X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

The Deepest Dive - QB Sleepers in 16+ Team Leagues

sam darnold fantasy football rankings NFL DFS lineup picks

Can you name every fantasy league you played in last season? Probably not. But can you think of their average structure? The most probable question is yes because most leagues are often comprised of eight to 12 teams with 15 roster spots each and use the now-standard PPR format of scoring. That is not always the case, though, and some fantasy GMs engage in way deeper leagues yearly in order to have a tougher challenge on their hands.

Fantasy leagues can be as large as the commish wants them to be, but for our purposes, we're going to define a deep league as one in which at least 16 teams take part. That means each draft round would consist of 16 picks and there would be 240 (15 rounds multiplied by 16 teams) players drafted overall. So for this exercise, I will be looking at players with ADP over 240 using a dataset comprised of drafts based on leagues with such structure. The data comes from PPR-format leagues, and whenever I mention stats, projections, and fantasy points, those would all be spoken of on the basis of that format.

Here is a look at a few quarterbacks that can be considered sleepers in super deep, 16+ team leagues. Keep an eye on them and track their presence on the draft board as they can become interesting pieces down the road during the development of the 2022 season!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

QB Sleepers Worth Drafting in Super Deep (+16 Teams) Leagues

Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks (ADP: 293

As I'm writing this and as we're about to hit the second half of June, Drew Lock is most definitely the surest thing to be out there leading an NFL franchise when the balls start flying come Week 1 next September--at least among those men name-dropped here and viable in super-deep-league drafts. I know what you're thinking: "ah, here we go again, this analyst is just another one of the crazy bunch," and hey, I don't judge you. But remember, we're talking about really deep, underworld-ADP players here, folks, and some 293rd pick is definitely going to lose you the league... but could turn into a league-winning asset if things go his way.

It'd been three years of pro football for Lock in Denver before he was traded to Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson deal earlier this offseason. Of course, it's not that "three years" actually means "three years" here. Lock only started five games as a rookie and he's coming off a six-game/three-start season in 2021 while playing with a clear QB2 tag attached to his name. Now, looking at Lock's only starting season as a quarterback (13 games in 2020), things weren't that bad for him nor the Broncos in the fantasy realm.

Back in 2020, Lock attempted 443 passes while completing 57.3% of them (254) over those games, racking up 2,933 yards through the air and finishing with a positive TD:INT ratio of 16-to-15 and a touchdown share of 3.6% (around 27 pass attempts per TD). Even though he missed three games entirely, Lock was good for a QB23 (low-end QB2) finish, more than a palatable rank for a super deep league/2QB-format option. Lock threw for more yards than Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton while starting two fewer games than them and fell just nine yards short of Drew Brees' mark. Lock also added three TDs on the ground, carrying the ball 44 times for 160 rushing yards.

Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers (ADP: 290) 

Whether Darnold starts the season as Carolina's QB1 is yet to be known and we might have to wait until three or four days before the first Sunday of the season to know for sure. That said, what are the alternatives the Panthers are working with that are already on their roster? Matt Corral? I wish (!) but that doesn't feel like something realistic at this point. Darnold only surrendered one start to someone not named Cam Newton last season, and Newton got just five such games under his belt before the Panthers realized he was, well, not OG Cam Newton anymore.

It looks like Darnold will be the one throwing the rock more often than not in Carolina next season barring a trade for someone a la Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield, but we'll see how those negotiations or dreamy trades go... As far as we're concerned and with the depth charts in place, though, Darnold looks like a keeper staying put on the Panthers' helm for another 10-month run. Darnold, by the way, isn't an atrocious quarterback. Of course, you're not getting Aaron Rodgers in Sam Darnold, but you're also not getting Aaron Rodgers with an ADP of 290.

Darnold is entering his fifth season as a pro and a contract year too, so odds are he at least attempts to do whatever it takes to remain on the field playing his best football and guaranteeing himself a deal somewhere next offseason. Darnold, mind you, has scored at least 11.2 FPPG in all four prior years topping at 14.6 in 2019 and getting to 13.1 last year in Carolina. He's thrown 9+ TDs in all four seasons while never starting more than 13 games while reaching 2,208+ yards all of those seasons. On a 17-game basis, that'd have Darnold at a baseline of around 350+ completions for 3,600+ passing yards and 13+ TDs. On a pure fantasy football basis: someone in the 20-to-24 clip in QB ranks, or a low-end QB2 worth drafting in most 2QB/deep leagues.

Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers (ADP: 258) 

I'm torn about Trubisky. I've been preaching Mitch's word for long this spring and summer because, all things considered, it feels like Pittsburgh should undoubtedly hand him the reins of the franchise come Week 1. The Steelers signed him to a multi-year deal, Trubisky is still young, and Pittsburgh doesn't have many more options outside of the veteran barring a surprising start by the rookie and first-round draftee Kenny Pickett. That, of course, always felt like a long shot... but is it now?

I still think this is Trubisky's starting position to lose more than anything, don't get me wrong. But whispers are there are growing louder when it comes to Pickett's readiness and that has me concerned because, you know, where there's smoke there usually is fire. The consensus opinion (and I'm included there) has Pickett as Pittsburgh's QB2 over Mason Rudolph and below Mitch-T. If that's the case, then I'm 100% positive Trubisky will turn into a bargain of a draftee and a bona fide fantasy asset and value in 2021.

Trubisky surely had a rough four-season run in Chicago, yes, but he was far from the player he's gotten to be known as, honestly. Trubisky finished his four seasons there as the QB28, QB15, QB26, and QB28 while starting 12, 14, 15, and nine games, respectively. In other words, he was never truly given the time to settle properly nor was an offense built around his skill set. Trubisky still averaged 18.8 FPPG (!) in 2018 and 15.4 FPPG as recently as 2020 when he started nine games. The interceptions have stayed on the 7-to-12 clip (not low) but the touchdowns have been great, topping at 24 in his best season (2018) which is not a joke. You give Trubisky games, reps, a proper receiving corps, and a chance, and you bet he'll deliver above expectations (because they're so freaking low, too). Extraordinary under-the-radar player with an extraordinary chance at shutting some mouths as a starter after his one-year sabbatical in Buffalo.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Fantasy Football Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rafael Devers25 mins ago

Wilyer Abreu Starting On Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.35 mins ago

Ronald Acuna Jr. Could Run Less To Stay Healthy
Brooks Raley44 mins ago

Drawing Interest On Market
Miguel Ullola53 mins ago

Has Right Shoulder Discomfort
Matt Waldron1 hour ago

Diagnosed With Oblique Strain
Endy Rodríguez1 hour ago

Endy Rodriguez Expected To Begin Season With Triple-A
Eeli Tolvanen2 hours ago

Scores Twice In Victory
WPG2 hours ago

Kyle Connor Strikes Twice On Friday
Jack Roslovic2 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Friday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl2 hours ago

Leads Edmonton To Victory
Liam O'Brien2 hours ago

Exits With Undisclosed Injury
Josh Manson2 hours ago

Exits On Friday
Carlos Estévez9 hours ago

Carlos Estevez Feels Great After Cactus League Debut
Jon Gray9 hours ago

Leaves Game Friday After Being Hit By Comebacker
Kevin Porter Jr.11 hours ago

Expected To Be Available Saturday
Atlanta Falcons11 hours ago

Falcons Agree To Terms With Morgan Fox
Damian Lillard11 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Saturday's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo11 hours ago

Probable For Saturday
Lonzo Ball11 hours ago

Remains Out For Saturday
Indianapolis Colts11 hours ago

Colts Sign Corey Ballentine To One-Year Deal On Friday
Trendon Watford11 hours ago

Will Miss Saturday's Game
Chet Holmgren11 hours ago

Resting Versus Detroit
Nicolas Claxton11 hours ago

Resting On Saturday
Pittsburgh Steelers11 hours ago

Brandin Echols Signs Two-Year Deal With Steelers
Josh Giddey11 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Saturday
Noah Clowney11 hours ago

To Remain Out Against Celtics
Kenny Yeboah11 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Lions
Avery Williams11 hours ago

Signs With Eagles
Cam Thomas11 hours ago

Sits Out First Leg Of Back-To-Back Saturday
Jalen Williams11 hours ago

Still Out On Saturday
Coby White11 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Saturday
Kene Nwangwu11 hours ago

Jets Re-Sign Kene Nwangwu To One-Year Deal
Cody Martin11 hours ago

Cleared To Return Friday
Eli White12 hours ago

Appears Likely To Open Season In Utility Role
Trey Lyles12 hours ago

Misses Friday's Game Due To Back Soreness
Tommy Henry12 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Grayson Allen12 hours ago

Not Playing Friday
Trey Jemison III12 hours ago

Unavailable Against Nuggets
Blake Walston12 hours ago

To Have Tommy John Surgery
Jacob Misiorowski12 hours ago

Brewers Reassign Jacob Misiorowski To Minor-League Camp
Gabe Vincent12 hours ago

Sits Out Friday's Game
Nick Richards12 hours ago

Sitting Out On Friday
Dorian Finney-Smith12 hours ago

Sidelined On Friday
Erik Swanson12 hours ago

Diagnosed With "Median Nerve Entrapment"
Domantas Sabonis12 hours ago

Back In Action On Friday
Shane Baz12 hours ago

Not Worried About Spring Training Results
Zeke Nnaji12 hours ago

Active On Friday
Mason Adams14 hours ago

Exits With Elbow Injury
Will Klein14 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A Tacoma
Simi Fehoko14 hours ago

Signing With Cardinals
Kylen Granson14 hours ago

Headed To Philadelphia
Jared Shuster14 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Sterling Shepard14 hours ago

Remaining With Buccaneers
José Buttó14 hours ago

Jose Butto Dealing With Groin Injury
Cincinnati Bengals14 hours ago

Bengals Not Ruling Out Trey Hendrickson Extension
Wenceel Pérez14 hours ago

Wenceel Perez Receives Injection, Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day
Jose Trevino14 hours ago

Exits Early On Friday
Cooper Kupp14 hours ago

Signing With Seahawks
Jake Cronenworth15 hours ago

Not Expected To Play First Base
Karel Vejmelka15 hours ago

Makes Ninth Consecutive Start Friday
Dustin Wolf15 hours ago

Set To Face Avalanche Friday
Mikael Backlund15 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Sam Colangelo16 hours ago

Deemed Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Michael Bunting16 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Dallas Cowboys16 hours ago

Dante Fowler Jr. Heading Back To Cowboys
Andrei Svechnikov16 hours ago

Expected To Return Next Week
Nikolaj Ehlers16 hours ago

Good To Go Against Stars
Buffalo Bills16 hours ago

Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht Both Facing Six-Game PED Suspensions
Tee Higgins17 hours ago

Bengals Making Headway On Contracts For Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase
Ben Skowronek17 hours ago

Back With Steelers
Minnesota Vikings17 hours ago

Eric Wilson Returns To Minnesota
Pharaoh Brown18 hours ago

Heading To Miami
Minnesota Vikings18 hours ago

Justin Skule Signs With Vikings
Mackenzie Blackwood19 hours ago

Battling Illness, Not Starting On Friday
Rasmus Ristolainen19 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Lian Bichsel19 hours ago

Not Playing On Friday
Josh Norris19 hours ago

Undergoing Evaluation
JJ Peterka19 hours ago

Not Playing On Saturday
Neal Pionk19 hours ago

Viewed As Week-To-Week
Kareem Hunt19 hours ago

Chiefs Bring Back Kareem Hunt On One-Year Deal
Philadelphia Eagles19 hours ago

Eagles Open To Trading Bryce Huff
Cooper Kupp20 hours ago

Asking For $15 Million Per Year
Roman Dolidze24 hours ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori24 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani1 day ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos1 day ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez1 day ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson1 day ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Quinton Byfield1 day ago

Scores In Fifth Straight Game
Jesper Bratt1 day ago

Posts Second Straight Three-Point Performance
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay1 day ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA1 day ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos1 day ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman3 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard3 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips3 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith3 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter3 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young3 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim3 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy3 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA3 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman4 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee4 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Power-Steering Failure Foils Tyler Reddick's Bid For Potential Victory
William Byron5 days ago

Recovers From Being Trapped A Lap Down To Finish Sixth
Josh Berry5 days ago

Gives Wood Brothers Team Best Run Since 2021
Alex Pereira5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Becomes The New UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion
Justin Gaethje5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev5 days ago

Loses Third Fight In A Row
Ignacio Bahamondes5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 313
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Scores His Third Consecutive Victory Of The Season At Phoenix
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Strong Phoenix Performance Falls Short Of Victory
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Quietly Earns A Top-Five Finish At Phoenix
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Leaves Phoenix With His Best Finish At The Site Since 2016
Zane Smith5 days ago

Quietly Nabs His First Phoenix Top-10 Finish
Jalin Turner5 days ago

Retires After UFC 313 Loss
Iasmin Lucindo5 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 313
Amanda Lemos5 days ago

Dominates At UFC 313
King Green5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 313
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Aaron Jones - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Staying Put - Impact Players Re-signed: Aaron Jones, Zach Ertz, Jaylen Warren, more

NFL free agency is a frenzy. As football fans, we love to see the movement around the league. It allows us to dream about the possibility of our team signing a fresh player who could make a serious impact. However, one cannot overlook the impact of re-signing significant contributors. While it is not as exciting […]


Tucker Kraft - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Targets: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends To Buy in 2025

My friend Josh used to make me listen to the Bring Me The Horizon song "Diamonds Aren't Forever," which begins with the line "We will never sleep, cause sleep is for the weak." That sentiment rings true in fantasy football dynasty leagues as well. You can't get complacent. You can't stop thinking about how to […]


Zay Flowers - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Dynasty Fantasy Football WR Buy or Sell: Zay Flowers, Rashee Rice, and Jordan Addison (2025)

The 2024 NFL Draft class had seven first-round wide receivers. Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze were selected in the top 10. Meanwhile, Brian Thomas Jr., Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, and Xavier Legette were Day 1 selections. More importantly, Nabers and Thomas finished their rookie seasons as top-7 wide receivers in half-point PPR […]


Courtland Sutton - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Sleepers, Draft Targets: Early 2025 Analysis

One of the biggest factors in winning fantasy football teams is finding middle-to-late-round sleepers. With wide receivers typically carrying the most drafted players of any position, it makes sense that taking multiple stabs at the position in search of hitting multiple-round values is the way to set yourself apart in drafts. For 2025, the draft […]


Caleb Williams - Fantasy Football Rankings, QB, NFL Rookies, Draft Sleepers

2025 NFL Free Agency Frenzy: Biggest Winners and Disappointments at Every Fantasy Football Position

NFL franchises will have an opportunity to reshape their rosters before the draft. Fantasy managers will have a chance to read the tea leaves and make measured strikes against their fantasy football opposition ahead of rookie drafts. Savvy managers will use this period to try to get the best return on some previous investments, as […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Free Agency Fantasy Football Analysis: Fallers On New Teams (2025)

With the first wave of NFL free agency coming to an end, several fantasy-relevant players have signed on to new teams. The quarterback carousel still has several dominoes to fall, but Sam Darnold, Geno Smith, and Kenny Pickett have found new homes within the first few days of the new league year. The running back […]


James Conner - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Fallers - Players Trending Down In 2025

Fantasy football players trending "down" can mean a few different things. It can mean aging veterans, a new situation for players, regression in production after a stellar season, a change in coordinators, or all of the above. It doesn't necessarily mean these players won't produce; it's just a warning sign to proceed cautiously. Ultimately, marking […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Free Agency Fantasy Fallout!

Michael F. Florio is back going over the any signings and trades that free agency week brought us! He discusses his winners and losers of players that changed teams - then does the same for players who were not moved but still had their value impacted! Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM […]


Davante Adams - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

NFL Free Agency Tracker - Updates On Every Free Agent Signing (2025)

The NFL offseason is starting to heat up, and the league's legal tampering period is set to begin on March 10 at noon Eastern. Free agents cannot officially sign until the new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. Eastern, but deals will be agreed to, and news will be coming in quickly […]


Drake Maye - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Players To Target In Deep Leagues

Fantasy football sleepers are what make the game fun. There is nothing like landing an absolute stud in the double-digit rounds of your fantasy draft. The more teams in your league, the more important sleepers become. As the player pool shrinks, it is an absolute must to hit on at least one or two sleepers. […]


DK Metcalf - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Fantasy Football Avoids, Busts: 2025 NFL Free Agent Signings

The 2025 NFL free-agency period is well underway, and many wide receivers, tight ends, quarterbacks, and running backs have already found their new homes. While some of them are in better landing spots, or at least should continue having solid production relative to their ADP (anticipated draft position) in fantasy football, some of them should […]


Jaydon Blue - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Picks, NFL Draft

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Sleepers: Late-Round Prospects With Immediate Upside

Players who are thought of as less likely to succeed in the NFL are typically selected later in drafts. When a player falls through the rounds, it's generally because teams have doubts about their ability to produce. It takes a specific family of skill sets to succeed in the big leagues. But sometimes, players fall […]


Cole Kmet - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Tight End Sleepers For Best Ball Drafts

Tight end is one of the most important positions in fantasy football, and heading into 2025, the position seems even deeper than it has been in past seasons. Sure, there’s the new cream rising to the top with Brock Bowers and Trey McBride, but a lot of veterans are seen much lower in best ball […]