In 2019, there are so many good quarterbacks that it’s hard to justify taking one early in leaguers that start one quarterback. Even if you wait until after the first 10 rounds, there are generally some very good signal-callers available.
Last season Patrick Mahomes, Matt Ryan, and Ben Roethlisberger finished as the top three quarterbacks in Apex leagues. All three were drafted outside of the top 12 quarterbacks.
This year is another year that there are many enticing options outside of the top 12. Here are the ones that we like the most:
Dak Prescott (QB17)
Asher did an excellent job of explaining why Prescott is an elite late-round quarterback this season. Prescott’s finishes in his career are QB6 (2016), QB9 (2017) and QB12 (2018). He’s never finished outside of the top 12.
After acquiring Amari Cooper, Prescott’s fantasy points per game rose by over four points. From Weeks 9 through 17, Prescott was the fourth-best quarterback. At his current price, he’s an obvious value.
Jimmy Garoppolo (QB18)
Last year Jimmy Garoppolo was being selected as QB10, this year he’s being drafted as QB18. Yes, he tore his ACL, but Jimmy G now has one of the league’s best tight ends, Dante Pettis had a solid rookie year, and the 49ers selected Deebo Samuel. Over his five starts in 2017, Garoppolo was the QB7.
Coach Kyle Shanahan is still an offensive genius, who had rookie Nick Mullens averaging an excellent 8.3 yards per attempt. Healthy and on an offense revamped with playmakers, Garoppolo is in for a bounce-back year.
Lamar Jackson (QB19)
After taking over in Week 11, Lamar Jackson was the QB8. Bolstered by an insane 17 rushing attempts per game, L-Jax’s passing stats are just the icing on the cake. Jackson’s 16-game pace for the games that he started is 272 carries for 1,271 yards and nine touchdowns. Obviously, that pace is unsustainable but gives Jackson an extremely high floor.
For quarterbacks, breakouts happen most often in Year 2. The Ravens are sure to put more on Jackson’s plate this season.
Kirk Cousins (QB20)
In 2016 and 2017, Kirk Cousins finished as QB5. In his first year with the Vikings, Cousins finished as QB11. Now he’s being selected as QB20. The Vikings had a poor year – firing their offensive coordinator in the middle of the season and finishing 19th in scoring. With Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook, that is likely this offense’s floor.
Mitch Trubisky (QB21)
I’m not the biggest Mitch Trubisky fan but this price tag is excellent. In his first season under Matt Nagy, Trubisky finished as QB11 in fantasy points per game. 9th in scoring last season, the Bears added David Montgomery to their arsenal of weapons this offseason. Nagy has proven his savviness as an offensive play-caller.
With Allen Robinson a year removed from his ACL tear and Anthony Miller entering his second season, the Bears offense should continue to move the ball. Trubisky will turn 25 in August and should still be learning and improving with Nagy’s assistance.
Josh Allen (QB22)
Josh Allen had an incredible end to last season, finishing as the QB1 over the last six weeks. He wasn’t efficient or even above average passing the ball but produced frequently on the ground. His 16-game rushing pace is 119 carries for 841 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s likely unsustainable but he won’t need that production to finish inside the top 12.
With Zay Jones and Robert Foster entering their primes, the Bills added John Brown and Cole Beasley. While his production on the ground will decrease, Allen has much-improved weapons to target through the air.
Andy Dalton (Undrafted)
Andy Dalton is currently undrafted in the 15-round fantasy football calculator drafts. Dalton is a few years removed from his productive fantasy seasons in 2013 and 2015. New head coach Zac Taylor, from the Sean McVay coaching tree, provides reasons for optimism on offense. The legendary Shawn Siegele expects a 2019 Chicago Bears-like breakout.
The truth is, the emergence of Tyler Boyd drastically helped Dalton. When A.J. Green went down, Dalton was on a 4,200-yard, 34-TD pace. That would slide him in at QB9.
