Should I Draft Sam Howell? Fantasy Football Outlook

Do you hear that? That's the palpable buzz coming out of our nation's capital that the Washington Commanders may have a franchise quarterback for the first time since Kirk Cousins left for Minnesota following the 2017 season. And yes, it's probably an overreaction. We've only seen two preseason games (plus one regular season start in Week 18 of 2022) where neither team played their starting defenders.

On Monday Night Football against the Ravens, the sophomore quarterback completed 19-of-25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns in one half. It was his first game action since being named QB1 by coach Ron Rivera.

"I've been saying it since we drafted him, since last year when people started asking me questions about him. He has all the talent in the world." - Jahan Dotson, Commanders WR

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• Quarterback fantasy football rankings
• Running back fantasy football rankings
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• Superflex fantasy football rankings
• IDP fantasy football rankings
• Dynasty fantasy football rankings

Before the hype train flies off the rails, there is a chasm between being a starting quarterback and being a starting fantasy football quarterback.

Sam Howell Player Profile

Back in 2020, Howell looked like a future number one pick in the NFL Draft. The signal caller completed 237 passes for 3,586 yards and 30 touchdowns in his sophomore season at the University of North Carolina. He also added 146 yards and five touchdowns on the ground and caught a one-yard touchdown pass for good measure.

When his junior season began, he was battling with then-Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler for the right to be the top pick. Unfortunately for Howell, the team around him got worse. His two-headed backfield of Javonte Williams and Michael Carter departed for the NFL. His leading receiver, Dyami Brown, got selected by Washington. His second-best pass catcher, Dazz Newsome, graduated and has spent time bouncing around the league.

Then-sophomore wide receiver Josh Downs became his lead receiving option, and Howell's efficiency, yards, and touchdowns tumbled alongside his draft stock. By the time April 2022 rolled around, Howell was a fifth-round pick.

The good news for Howell is that the Commanders aren't lacking offensive weapons. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin is coming off his third straight 1,000-yard season and sophomore wideout Jahan Dotson seems like a star in the making.

Sam Howell 2023 Fantasy Football Outlook

The quarterback position is very deep for fantasy football this season. There's basically a consensus top eight (Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Justin Fields, Justin Herbert, and Trevor Lawrence) and other veterans (Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Kirk Cousins, Tua Tagovailoa, and Daniel Jones) that you can trust. Even lower-tier guys like Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, and Jared Goff will string together top performances. All of that doesn't even include the wild card in Anthony Richardson.

That leaves Howell in a tier with Kenny Pickett, Jordan Love, Brock Purdy, and Bryce Young. Each one of these young quarterbacks has shown us something, but they haven't proved that they can be a starter for your fantasy roster.

Howell does offer a rushing upside that some of the quarterbacks being drafted before him don't have. In his final season in Chapel Hill, he rushed for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns (and remember sacks count against QB rushing yards in college football). In his lone start in 2022, Howell dashed for 35 yards and a touchdown on five carries against the Cowboys.

There will be weeks this season where Sam Howell is a good streaming option but he does not need to be drafted in standard-sized redraft leagues. In deeper leagues, he is a worthy QB2 candidate. In dynasty and Superflex formats, make sure Howell is on a roster.

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