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In a move that didn't take anyone by surprise, the number one pick in the draft was named the starting quarterback by the team that picked him in April. Bryce Young will start for the Carolina Panthers.
Young led the SEC in passing yards in 2021, the year he won the Heisman Trophy, and he placed third in 2022. He took his team to the College Football Playoffs, but he never won a title as a starter. He won one as Mac Jones' backup his freshman season. The Panthers are hoping he will have more postseason success in the NFL than he did in college.
While it is tough to rely on rookie quarterbacks in fantasy football, you have to consider all of your QB options in superflex leagues. Would Bryce Young be a good pick as your QB2?
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Is Bryce Young Worth Drafting As Your QB2 In Superflex Leagues?
The last time a quarterback was drafted number one overall was in 2021, when Trevor Lawrence went to the Jaguars. Lawrence finished as the QB22 that season, and fellow rookie (and Bryce Young's former teammate) Mac Jones was QB18. Those are low-end QB2s in 12-team leagues.
Young only scored three points behind Lawrence on their NextGen Stats scouting breakdowns at NFL.com. Many scouts consider the "generational talent" Lawrence to be slightly better than Young, but it's close.
Lawrence was a QB2 his rookie season, even as he played in a terrible situation on Urban Meyer's Jacksonville Jaguars. Young's situation in Carolina is better than that (even if it's a low bar). Coach Frank Reich is a former quarterback himself and is known for working well with passers.
So Bryce Young should be considered as a QB2 in superflex and two-quarterback leagues. RotoBaller's Hayden Epinette has written:
"For Superflex rookie drafts, he is on a tier with fellow quarterbacks Stroud and Anthony Richardson, behind new Falcons running back Bijan Robinson."
Bryce Young 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook
While Bryce Young is an accurate passer with exceptional anticipation and all-around skills, there are some reasons for skepticism about his rookie prospects. The Panthers wide receiver room is shallow and unproven.
Last season the Panthers dealt both DJ Moore and Robbie Anderson, and it doesn't feel like they have replaced Moore's production. They signed free agent Adam Thielen from Minnesota, but he's 32 years old and hasn't been a WR1 in years. They drafted Jonathan Mingo early in the second round.
There's some upside in the Panthers' wide receiver room. Terrace Marshall Jr. is a breakout candidate. But PFF ranked the Panthers as the No. 31 receiver corps.
Young would also be the shortest quarterback in the NFL, and that could limit his ability to target the middle of the field. Despite these reasons for concern, Young has a good chance of finishing in the range of QB18-26, so he could be a Superflex QB2.
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