The 2024 NFL season will kick off this week when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night. The return of the NFL’s regular season also marks the return of fantasy football.
Ahead of Thursday’s opener, we’ve put together a quick list of sleeper quarterbacks for the 2024 season. Sleepers, for our purposes, are players we believe will finish higher than their average draft position (ADP) this fall. They’re not necessarily unknown players, but they are being undervalued by fantasy managers this offseason.
1. QB Jayden Daniels (ADP 102): Daniels (QB12) is not being drafted as a starter in 10-QB leagues, yet it’s extremely easy to imagine a top-10 (or better) finish for the rookie this season. After rushing for 2,019 yards and 21 touchdowns in two years at LSU, Daniels should continue making plays with his legs in the NFL.
2. QB Justin Herbert (ADP 123): Herbert’s stock tanked this summer following a foot injury, but he’s been practicing since mid-August. Herbert averaged 18.5 points per game last season, which ranked 11th among QBs. Yet he’s being drafted as QB17 this summer. Herbert’s injury might cause a slow early start, but getting him as QB17 should be a good value.
3. Kirk Cousins (ADP 135): Yes, he’s coming off an Achilles injury, but Cousins has never been much of a threat to run and he was cleared to play again in July. Cousins will be surrounded by talent in Atlanta and he should easily top his QB19 ADP. With a small sample size of eight games, Cousins ranked seventh among QBs with 19.3 PPG last fall. Before that, he ranked 13th in 2022 (18 PPG) and 12th in 2021 (19.2 PPG). Cousins seems unlikely to drop from QB13 to QB19 this season, but that’s where fantasy managers are drafting him.
4. Bo Nix (APD 186): Nix is a late-round flyer to serve as a QB2 in re-draft leagues and an intriguing dynasty option. Nix was tailor-made for Sean Payton’s offense and he rushed for 20 TDs in two seasons at Oregon. Denver ran read-option plays with Nix in preseason and while Payton obviously won’t want to run Nix into the ground, the QB’s speed will be utilized in 2024. He might not finish in the top 12 as a rookie, but it’s easy to imagine Nix finishing much higher than his QB23 ADP thanks to his rushing ability.
5. Justin Fields (ADP 194): Fields is an extremely deep sleeper because he won’t begin the year as Pittsburgh’s starter. Fields could get special packages early in the season near the goal line and if Russell Wilson struggles, it’s easy to imagine Fields eventually taking over as QB1. Fields is being drafted as QB27 so you obviously shouldn’t reach for him, but he could offer great value later in the year.
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