might see what Pratt can bring to the fantasy table as his backup.