RADIO
With the 2023 NFL season officially behind us, it's time to turn our attention to the future. This pre-draft time is a busy one for fantasy football managers in dynasty leagues as they wheel and deal in an attempt to improve their position during the offseason.
Often, certain players will go under the radar in dynasty leagues. Whether it be a young player who just didn't perform as well as other young players the year before or a veteran whose win-now impact is being underrated, there are always sleepers out there for a manager to pursue.
Let's look at three quarterbacks who can be considered dynasty sleepers heading into 2024.
Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers
Did Bryce Young struggle as a rookie? For sure. I'm not going to try to do a revisionist history here and say "oh, no, Bryce was better than you think." It was a long season.
The thing is, sometimes a rookie quarterback has a bad year, and that isn't always indicative he's a bad quarterback. Josh Allen had a 10:12 touchdown to interception ratio as a rookie. Jalen Hurts was 1-3 as a starter in 2020. Jordan Love didn't even take a snap. Sure, it's not a good sign that Young struggled so much, but we can't just write him off.
However, it does feel like a lot of dynasty people are writing Young off. Most dynasty rankings have him as a mid-tier QB2 right now, which feels low for a guy who is entering just his second NFL season and had the college pedigree to make him not only the No. 1 overall pick but someone who a team traded up to take at the No. 1 overall pick.
I get it, though. Young completed just 59.8% of his passes as a rookie, throwing 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He was sacked 62 times, losing a league-high 477 yards, while he added 253 rushing yards. It just wasn't a great campaign.
The more I get into it all, the more I come away feeling strongly about the #Panthers going OL at 33.
It obviously has a lot to do with how the board falls, FA plan - all the variables - but the OL class has serious talent on the front end. They have to protect Bryce Young.
— Ricky Raines (@rickyboboddy) February 13, 2024
Still, the diminutive passer displayed some great accuracy and athleticism in college. Assuming his confidence hasn't been shaken too much by this one poor season, another offseason of development -- and of the Panthers working to shore up the offensive line and get some additional weapons to complement what the team already has -- can definitely benefit Young. At his current fantasy value, he's worth holding and/or trading for if you're a rebuilding team.
Will Levis - Tennessee Titans
No rookie surprised me more than Will Levis did in 2023. His overall numbers might not look too great, but the second-round pick made a strong impact on the Titans.
The highlight came in Levis' first career start, as he was 19-of-29 for 238 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the Falcons. He'd ultimately end up with just four additional touchdown passes in his next eight starts, so it might be fair to wonder if Levis just had one really good game while teams didn't have NFL tape on him.
Maybe that's true, but Levis had more flashes than just that one. He led a fourth-quarter comeback against the Dolphins, throwing for 327 yards in the 28-27 upset win, and he displayed some really intriguing arm strength at various times all season.
Despite all that, Levis is currently ranked as a low-end QB2 in dynasty. I've seen him below guys like Kirk Cousins and Baker Mayfield. If you're in win-now mode, that might make sense, but a rebuilding dynasty player has way more use for Levis than for most of the guys who are currently ranked just above Levis.
Thread on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from #Titans QB Will Levis’s debut season 🧵
(rankings via @PFF based on 250 dropback minimum)
Will Levis’s pass catchers had the highest drop% in the NFL at 8.9%. pic.twitter.com/IpurZtjKF3
— Jake (@JakeAndBall) February 14, 2024
Another positive is that the Titans hired an offensive-minded head coach to replace Mike Vrabel. Brian Callahan comes over from Cincinnati, where he had served as the team's offensive coordinator. With running back Derrick Henry likely done in Tennessee and Callahan having a background as a quarterbacks coach, it looks like the Titans want to build an offense that highlights Levis and his skill set.
Matthew Stafford - Los Angeles Rams
Often, people get so caught up with building for the future in dynasty leagues that they forget to worry about winning now. That often leads to good quarterbacks being ranked lower than they should in dynasty simply because they don't have much of a long-term outlook.
This year, Matthew Stafford really fits that description. Sure, he'll probably be retired in five years, but if your goal in a dynasty league is to win in 2024 or 2025, Stafford can be a big help. He can also be had for a pretty small value on the trade market.
Stafford is 36 years old and has been a little banged up over the last couple of seasons, but he's coming off a strong season. Among quarterbacks to start at least half of their team's games, Stafford was sixth in passing yards per game. The emergence of Puka Nacua as another top weapon for Stafford has really unlocked some additional upside going forward for the veteran quarterback, as he now has another player who can consistently gain positive yards, which will help out his overall numbers.
I’ve been telling people ALL SEASON that they’ve been underrating & undervaluing the great Matthew Stafford.
1. 5th in PFF grade (see below)
2. 6th in QBR
3. Played lights out in the Playoffs again
4. Physical skills are all still there
5. Mental skills are better than ever
6.… https://t.co/VR2Nx2B2a3— John Frascella (Football) (@LegendSports7) February 14, 2024
There is, of course, some obvious risk here. Can Stafford stay healthy? How far in the future is retirement for the No. 1 overall pick from the 2009 NFL Draft? Both are good questions, and they're factored into his current dynasty value.
But if I want to go for a title in 2024 and I need a QB2 in a Superflex league, I'm way more interested in Stafford than I am in guys ranked ahead of him like Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith. Sure, he might not be in the league by 2026, but if I can get one or two strong high-end QB2 seasons out of him, then I'm happy.
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