It’s easy to get tunnel vision in your fantasy football drafts, with dreams of watching Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen scramble 20 yards to the end zone, and getting you beaucoup fantasy points. But, taking one of those guys, or even players going in the first nine rounds, leaves you without some premium picks at other positions. Quarterback is as deep as it’s been in recent memory, with the position getting relatively flat after the big four (or big five, if you are a Joe Burrow acolyte like myself). So, use those premium picks on skill position players and snag one of my five favorite quarterbacks going after round nine in twelve-team leagues.
For reference, Justin Herbert (QB15) per 4for4 ADP is going at the end of round nine, so these are QB16 and later in drafts.
Drake Maye, New England (QB17, Pick 10.10)
Drake Maye is the most easily projectable deep quarterback to take a step forward to return on value this year. We’ve already seen the proof of concept last season, wherein Maye took over in week six, and played more than 30% of snaps in ten games from then until the end of the season. He finished as a top-15 QB in five of those games, but he was still learning the league, and his finish then isn’t what intrigues me: it was his rushing. From Maye’s first start until the end of the fantasy season (11 games), Maye was fourth among quarterbacks in rushing, with 409 yards and two scores across those eleven games. That put his rushing yards between Josh Allen (371) and Jalen Hurts (467). That rushing floor will do Maye well in his second season, especially when you consider that the Patriots upgraded his weaponry, adding TreVeyon Henderson and Stefon Diggs in the offseason.
J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota (QB19, Pick 11.06)
J.J. McCarthy looked good in his first preseason action, so I am ready to click the button on him, as needed, late in drafts. I’m especially excited about his two nice connections to Jordan Addison in week one of the preseason. The test case for McCarthy is easy: he’s at least as good as Sam Darnold, and Sam Darnold was QB9 last year after getting cast off from the end of the 49ers’ bench in 2023. The Kevin O’Connell System, alongside Addison, Justin Jefferson, and T.J. Hockenson, will keep McCarthy flowing throughout the season. He’s not someone I would draft as my only quarterback, but he’s someone you can make a component of a 2QB setup in 1QB leagues.
Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville (QB20, Pick 12.03)
Trevor Lawrence is my favorite quarterback to take outside of the top-ten rounds, because of one man with one word. The man? Liam Coen. The word? Coen spent 2024 making former #1 overall pick Baker Mayfield & the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ constipated offense flow, now he’s hoping to do the same with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars. There’s so much to like about this team moving forward, especially when you consider that Travis Hunter could be a Malik Nabers-level talent alongside Brian Thomas Jr. Lawrence is a top-ten quarterback for me in drafts. Still, you don’t have to take him anywhere near that point. He’s going right before the kickers and defenses, and you can pair him with Drake Maye to make for a potent one-two punch at quarterback in 1QB leagues.
Geno Smith, Las Vegas (QB26, Pick 14.06)
Geno is purely a 2QB play, but he is hitting just right in the same mold that Jared Goff hits in 1QB leagues: a bevy of offensive weapons, a strong-minded offensive system, and a players’ coach who will put him in a position to succeed. He is also a lock to play all seventeen games, unless an injury occurs. He’s free and is a shoo-in to finish top-16 value when all is said and done. Like I said, not the best 1QB quarterback, but an ideal second or third quarterback in 2QB leagues.
Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis (QB28, Pick 15.12)
Take a shot, let yourself have a little fun. The third-year player is currently dealing with a dislocated pinky, but he got the first start for the Colts and has the highest ceiling in the room. He’s free and a great stash candidate for deeper rosters. In Best Ball leagues, if I have a stud QB1, I am taking A-Rich as my QB3 every time. His inconsistency means he doesn’t always hit your lineup, but when he does, he hits hard. Richardson has six top-twelve finishes so far in his young career: five of them are in the top five on the week. He also makes for a nice, cheap stack with Alec Pierce and AD Mitchell down past round 14 in Best Ball drafts.
