Fantasy Football: 2019 NFL Draft QB Landing Spots
In the 2018 NFL Draft, we saw an extremely talented group of quarterbacks enter the league. With five QBs coming off the board in Round 1 alone, we saw all of them have different levels of fantasy success in year one.
While this class certainly did not have the same sort of pedigree, there are some players who can come in and contribute to your team in a big way in 2019. Or at the very least be streaming candidates in a plus matchup.
Winning your 2019 league all starts here…knowing which quarterbacks can be a value for you and which ones you need to stay away from this year. Let’s take a look at the top QB’s selected in the 2019 NFL Draft and their fantasy outlook moving forward.
Kyler Murray – Arizona Cardinals
Round 1, Pick 1 (1st Overall)
Kyler Murray was widely expected to be the #1 overall selection in this year’s draft due to his connection to new head coach, Kliff Kingsbury. With that being said, it wasn’t just his connection to Kingsbury that ultimately made him the #1 overall selection; Murray can flat out play. He’s a dual-threat QB in the vein of Michael Vick that can beat you with a cannon of an arm or blow right by you for a 20+ yard gain on the ground. He’s going to be special in this new-age NFL and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him have a Patrick Mahomes like impact in the near future.
2019 Competition: Brett Hundley
Kyler Murray 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Sooners cut the Texas lead to 7 pic.twitter.com/7j061LlHlv
— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) October 6, 2018
Daniel Jones – New York Giants
Round 1, Pick 6 (6th Overall)
The national media and fans have absolutely torn this pick to shreds. Was Daniel Jones a bit of a reach at #6 overall? Yes, I do believe so. However, Jones is not as incompetent as everyone seems to be as hellbent on making him seem. Jones is a game manager and that’s exactly what Pat Shurmur wanted for his West Coast-based offense. With that being said though, he delivers almost every ball with accuracy in the short to intermediate passing game, he has underrated mobility and he has a willingness to stand in the pocket and take the hit to deliver the pass downfield. So many people are going to be off of Jones based on what they’re reading from other sources, but I think you need to be paying attention to Jones moving forward. Whenever he gets on the field, he could be useful for fantasy based on his accuracy…not to mention the floor he’ll bring with his rushing ability.
2019 Competition: Eli Manning
I'm currently watching Daniel Jones film vs. Clemson and this…this is a big boy throw.
I'm coming away really impressed with Jones' accuracy and willingness to stand in the pocket. He might not have the ceiling of a Haskins or Murray, but he might have the highest floor. pic.twitter.com/jBymcshIhq
— Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL) April 22, 2019
Dwayne Haskins – Washington Redskins
Round 1, Pick 15 (15th Overall)
In three years time, this might be looked back on as the steal of the draft. Haskins is an ultra-talented, high character quarterback who has never seemingly gotten the respect he deserves. He sat behind J.T. Barrett at Ohio State, who was not anywhere close to the same talent level as a thrower that Haskins is and experienced a draft day slide all the way to 15 overall. After finally getting the chance to play, Haskins threw for 4,831 yards and 50 TDs this past season. Against the top-level competition, Haskins lit up the Big Ten with precision passing and a cannon of an arm. Haskins will need some time to adjust to the NFL game, as most rookie QB’s do, but after that, he can be a dominant pocket passer in this league for years to come. The Redskins got a steal with this selection…
2019 Competition: Case Keenum, Colt McCoy
Drew Lock – Denver Broncos
Round 2, Pick 10 (42nd Overall)
Drew Lock is discussed in the same breath as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes when it comes to arm strength. Once considered to be a top-15 “lock” (nailed it), the former Missouri quarterback saw a slide to the 2nd round. While this may cause people to have some reservations about his game, this may actually be a better long-term situation for him versus going to a team in the top-15 of the NFL Draft. He will now have the benefit of sitting behind a veteran and cleaning up some aspects of his game without having the pressure to start right away. If Joe Flacco can “hold down the fort” for another year or so, Lock will be able to adjust without the pressure assigned to a rookie starting QB and will then step into a loaded arsenal of pass-catchers. While Lock shouldn’t be on the fantasy radar for 2019, barring an injury, his long-term fantasy outlook is promising.
2019 Competition: Joe Flacco
WHAT. A. THROW.@MizzouFootball's Drew Lock with an absolute DIME for the 79-yard TD! https://t.co/p1hYRqnKI3 pic.twitter.com/y7LfzI8dFL
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) December 28, 2017
Will Grier – Carolina Panthers
Round 3, Pick 37 (100th Overall)
This is an interesting selection given the surrounding circumstances. Cam Newton is currently rehabbing a significant shoulder injury and has two years left on his current contract. I personally don’t believe the “high” investment in a QB means that they’ll be moving on from Newton in the near future, but it does make it interesting moving forward. Grier has shown flashes of talent in college, but barring a setback in Newton’s rehab, Grier is unlikely to see the field in 2019.
2019 Competition: Cam Newton
Jarrett Stidham – New England Patriots
Round 4, Pick 31 (133rd Overall)
Stidham had a solid 2017 season at Auburn University and was widely regarded as one of the best prospects for the QB position in the 2019 NFL Draft. However, in 2018, Auburn took a big step backward as a program and Stidham never took the “leap” many analysts expected from him. The offensive line was shaky week after week and the surrounding weapons were nothing to write home about…despite this, Stidham still showed flashes of a solid NFL QB. He now ends up in New England with a very real chance of being Tom Brady‘s successor. We are unsure when Brady is going to retire, but Stidham has the opportunity of a lifetime to sit behind the greatest to ever play the position and learn. It might take a few years, but Stidham could step right in and continue the Patriots’ run. He has the talent. It’s just a question of which Stidham you’ll get on the field; 2017 or 2018?
Potential Brady successor?
New England drafts Auburn's Jarrett Stidham. pic.twitter.com/uWXfPsZqwI
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 27, 2019